TBINJURY

[Garyp119]

hi I had my brain injury in April 2023. I have no idea what happened so cannot make a claim for compensation. Has anybody else gone through this

[Pairofboots]

Hi, what type of compensation are you looking for? You know that you were injured, you may not know the exact details of how the injury occurred, but there will be a record from the ambulance service as to when, where, how you were found, they will know the circumstances, the hospital where you were treated will have details of the injuries. If the police were involved, they will have recorded details.

[Garyp119 in reply to Pairofboots]

Hi thanks for your reply. I woke up on the 6april 2023 with my head splitting. I phoned my parents they picked me up and took me to hospital. I don’t remember anything from when my parents picked me up to the following afternoon waking up in a hospital bed. Bleed on the brain fractured skull. Serious shoulder injury. Hospital think I fell down stairs ???

[Pairofboots in reply to Garyp119]

If it was an accident with only you involved then it is unlikely that you can claim compensation, unless you can prove that the stairs had something wrong with them that caused the fall, something that a landlord, or public body might be responsible for that could have been rectified, or following the accident has been rectified, something covered by public liability. This can be very difficult to prove and you should take legal advice before you embark on such action as this can be very expensive, and can take a long time. Be wary of no win, no fee deals, as costs can still be awarded against you should the claim be unsuccessful. You somehow have to be very clear about the circumstances, was it stairs, lighting, were there others that contributed/witnessed etc... It sounds like you have a lot of blanks to fill in.

[Garyp119 in reply to Pairofboots]

Thank you for reply back. I have had the same feedback of some solicitors I contacted. Thanks.

[Painting-girl]

Hello G, my accident was at home, so no one else was liable - in some ways that's made it easier to accept that it was just an accident, albeit one that had quite long standing consequences. Are you in rented accommodation though?

How are you coping now generally in yourself compared to before your accident - it sounds like it was a pretty bad injury?

[Garyp119 in reply to Painting-girl]

Hi. I’m not coping well. I’m becoming isolated and don’t want to see anybody. My head is hurting most of the time but it’s not headache.

Yes I’m in private rented accommodation.

[Painting-girl]

I'm sorry to hear that G. What sort of medical help and support have you had so far? You might find it useful to talk to the Headway helpline and try and see what support you could access to help handle living with a brain injury.

(I think Pair of boots is right on the compensation issue, unless your stairs are faulty on some way. )

[Garyp119 in reply to Painting-girl]

I have had occupational health support I think that’s who they were. I think I tried headway but didn’t get a call back.

How are you getting on after your unfortunate accident.

[Painting-girl in reply to Garyp119]

Hi G, may be worth trying the Headway helpline number on 0808 800 2244 during office hours and asking them to suggest what you could try now, or what referrals you could ask your GP for? Neuropsychologists are usually very good at helping you find practical strategies for coping post TBI. Mine was very helpful on helping me to manage fatigue for example.

Well, how am I? I've just done six years since my concussion / mild traumatic brain injury, and life is ok now. I don't compare terribly well to my peer group on energy levels - and still have a few issues around my attention levels ( I think the best thing I can explain it as, is a sort of acquired attention deficit disorder). But I think I'm doing a lot more than I did a few years ago and coping pretty well, and my quality of life is pretty good - I retired early, but I've found different interests and friendship groups that make my life now very worthwhile.

For example, last week I went out for lunch and a theatre matinee, and supper afterwards, and a train home, and I was a bit wiped out the next day, but was fine all day while I was out and had a really lovely time. (This would have been full on migraine territory a few years ago). This morning I went out to an art group, then shopped and lunched out on my own ( ok, I'm sitting down right now, but haven't got a headache, and don't feel totally wiped out yet.)

Hope you can find some support and some coping strategies that work for you.

[Nemo24]

Sometimes it's just an accident from something you have always done without a thought. Mine was at home, down to me so just focused on getting as well as possible.

[Garyp119 in reply to Nemo24]

Hi N. That’s what I been doing for last 16 months. Thanks for reply