The Long-Term Consequences of Motorcycle Accidents on Your Health
A motorcycle accident can happen in an instant, but the consequences of the accident can affect you for years to come. With a rapid response and appropriate care, some motorcycle accident injuries can resolve fully, but others can impact your health for life.
It’s important to keep these long-term consequences in mind after your motorcycle accident. A motorcycle accident lawyer can help you factor in these costs in deciding whether to pursue compensation for your injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common motorcycle accident injury, especially among motorcyclists who weren’t wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. TBI can have numerous long-term complications, and there are few methods available for successful treatment.
It’s important to understand that TBI can worsen over time. You might initially seem fine after your accident, but over months and years you can develop more cognitive difficulties and impairment of your physical movements. Your balance and vision might be affected. You might develop seizures and the inability to think clearly. You might have memory problems, especially short-term memory problems that can make it hard to function in your daily life. Even if you can think and remember, you might not be able to speak. Chronic headaches, including migraines, are also common after TBI.
Inability to move and care for yourself can lead to a sedentary life that has many serious health risks. You might experience weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and more.
Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury is also a common serious injury related to motorcycle accidents. Spinal injuries are more likely to cause impairment of your ability to move, as opposed to your ability to think.
With spinal cord injury, you might lose the ability to walk. You might lose the ability to move your arms and perform all the necessary tasks related to caring for yourself on a daily basis. You might also lose control of some involuntary body functions like the ability to urinate or defecate.
Loss of movement due to spinal injury can lead to a sedentary life, weight gain, and similar health problems we mentioned above.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is common after many types of motorcycle accident injuries. It can be related to any of the previous injuries we’ve discussed as well as soft tissue, bone, or joint injuries that never quite heal. It might also be related to nerve damage, which is especially hard to treat.
Chronic pain can significantly impact your quality of life following a motorcycle accident. You might not be able or willing to do some of the activities you used to enjoy. Pain might even cause you to give up most physical activities, leading to a sedentary lifestyle.
Chronic pain is notoriously difficult to treat. Pain relief options are limited, and traditional pain medications, such as opioids, can lose effectiveness over time and/or lead to addiction. Trying to avoid addiction and its effects might mean using less or different medication, which can lead to greater pain and reduced quality of life.
Disability
Many of the above injuries can make it hard for you to accomplish the normal, everyday tasks of life. You might not be able to cook for yourself, dress yourself, and certainly aren’t able to work or get exercise. The inability to perform these tasks can lead to serious health complications. Not being able to perform everyday activities can lead to serious health problems, including dehydration, major weight loss because you can’t prepare or eat food, or major weight gain because you eat convenience foods high in salt and fat while leading a more sedentary life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Although post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological complication of motorcycle accidents, it can also affect your health. PTSD might lead to nightmares that affect your ability to sleep. You might also seek to overcome PTSD through drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy eating. You might develop addiction and experience chronic health problems related to the substance you’re addicted to. In addition, you might experience weight gain from overeating and/or consuming too much alcohol.
Even prescription medications for PTSD and related psychological problems can have serious side effects for your health.
An Experienced Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Help
When considering the effects of your motorcycle accident, it’s important to consider what these long-term health effects mean for your life. They might lead to significant expenses, including:
- Repeated surgeries
- Physical therapy
- Medications
- Life aids like wheelchairs and walkers
- Caregivers
- Counseling
At the same time, you might be losing your ability to earn a living. The combination of not being able to work and suddenly having high medical expenses means that you need to attempt to maximize compensation for your motorcycle accident injuries.
Denver motorcycle accident lawyer Brian Pushchak understands these complications. He has made motorcycle accidents a primary focus of his law firm in order to be able to better address the needs of motorcycle accident victims. He can help you understand these issues so that you can know what you need when seeking compensation.
In addition, you’ll benefit from Mr. Pushchak’s Informed Decisions™ Approach. This means that Mr. Pushchak will first take the time to listen to your situation and your needs and goals. He will then recommend a strategy that is most likely to achieve your goals. We will also give you our personal contact information so that you reach us at any time of day or night when you have questions, concerns, or decisions to make about your case. With Pushchak Law, the case will remain yours. Mr. Pushchak is your advisor, but the ultimate decision is always yours.
To learn how we can help you after your motorcycle accident, please contact us today. Pushchak Law serves clients in Denver and the surrounding areas.
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