Joanna Szabo  |  February 12, 2020

Category: Legal News

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Even after soldiers come home from war, there are mental, physical, and emotional challenges that many must face. Some of the injuries people think of when it comes to veterans are lost limbs or post-traumatic stress disorder, but one of the less commonly talked about IED blast injuries that veterans frequently face is a traumatic brain injury or TBI.

A traumatic brain injury from a blow or jolt to the head (or even an injury that penetrates the head) affects the functioning of the brain.

The physical and psychological effects of IED blast injuries may appear immediately, or they may take some time to surface.

Physical symptoms of a TBI include loss of consciousness, being dazed, headache, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, problems with speech, difficulty sleeping, and dizziness, among more. Many people experiencing a TBI experience sensory issues like blurred vision, ringing in the ears, or sensitivity to light or sound. Cognitive issues that may arise include problems with memory or concentration, mood changes or mood swings, and depression or anxiety. More severe symptoms could include seizures, inability to wake up, prolonged loss of consciousness, numbness, confusion, slurred speech, and more.

One Iraq War veteran, Brian McGough, told Stars and Stripes that he suffered major IED blast injuries when shrapnel penetrated his skull. He now deals with an ongoing traumatic brain injury, along with PTSD.

“I think people should understand that the range of complications that come with traumatic brain injury are more than just headaches,” McGough said. “Even mild cases can cause some severe issues early on: memory and concentration issues, seizures, vision problems, anger issues…I’m not the same as I was.”

After an Iranian missile attack on Jan. 8 in Iraq, dozens of members of the U.S. military have reportedly been diagnosed with TBI.

However, after the initial attack, President Donald Trump announced that no one had been harmed in the attack. Shortly after that announcement, news of these cases of IED blast injuries continued to rise, and now exceeds more than 60 cases.

Addressing the attack later at a press conference, Trump referred to the injuries as “headaches,” and said that it is “not very serious.”

Veterans organizations are now saying that the president’s words have minimized the severity of TBI, which is a significant cause of both death and disability in the U.S., according to the CDC. The Defense Department’s most recent count of service members who have been diagnosed with TBI is at about 414,000.

Ryan Britch, who works with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, was diagnosed with mild TBI after his deployment to Afghanistan and worries what kind of picture Trump’s comments will paint about these injuries.

“I think as a country, we really need to improve our understanding of brain injury, reduce stigma and encourage treatment,” said Britch. “If you have someone as prominent as the president dismissing and denying that TBIs are legitimate injuries, people aren’t going to take it seriously.”

For people who don’t have to deal with these injuries personally, it may be easy to dismiss them as inconsequential or “not very serious.” But for those who have actually been diagnosed with TBI, the consequences can be serious and potentially life-long.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed by an IED or EFP while fighting in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, legal recourse is available. Get help now by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or anti-terrorist class action lawsuit is best for you. (In general, anti-terrorist lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.) After you fill out the form, the attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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