Common Traumatic Brain Injuries In Personal Injury Claims
Among some of the worst injuries that someone can receive is a traumatic brain injury. Across various kinds of accidents, these injuries are surprisingly common whether it is a car accident, construction accident, or even just slipping and falling. When someone suffers damage to the head they are at risk for lifelong disability not to mention severe financial woes that come from the inevitable medical expenses and lost wages.
A traumatic brain injury is something that nobody is ever prepared for yet one can be sustained in the blink of an eye and turn the world upside down. There are many kinds of traumatic brain injuries that one can sustain across different kinds of accidents but the constant is that people will likely want compensation for an injury that was caused by someone else’s negligence.
Personal Injury Claims Involving Traumatic Brain Injuries
When someone files a personal injury claim they are doing so in order to pursue compensation for an injury they suffered because of a liable party’s negligence. This liable party could be anyone from a grocery store that left spills uncleaned that someone slipped in and hurt themselves because of to a trucking company that hired a truck driver with a history of DUI’s that caused an accident.
With a traumatic brain injury based claim, a plaintiff’s concern should be with proving the extent of their injury’s need for compensation as well as proving that a liable party’s negligence was responsible for the accident that led to them suffering a traumatic brain injury. This can be much more difficult than most people anticipate and should not be attempted alone. You don’t have to try and handle a claim by yourself.
Don’t File a Traumatic Brain Injury Claim Without a Skilled Personal Injury Attorney
Consider hiring an experienced lawyer that can provide the skills and resources you need to make sure your traumatic brain injury claim is successful in getting you the compensation that you deserve. The lawyers of Eberst law have proven themselves time and time again at the negotiating table and in court that they will fight for their clients and leave no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring a claim gets the best chance possible at success.
Defining Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury is when the brain sustains damage inflicted by a force that acted upon the head. This force could be a direct form of blunt force trauma or violent shaking caused by something like the deacceleration that occurs in a high-speed car collision. Traumatic brain injuries cause direct damage to the brain and therefore not only injure someone in the physical sense but also cause issues with cognition and higher brain function.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
Concussions are Traumatic Brain Injuries
The most common type of traumatic brain injury is a concussion. While it is on the milder side of the traumatic brain injury spectrum, it is still an injury to be taken seriously. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head that causes a temporary issue with brain functions. Concussions should always be addressed as soon as possible or there is a risk of complications that can drastically increase the damage to the brain.
Coup-Contrecoup Traumatic Brain Injuries
A coup-contrecoup injury is when the brain hits either the front or back part of the skull’s interior and suffers damage as a result. This is caused by either a blow to the head or a violent jerking movement. A coup traumatic brain injury is when the brain collides with the front of the skull’s interior and a contrecoup is when the brain hits the back of the skull’s interior.
Diffuse Axonal Injuries
When the brain is damaged because the long connecting fibers of the brain called axons, experience shearing against the inside of the skull. This will happen because the brain will shift inside of the skull when a powerful force is exerted on the head. Diffuse axonal injuries are particularly debilitating since they are well known to cause long periods of unconsciousness and even comas that many do not come out of.
Brain Contusion Traumatic Brain Injuries
The brain is no exception to the effects of a contusion or bruising as one would call it in layman terms. Brain contusions, or cerebral contusions as they are also called, are when a blow to the head results in localized damage to a brain’s blood vessels causing hemorrhaging. This kind of injury causes an immediate danger of swelling of the brain called edema that needs to be immediately addressed. A brain contusion may also cause further issues involving internal bleeding within the brain called cerebral hemorrhaging.
Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury
While not as common as concussions or brain contusions, penetrating traumatic brain injuries are still devastating. There are some instances where a foreign object will manage to pierce the skull and enter the brain causing significant damage. Penetrating traumatic brain injuries are among the worst kinds of brain injuries that a person can suffer. There are cases where the damage inflicted was so significant that even if a person survives, they can have entirely different personalities or have their cognitive abilities forever damaged to the point that they are a shell of their former selves.
Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms
A major consequence of traumatic brain injuries is how someone can suffer severe damage to their cognitive abilities and personality changes. This damage manifests itself in mild to debilitating symptoms that can vary quite widely. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Mood swings
- Trouble concentrating
- Dizziness
- Loss of balance
- Slurred speech
- Reduced problem skills
- Nausea
- Loss of consciousness
- Sleep problems
- Headaches
- Memory loss
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Aggressiveness
- Seizures
- Loss of Coordination
Damages Caused by a Traumatic Brain Injury
Those that have suffered traumatic brain injuries will likely have to contend with a number of severe damages that will impact their finances as well as their quality of life. Perhaps one of the biggest damages caused by a traumatic brain injury is the medical expense that comes with such an injury. Traumatic brain injuries can require extensive testing and imaging to diagnose, surgery to stabilize in some cases, and drugs to treat. All this and more can add up to a very large bill that can recur with each prescription refill and return visit to a doctor.
On top of this, there is the effect a traumatic brain injury can have on a person’s career. They can miss out on wages while recovering from an injury or they can lose their career altogether because of disabling symptoms. Then there is the general pain and suffering that comes with a traumatic brain injury. The effects of a traumatic brain injury can lead to feelings of hopelessness and pain due to the significant changes this injury causes.
Consider Eberst Law as Your Personal Injury Attorney
Traumatic brain injuries are some of the worst injuries that are suffered by accident victims and deserve proper compensation. If you or a loved one have suffered a traumatic brain injury because of a liable party’s negligence then please contact Eberst Law at 772-225-4900 or contact us online. Our lawyers are experienced in handling cases where clients have suffered traumatic brain injuries that have left them neck-deep in medical expenses and lost wages. When you hire Eberst law, you are hiring a firm that will negotiate aggressively on your behalf for a settlement that you can feel comfortable with.
About the Author of this Page: The above information was written or reviewed by one of the attorneys at The Eberst Law Firm who have extensive experience trying legal cases outside and inside courtrooms throughout Florida. This article was also extensively researched to ensure that all information is accurate and up to date. If you want to know more about the author of this page, view our attorney bios here.
