Steps to Take After Waking Up from a Coma in South Carolina

According to Live Science, people can wake up from comas “months, years, or even decades” after their accidents. Some regain consciousness and continue to struggle with various health challenges, while others make excellent recoveries. But even if you make a full recovery, there is no way to make up for the time you’ve missed. What kind of steps should you take after waking up from a coma in South Carolina?

Try to Determine What Caused Your Coma

 When someone wakes up from a coma, they often have no idea how they ended up in a hospital bed. These first few moments can be highly distressing, and you might be suffering from amnesia due to a prior head injury. Talk to people who know more about your situation and try to piece together your past. If you fell into a coma because of a car accident, a lawsuit may be possible. The same applies to slips and falls, accidents caused by defective products, and certain types of assaults.

 Calculate Your Missed Wages 

You might also want to calculate how much work you have missed due to your coma. If you were comatose for decades, you might have missed millions of dollars of earnings. Make sure to adjust for inflation if necessary. If you manage to successfully file a personal injury lawsuit, you may recover compensation for all of these lost earnings. If you’re still struggling with health issues that affect your earning capacity, you may also recover compensation for missed future wages.

 Calculate Your Medical Expenses

Another obvious step is to calculate the medical costs you have incurred while comatose. The cost of keeping someone alive for decades can be immense, and you might need to pay all of this money back. Alternatively, your family may have been paying for your treatment throughout the years – and they may have suffered serious financial pressures as a result. Fortunately, a lawsuit may be able to provide you with compensation for all of these medical costs.

 Attempt to Gather Evidence of Negligence 

Try to gather evidence of negligence if you can. If you want to file a personal injury lawsuit, you must prove that someone else caused your accident. This may be challenging, especially if years have passed. Technically speaking, you can still sue because you only became “aware” of your injuries after regaining consciousness. In most other cases, the statute of limitations would prevent you from suing. An experienced lawyer can help you gather effective evidence of negligence – even if decades have passed since your accident.

Can a Personal Injury Lawyer in South Carolina Help After a Coma? 

If you have woken up from a coma in South Carolina, consider speaking with an experienced Charleston brain injury attorney. You may be eligible to pursue compensation, and an experienced lawyer can help you gather the evidence you need. Speak with Mickelsen & Dalton, LLC today to learn more about the next steps.

Sources: 

livescience.com/health/how-do-people-wake-up-from-comas

webmd.com/brain/coma-types-causes-treatments-prognosis