After the brain has been damaged the tissue can form scars much like skin can.  This scarring can lead to epileptic fits in some patients.  If someone is going to suffer from epileptic fits they usually have one within the first 6 months to a year.  A neurologist will be able to give advice as to the risk of fits and prescribe medication that can help prevent seizures or stop them if they occur.  The severity of seizures and risk to life will depend on the extent of the primary and secondary injuries and the parts of the brain which have been damaged.

Any sport in which you can fall from height or at speed are high risk for head injuries. This includes activities such as horse riding, especially eventing, and cycling. Contact sports such as boxing, rugby and American football are also notorious for head and neck injuries.   The risk of serious brain injury can be lowered through the use of helmets and strict rules against dangerous play such as spear tackling in rugby.

The most common cause if brain injury on children is falls. Having safety gates at the top of stairs and ensuring windows are locked or have bars on will minimise the risk of falling.  Ensuring playground with climbing frames have soft, 'bouncy' flooring will also prevent serious injury.  It goes without saying that helmets must always be worn when cycling or horse riding. In addition, providing the correct child safety seat and placing it in the back will minimise risk in the event of a road trafic accident.

In the acute phases of treatment the main professionals that are involved are the intensive care doctors and nurses, neurologists and neurosurgeons.  The rehabilitation process will also involved Doctors but the most important people will be the nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and of course the family and friends of the person inlvolved.  Other people who you should expect to be involved are psychologists and councellors as well as social services who can help with the move home and integrating back into the community.

Unfortunately it is thought that the nerve cells in the brain can not regenerate after they have been damaged.  However, a lot of people gain some  function back in the two years after a brain injury and may continue to gain further function later than this.  It is thought that this is due to 'brain plasticity' which means that cells that didn't perform a function before the injury can take on the role of cells that have been damaged.  This is why the rehabilitation process is so important as it can help this process. 

It is very hard to predict how well someone will recover after a brain injury but it generally does depend on the severeity of the primary injury and any secondary complications aswell as the age and health of the patient before the injury.  In general, the younger the brain is, the more potential for plasticity.

Yes, if the injury was a result of another parties negligence.  For example if the accident happened at work or in a car accident that was another drivers fault.  As the consequences of head injury can be very expensive this can be very important in helping the family to provide the person with the support and help they need.  However, legal cases can be very drawn out which can lead to people finding it very hard to move on and re-biuld their life a long time after the initial injury.

The best way to go about getting advice and help on your legal standing is to contact the Law Society or the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.