If someone is hurt in a serious accident, an injury to the brain can be the last to be considered.
Those who don’t regain consciousness or who have to be put into an artificial coma have clearly suffered a major insult to the brain. The doctors will warn of long term consequences and the family are in some way prepared for changes to come even if they can’t be predicted.
However many, many people lose consciousness for a brief period but have long-term ill effects which can be missed when other injuries are more pressing. Some go to A and E after a bump on the head and are discharged almost immediately only to go on to have problems.
The brain is such a precision instrument that it can be damaged easily. That said, it has the capacity to recover from serious injury in all sorts of extraordinary ways. Huge strides have been made in the understanding of brain function, brain injury, the treatment of trauma and rehabilitation in the last twenty years.
It is fundamental to ensure that those with a brain injury have the right rehabilitation for them as quickly as possible. We work with doctors across the neurological disciplines, psychologists, experts in rehabilitation and care and therapists to devise and implement the regimes right for each one of our clients. We work with major insurers to put these in place as early as possible, even before discharge from hospital.
However effective the rehabilitation, some change in the injured person is inevitable. It is often the first thing our client’s families tell us. That can be devastating for the individual, family and friends. These are situations we meet on a regular basis and we can signpost our clients to those who can help.
Some may lose or never gain the capacity to manage their own affairs. We work alongside our colleagues in the Court of Protection department to ensure their best interests are always foremost.
Brain injury in those who are yet to reach adulthood can present extraordinary challenges. How can the best education and quality be achieved for those whose potential may be blighted? We work with specialists in child development and education to provide the right kind of guidance and support to fulfill the child’s potential.
We are passionate about what we do in this perhaps even more than other fields, given that the stakes are so high. Full recovery from a brain injury is rare. Being able to assist in making the difference between the best recovery possible and anything less than that is a great privilege.
Support available after brain injury
Headway and the UKABIF provide vital support and information services for individuals and families affected by brain injury. It is important to have access to good quality legal advice from lawyers who are experienced in claims of this nature, and Ashtons Legal are proud to be approved solicitors with these organisations.
The Brain Injury Group is a national network of dedicated brain injury lawyers and expert services that delivers a comprehensive package to support brain injured clients and their families through their claim and beyond. This unique service combines the best brain injury legal experts with an extensive range of other specialist professionals, all of whom have a vital role to play in the rehabilitation and compensation of brain injured clients.
The Major Trauma Group’s overriding objectives are to secure, by providing exceptional legal advice, the resources to optimise clients’ health recovery through access to rehabilitation and support alongside maximising compensation and long term financial security. Ashtons Legal is a member of this national group of highly experienced solicitors who specialise in the area of major trauma and its consequences.
