Serious brain injury isn't as rare as you might think. It is estimated that as many as 500,000 people of working age in the UK are living with long-term disability as a result of trauma, for example from a fall or a car accident or motor cycle accident.

Whilst a large proportion of victims might fortunately only suffer minor ongoing effects, the impacts of serious brain injury are usually long lasting, profound and life changing, not just for the sufferer but for their loved ones too.

Finding the best ways in which a serious brain injury victim and their family can best cope with these sorts of dramatic life changes demands specialist intervention. Now more than ever you need to be confident that you are dealing with experts and getting the very best specialist advice. Not just medically but legally too, through an experienced and expert legal representation.

Forewarned is forearmed

A specialist brain injuries lawyer will have a clear understanding of how these sorts of injuries play out over time and know what to expect. By specialising only in severe injury cases they will know for example that people often struggle with the dramatic changes to their lifestyle. It's not unusual for people who've suffered a serious brain injury to presume that it's only a matter of time before they can return to work. Imagine the heartbreak at realising that you may never work again, that your career has to all intents and purposes stopped dead. People's natural timelines are broken, their expectations and ambitions suddenly and violently altered.

Little wonder then, that so many people who suffer from a serious brain injury need proper and professional psychological help as well as physiological rehabilitation. It's absolutely vital that the emotional trauma they and their family suffer is met with a considered and empathetic treatment. In many respects this is just as important as the physical rehabilitation. Serious brain injury can be a deeply depressing as well as physically painful condition.

Ongoing specialist support

As well as the impact on feelings like self esteem and self worth, what about the practical fall out of a serious brain injury? What are the financial impacts, who's going to pay the mortgage, the car loan, credit card bill, the council tax? If the suffer was the major breadwinner there might be all manner of pressing financial matters that need addressing. There are logistical consequences, day to day living and your life implications too. Will it be possible to move back into your old house or flat without major redesign? Who's going to organise things like ramps or specialist equipment? All these concerns, these fears and challenges would be tough enough to deal with in their own right. But on top of the physical suffering that's been endured it's hard to imagine how difficult going through such an ordeal really is.

Who would you trust in such circumstances? A generalist lawyer handling a heavy workload made up of lots of different types of claims, or a specialist serious injuries lawyer with a focus on more serious injury cases?

There's no two ways about it - the future for serious brain injury sufferers won't be easy. Specialist legal support may at least contribute to making it as easy as possible, getting you the financial help you need as well as the emotional, psychological and rehabilitation support that all serious brain injury victims need to start building their lives back up again.