As a personal injury attorney in Colorado Springs, I’ve seen many catastrophic injuries that truly put the victim and family in a devastating situation. In some extreme circumstances, the victim will go into a coma or vegetative state.
Recently, a report from The Huffington Post regarding these catastrophic injuries caught my eye.
According to the piece, scientists have discovered a way to connect with a patient who had been deemed unresponsive for twelve years. To do so, they used a brain-imaging machine.
In the study, three patients with severe brain injury who were considered non-responsive, one even vegetative, were able to show that they could follow commands by communicating with their attention: they had more brain activity when they were instructed to count than when they were relaxed.
This development could help researchers determine if a patient who seems unresponsive actually does have some consciousness and is essentially “trapped” in his or her own body.
Taking the study even further, two of the patients were able to focus their attention on specific questions, answering “yes” and “no” with their brain activity.
These studies show hope for those with brain injuries. Many patients thought to be gone consciously, even vegetative, may in fact have a fighting chance.
Brain injury accidents change the life of the victim and all those close to that person. As a personal injury attorney, I see firsthand how a catastrophic injury affects family and friends, as well as the health of the victim.
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury or other catastrophic injury, contact an experienced brain injury attorney for help.
