Your Personal Injury Lawyers
Symptoms of Brain Injuries in Children
Injury is the leading cause of death for children in Canada, reports the Public Health Agency of Canada. Many of these deaths involve acquired brain injuries. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical, given that the impact of a serious TBI can be massive, extensive and long-term.
Symptoms of Brain Injuries in Children
Brain injuries are extremely complex, and the symptoms vary widely. The types of symptoms depend upon the location and extent of the injury. According to a pamphlet from the Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University, some symptoms of concussion in infants and toddlers may include:
- headache, rubbing the head;
- nausea, vomiting;
- poor coordination, loss of balance;
- inability to perform newly learned skills;
- disinterest in toys;
- irritability;
- sleeping and eating changes;
- fatigue, listlessness;
- light and noise sensitivity; and
- visual problems.
More general symptoms of concussion include trouble concentrating, cognitive impairment, moodiness, anxiety, depression and more. If your child suffered a head injury or was in an accident, take him or her to a doctor for evaluation. Also ask about brain injury symptoms to watch for.
Difficulties Recognizing Symptoms
Symptoms of a brain injury can be hard to detect in children because:
- there can a wide variance in the degree of the symptoms;
- young children may be unable to tell parents that they’re hurt (refer to the signs of concussion in infants and toddlers above);
- some tell-tale indicators of TBI aren’t easy to recognize; and
- the onset of symptoms may be delayed, and the parents may not correlate the impairments with a recent accident.
This is why it’s crucial for parents to take their child for a thorough medical examination after any type of incident that caused impact to the head. Even if the initial medical report is clear, parents will want to keep a keen eye for any unusual changes in behavior.
Financial Compensation for Damages
Brain injuries can cause scores of complications and might require long-term treatment in severe cases. If your child suffered a brain injury as the result of another party’s negligence, you might be able to pursue a claim for restitution to account for your losses. Damages can include not only medical treatments, but also future rehabilitation, emotional damages, and pain and suffering.
Valid cases for a child TBI might come about for any number of reasons, such as slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice cases, playground accidents, premises liability cases, etc. Discuss your case with a local child injury lawyer to determine if you’re eligible and how best to go about pursuing a settlement.
Our Child Injury Lawyers Help Ontario Families
If you believe your child’s injuries were caused by negligence, give the Preszler Injury Lawyers a call. We will investigate your child’s injuries, determine who is liable and advise you on the best way to move forward.
If you reside in Ontario, contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation: 1-800-JUSTICE®.
