Hidden Costs of Head Injuries: Beyond the Medical Bills 

Head injuries come with complex recoveries that take weeks, months, or even years to heal. Beyond the piling costs of medical bills, we’re uncovering those hidden costs that come with head injuries so you can understand your rights to full-picture compensation and learn how much insurance will pay for personal injury. 

Concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and other head injuries are some of the hardest to heal—our brain function is vast and complex, so it makes sense that healing isn’t always straightforward. 

Even after the visible scars are healed and gone, the hidden costs can linger on for years and impact everything from your mental health to your ability to work or enjoy a healthy, full personal life. 

At The Morris Law Group, we’ve helped many clients navigate those profound and often invisible challenges they face as head injury survivors. Read on as we delve into the hidden costs of head injuries and shed light on the oft-overlooked impacts they can have on you. 

Financial Impacts Beyond the Medical Expenses

In the aftermath of a head injury, you’ll usually have some more obvious medical expenses from tests, hospital stays, emergency transport, and more, but they’re just the very tip of the proverbial iceberg. 

Your financial burdens beyond those initial treatment bills include:

• Lost Wages and Earning Capacity. A head injury might not always take you out of a job physically, but even those “invisible” injuries to your brain can make it incredibly hard to function, concentrate, and work. You might deal with a temporary or permanent disability that stops you from returning to work in the same capacity as pre-accident—or returning at all. You may need to take on less demanding jobs with lower compensation or seek out government assistance for your disability. Regardless, the financial strain from a loss of income is significant not only on the injured but their families and dependents. 
• Rehabilitation and Therapy. Treatment often isn’t temporary, stopping once you leave the hospital. Often, you’ll take weeks or months to recover from a head injury, with costs including extensive rehabilitation sessions, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and cognitive therapy. You’re often retraining the affected parts of your brain to function again, and the process can be intensive, extensive, and expensive.
• Home Modifications and Assistive Devices. Depending on the severity of your head injury and the symptoms you experience, you may need to spend on modifying your home with widened doorways, ramps, wheelchairs, walkers, communication aids, and more. Head injuries can make it difficult to move, walk, think, or talk, and these devices and modifications are often highly advanced and expensive—the bills can pile quickly.
• Long-Term Care. If your brain injury requires physical or functional support, you may need home health aides, assisted living facilities, or nursing homes. Long-term care and support are incredibly costly, especially if you need it on an ongoing basis over the months or years.  

Emotional and Psychological Impacts of Head Injuries

Some of the hidden costs of head injuries are the hardest to handle—the emotional and psychological fallout can be overwhelming at times. While it’s easier to point to physical injuries, it’s much harder to manage these invisible scars and have others understand the true impact on not just the victim but their family, friends, coworkers, and more. 

Here are some of the emotional and psychological costs:

• Personality Changes. Head and brain injuries can cause changes in brain function that lead to personality changes, increased irritability, mood swings, a lack of emotional control, and more. It’s hard not only for the person affected but their family and friends, who may feel they’ve “lost” the person they knew so well. Relationships often get strained, and maintaining social connections becomes a challenge.
• Cognitive Impairment. Your brain’s cognitive functions may be affected by a head injury, causing issues like memory problems, difficulty concentrating, impaired decision-making, and difficulties performing the daily tasks it takes to manage your personal and professional life.

• Depression, Anxiety, & PTSD. Head injuries can affect your mental health, both by the physical impact on your brain and the emotional impacts on your mood and mind. Many head injury survivors experience everything from depression and anxiety to full-on post-traumatic stress disorder, where the trauma leads to flashbacks, nightmares, and avoidance behaviours. These mental health challenges can often make it difficult to work, maintain healthy relationships, and enjoy a consistent quality of life. 

How to Navigate the Hidden Costs: Seeking Support & Legal Assistance

The hidden costs of head injuries can be seriously overwhelming, but there are resources that can help. You don’t have to go it alone, and you shouldn’t. 

There are support groups and counselling available so you can easily connect with others in similar situations and get emotional and mental health support from trained professionals. Often, there are therapists who specialize in counselling after an accident like a head injury because it’s an all-too-common experience. 

Rehabilitative programs are available to help you regain lost skills, retrain your brain, and recover your body. 

It’s also vital to get an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you understand the full head injury compensation you deserve, including those “hidden” costs you may struggle to calculate on your own. 

Head Injury FAQs

What is the golden rule for head injury?

Head injuries don’t always present themselves immediately, but it’s important to seek treatment ASAP after an accident because treatment is crucial. The “golden rule” is to get medical care within 60 minutes because that’s the most critical time for treatments and intervention.

How much money do you get for a head injury?

The amount you get for a head injury depends on your total physical, mental, emotional, and financial costs. 

What is the average settlement for a traumatic brain injury in Canada?

A personal injury attorney helps you understand and calculate the total compensation you deserve, with the average settlement landing anywhere from $10K to $50K+. The costs of your injury dictate your compensation, so it’s highly variable. 

The Morris Law Group—Personal Injury Law Firm Hamilton

At The Morris Law Group, our legal experts and traumatic brain injury lawyers are committed to helping head injury survivors and their families secure those critical financial resources and support they need to rebuild their lives. 

We’ve successfully advocated for clients with pre-existing health conditions for 60+ years. We’re dedicated to fighting for your rights and maximum compensation—you don’t have to face this difficult time alone. Request a free consultation or call us at 905-526-8080 to learn more.