The aftermath of a brain injury can involve a long recovery, permanent changes and disabilities, extensive medical bills, and more. If you or someone you know has suffered a brain injury because of someone else’s actions or inactions, a brain injury lawyer from Thomas Law Offices can help.
At Thomas Law Offices, our injury attorneys recognize the struggles associated with recovering from a head injury. We help victims file claims against negligent drivers, physicians, trucking companies, and more to get the compensation they need to manage their expenses and focus on healing.
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What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a major cause of injury, disability, and death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are nearly three million TBI-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths every year. Over 800,000 of those injuries involve children.
A TBI is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. When normal brain function is disrupted, temporary and permanent injury-related symptoms are possible. Concussions are the most common TBI that doctors treat. For those who survive a TBI event, the effects can last day, weeks, months, years, or the rest of their life. Common impairments involve thinking, memory, movement, sensation, and emotional functioning.
If you or someone you know has been affected by a head injury and are looking to pursue a legal claim against the potentially at-fault party, it’s important to pin down the cause of the accident. Your attorney can conduct an investigation to get to the bottom of what happened.
Common Causes of TBIs
Anyone is at risk of a TBI, as that type of injury can happen in a wide variety of situations. Some examples of accidents and incidents that can cause head injuries include the following:
- Automotive Accidents
- Slip and Falls
- Medical Malpractice
- Nursing Home Abuse
- Defective Products
- Assault
Whether you were injured in one of the situations listed above or something else, you may have grounds to pursue a claim. To get to your case’s valuation, your lawyer will need to have a comprehensive understanding of your brain injury.
Understanding the Types of Brain Injuries
The type of brain injury you’re diagnosed with will determine how your treatment plan progresses and what your projected maximum medical improvement looks like. In general, there are four types of traumatic brain injuries, including:
- Concussion. A concussion is typically a minor brain injury caused by an impact to the head, shaking, or sudden, intense movement. While concussions aren’t always visible through imaging, they need to be treated, as they can cause headaches, concentration deficiencies, memory loss, and disorientation.
- Brain Contusions. A brain contusion is a bruise of the brain tissue. Just like you can get a bruise on your skin, the brain can bruise. Caused by the breaking and leaking of small blood vessels, a brain contusion can be caused by any impact to the head. The injury site will affect the victim’s symptoms and recovery. Severity varies depending on the force of impact, but the more severe the contusion, the more likely it is to be fatal.
- Penetration Injuries. Penetrating injuries are the most fatal type of TBI. When an object pierces through the skull, it can cause that object, or hair, skin, or bone to make contact with the brain.
- Anoxic Brain Injuries. An anoxic brain injury happens when the brain does not receive enough oxygen to function. Brain cells start to die in approximately four to five minutes, and the brain injury sets in. Oxygen is carried to the brain by blood, so common causes of anoxic brain injuries include blood clots, stroke, and heart attack.
Degrees of TBIs
With any of the injures discussed above, there are varying degrees of severity. The less severe the injury, the more likely the individual will make a full recovery. Medically, TBIs are classified at three different levels, including the following:
- Mild. A mild brain injury typically does not result in loss of consciousness. If there is a period of unconsciousness, it only lasts for a few seconds or minutes. Confusion and disorientation are common. With a mild injury, it’s possible scans could show the brain as not injured, but that’s not always accurate. To determine if an injury is present, doctors look at patients’ mental functioning.
- Moderate. With a moderate TBI, the period of lost consciousness may last up to a few hours, and confusion can last weeks. Depending on the type of moderate injury, related physical, cognitive, and behavioral complications can last for months or become permanent.
- Severe. The most severe traumatic brain injuries are the result of crushing blows or penetration to the skull and brain. If the injury is not fatal, the victim will more than likely be unable to return to their previous way of life. Severe head trauma often comes from open head injuries.
Seeking Compensation for a Traumatic Head Injury
A traumatic brain injury can wrack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills quickly. If someone else caused the accident that resulted in your injury, you have the right to file a claim to seek compensation for the related expenses and losses. When you work with a brain injury attorney from Thomas Law Offices, we’ll make sure your claim is valued fairly.
For a personal injury claim, you can seek monetary awards for both economic and noneconomic losses. Economic losses are those that can be added up, like medical treatment, future medical expenses, and the cost of rehabilitation services, assistive devices, and home modification. Your lawyer may need to bring in medical experts and economic experts to determine your total economic damages accurately.
In addition to the economic damages, TBI victims also have to cope with physical and emotional pain. As a result, you may be able to recover compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, loss in quality of life, loss of consortium, and more.
In the event you’ve lost a loved one from an accident that caused a brain injury, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim on their behalf. Doing so could not only secure your family’s future but hold the negligent party accountable for your loved one’s death.
Contact Thomas Law Offices
When you seek guidance from a brain injury lawyer from Thomas Offices, you’ll be on your way to receiving the compensation you need to manage your injury and losses. We understand how a TBI can completely upend your life, which is why we’ll guide you through the claims process and ensure you understand your legal rights and options every step of the way.
To learn more about how to proceed with a brain injury claim, schedule a case evaluation with our law firm. We’ll review what you’ve been through and explain how to best secure your future.
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