A young man had been working as a roofer. But one day while on the job, he fell more than 30 feet from the roof onto the ground below. He was severely injured and suffered a serious brain injury, requiring surgery that removed part of his skull.
Doctors gave him little chance of living. But even with the odds against him, he continued to fight for his life. When he awoke from a long coma, the brain injury had impacted a number of things: his memory, mobility, and ability to process things normally. His family filed a lawsuit against several parties that were involved with the roofing job the day of the accident.
Brain injuries, no matter how severe, can alter the life of the victim. Often, personalities can be altered and the victim has to relearn a number of things that had been second-nature before the accident.
This young man has been working hard at his rehabilitation. Though it has been a remarkable recovery – the young man has moved into his own apartment – the journey to recovery is still a long one.
The accident occurred at work. There are few details regarding the accident itself, whether there were any safety violations or inadequate safety precautions. However, because of the work accident the young man will never be able to work again. The trauma to his brain prevents him from being able to do anything that requires fine motor skills.
The compensation that he received from the lawsuit will never bring him back to his mental, physical, and emotional state prior to his fall. However it will help to provide him with the necessities he needs to live, especially since he will be unable to provide for himself by working.
Source: Times Union online, “Traumatic brain injury victim struggles to create a new life,” Leigh Hornbeck, 05 July 2011
