Car Accident Victim's Slow Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury
A 15 year old girl is slowly recovering from being hit by a car on a crosswalk. According to turnto23.com, Angeleigh Kumpel suffered multiple injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, a fractured pelvis and a broken left leg. Her father says she will have to learn how to walk and talk again. Yet, her family is happy because Angeleigh is forming simple sentences.
New Drug for Treating TBI is Being Tested
Citing the American Academy of Neurology, an article in ddmag.com talks about a new drug that is currently being successfully tested on lab rats suffering from TBIs. The new drug, Clazosentan, is thought to specifically block brain receptors called endothelin receptor A (ETrA), which contribute to the restriction of blood flow in the cerebrum of the brain as early as four hours after a brain injury. When prolonged, this reduction in blood flow can cause permanent cell dysfunction and death.
Expensive Therapy Marks Long Road to Recovery
While we await FDA approval of the medication for use on humans, recovery for traumatic brain injury patients like Angeleigh is achieved through rehabilitation therapy, which is long and expensive. This is why victims that have suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of another's negligent actions need the help of an experienced trial lawyer to recover the funds they need to pay for their rehabilitation, as well as for their ongoing medical and personal needs.
According to studies done to help injured N.F.L. players and wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield with traumatic brain injuries, the faster we provide them with rehabilitation therapy, the greater their recovery can be. Keith Cicerone, Director of Neuropsychology at the JFK Rehabilitation Institute in New Jersey, has stated that the longer a patient goes without therapy, the more likely it is that his or her brain may "develop bad habits" due to what he calls "mental disuse syndrome" because it is not being used at the same level it was prior to the injury.
Moreover, if left untreated, these victims may suffer the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injuries: headaches, vertigo, depression, dementia and memory loss, all of which may, in extreme cases, lead to suicide. Two former N.F.L. players, ex-Miami Dolphins' Michael Current and former Pro-Bowl safety Dave Duerson killed themselves after being unable to cope with the consequences of the concussions they suffered as N.F.L. players.
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