Concussion and TBI Linked to Significant Future Income Loss

March 15, 2021, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Concussion is the most frequent brain injury and we have been focused on the long-term impact of concussions and TBI on physical and mental health, but have given little consideration to their impact on future salary and employment potential. Recently this question has become a topic of research.

In Denmark and in America these studies have concluded that people who suffer from a concussion or TBI do suffer from long-term financial consequences. In the Danish study “Effect of concussion on salary and employment: a population-based event time study using a quasi-experimental design?”, Dr. Peter Fallesen, Benito Campos, followed all patients aged 20-59 who were treated either in a public hospital or emergency room from 2003-2017 for concussion (without intracranial or extracranial injury). There were over 55 k individuals, none of whom had a previous history of intra or extracranial injury in the last 10 years.

Economic Impact

The potential for serious long-term financial consequences becomes very clear. Patients showed an average salary loss for these individuals was 4.2%within a year of the injury and remained significant for at least 5 years. The higher the education level the less impact on income. It appears that those who were already precariously employed, or less educated suffered the greatest and longest-term losses. The exact conclusions were as follow:

Results Concussion was associated with an average change in annual salary income of −€1223 (95% CI: −€1540 to −905, p<0.001) corresponding to a salary change of −4.2% (95% CI: −5.2% to −3.1 %). People between 30 and 39 years and those without high school degrees suffered the largest salary decreases. Affected individuals leaving the workforce drove the main part of the decrease. Absolute annual effect sizes were countercyclical to the unemployment rate.

This information is extremely valuable throughout the world as the results can be reasonable assumed to be the same in Canada. Brain injury and concussion have long-term impacts both physically, mentally and on future employment. Insurers, who have long maintained that concussion has no lasting impact, have been reluctant to adequately compensate accident victims for future losses of income.

This in turn highlights the importance of consulting with an experienced personal injury lawyer any time you or a loved one are in an accident in which there is a concussion or brain injury. It is crucial to have a lawyer by your side who will guide you through the process and ensure that you are compensated for your future losses of income and career opportunity, and for the treatment of your physical and mental injuries. 

Without a lawyer, you may not get the compensation you need to allow you to recover, and to keep yourself and your family safe and economically secure in the future.

If you are interested in reading the entire article in the BMJ you can find it here. 

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.