Scott’s story – life after a traumatic brain injury

Scott Sutherland was involved in a serious road traffic accident in Glasgow and sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) when he was only 19 years old, following a deliberate hit and run.

Five years on, Scott Sutherland and his mother Carol speak about the impact of his traumatic brain injury (TBI) and how Digby Brown helped with his recovery and rehabilitation.

“Friends didn't understand my brain injury”

“You keep thinking to yourself, you’ve changed. You’re getting made to feel like you’ve changed with other people not interacting with you, not your friend anymore. You get made to feel like an outcast and it’s just horrible.”

Carol Sutherland, Scott’s mother, said: “Yeah he had quite a few friends he was quite popular but not anymore. His friends have all faded into the background. They don’t seem to understand Scott now or understand the brain injury. Quite a lot of people don’t understand a brain injury actually.”

"How my life changed"

“I have a weakness down my right hand side, with both my hands I can use them but I can’t use them properly. I’ve got problems with my speech, I’ve got balance problems and I suffer from Seizures.

"That really, really angers me, really gets me annoyed. The frustration that comes out of me for the simplest things is unreal.”

“The right people were there at right time to get support put in place”

Scott Sutherland: “Going through a solicitors helped because I didn’t know what to do, none of us knew what to do as none of us had experienced anything like this before, so basically we were in the wilderness.

“Once we got introduced to Digby Brown it all seemed to take off from there and it’s been very successful and it’s been an easy journey with Digby Brown.

“Whether its compensation or something to do with jobs, courses, whatever it is, they’ll really try their hardest to get you something to get involved in.

"They gave me my life back that I had lost at that time"

“I want to have a normal life like anyone else and the compensation will really help."

If you or a loved one has been affected by an acquired brain injury and you need legal help and advice, you can call our specialist solicitor Chris Stewart on 0141 566 9541.

Alternatively, you can find out more by visiting brain injury legal advice.