If you get involved in a serious car accident, you may suffer a traumatic brain injury. For instance, if you’re in an underride accident with a semi-truck, you have a higher chance of head trauma, which increases the odds of a brain injury.
A TBI can impact your life in many ways, depending on what part of the brain is injured and how serious that injury is. You may struggle with mobility issues, for instance, or behavior changes. And you may also wonder about your memory. Could this TBI have such a profound impact on your health that it changes the way your memory works?
Potential issues you could experience
The short answer is yes, a brain injury can absolutely affect memory. Different types of memory can be affected by brain injuries:
- Short-term memory: Individuals may struggle to retain new information or have difficulty remembering recent events or conversations.
- Long-term memory: Brain injuries can impact the ability to recall past events, experiences or learned information.
- Working memory: This type of memory involves temporarily holding and manipulating information. A brain injury can affect a person’s ability to perform tasks requiring working memory, such as mental arithmetic or following multi-step instructions.
- Episodic memory: This pertains to the ability to recall specific events or episodes from one’s life. Brain injury might impair the ability to remember personal experiences.
The effects on memory can vary depending on factors such as the severity of the injury, the area of the brain affected, whether it’s a focal injury (injury to a specific area) or diffuse (more widespread damage), and an individual’s overall health and recovery process.
Rehabilitation, cognitive therapy and other forms of treatment can sometimes help individuals with memory issues after a brain injury. However, the extent of recovery can vary notability from one case to the next, depending on factors such as injury severity or location. Seeking medical attention and working with healthcare professionals specializing in brain injury rehabilitation is essential to determine appropriate strategies for managing memory problems after a brain injury.
Even with this treatment, though, certain symptoms may remain or evolve in unique ways over time. This can have a serious impact on your ability to work and earn a living, get enjoyment out of life, interact with family members and much more. As a result, it someone else caused your injury, consider seeking legal guidance to determine whether you’re entitled to compensation at this time.
