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Brain injuries occur when brain tissue is damaged by a hard blow to the head or by a jolt that causes the brain to suddenly move back-and-forth or side-to-side, striking the skull. As Tate Law Offices, P.C. has seen, traumatic brain injuries most commonly occur in car and other motor vehicle accidents. However, they also frequently result from falls, workplace accidents, or incidents involving sports or recreation activities.
Brain injuries often have a significant impact on the victim’s life and the lives of those close to them. Our Irving personal injury lawyers have a long history of helping accident victims and their families throughout Texas to deal with the consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our brain injury attorneys realize how brain injury changes the lives of victims and those who love them. We particularly understand the financial burdens that come from mounting medical bills and from being unable to work due to the injury. Our goal is to ease those burdens and help accident victims in Irving and anywhere in Texas to move forward in life.
If you or a loved one has suffered TBI because of the negligence of another person in Irving, TX, you can count on Tate Law Offices, P.C. to work hard on your case and seek maximum recovery for you. Contact us today to learn more.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
A traumatic brain injury is a serious and sometimes fatal injury that results from trauma to the head.
TBIs often happen after a person strikes an object, is struck by something, suffers a sudden or violent jolt or shaking force, or has their skull penetrated by an object.
A TBI can affect a person in many ways. These effects may appear as:
- Cognitive effects, such as impairing memory and reasoning
- Behavioral effects, including triggering anxiety or depression or causing unusual shifts in behavior
- Impacts on communication, including hindering a person’s ability to speak or read or understand speech or writing
- Sensory impacts, including altering taste, smell, touch, or hearing
While people sometimes fully recover from a mild traumatic brain injury, when a person suffers a more severe injury, they may never regain normal brain function and may require lifetime care and assistance.
Treatment and Cost of a Traumatic Brain Injury
Treatment of a traumatic brain injury depends on the severity of the injury. Treatment for a mild TBI usually involves rest and over-the-counter pain medication to help deal with headaches. People who suffer a mild TBI should still be monitored for signs of persistent or worsening symptoms, which may indicate a worsening injury or that the person suffered a more serious TBI than they initially believed.
Moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries require immediate emergency care. Initial treatment is focused on preventing further damage to the brain, ensuring the brain has adequate blood and oxygen flow, and repairing damage or complications from the injury.
Treatment might include medications such as anti-seizure medication, diuretics to help reduce swelling and pressure on the brain, or coma-inducing drugs to help reduce the brain’s need for oxygen as it heals.
Severe TBIs may require surgical intervention to stop brain bleeds, remove clots, repair skull fractures, or relieve pressure on the brain caused by inflammation and swelling.
After the initial trauma has been treated, a moderate to severe TBI will likely require long-term rehabilitation, which may take the form of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, and psychotherapy.
A person who suffers a moderate to severe TBI can expect to incur lifetime treatment and care costs that can easily range from several hundred thousand dollars to millions of dollars.
Filing a Brain Injury Lawsuit and Why You Need an Experienced Lawyer Who Has Handled TBIs
Recovering compensation after suffering a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s actions is very complex. You may find that you need a TBI lawyer because:
- Insurance companies might claim you do not have a TBI
The defendant’s insurance company may try to argue that the medical evidence does not show that you suffered a TBI. We know that many debilitating TBIs can result from injuries that don’t conclusively show up on an MRI. That’s why we rely on medical experts whose physical examination and testing can establish the severity of your injury.
- Insurers may claim your TBI is minor
Alternatively, insurance companies may try to argue that you only suffered a minor TBI and that you will soon make a full recovery. However, even moderate injuries may leave memory problems or behavioral changes that can last for months or even years. Because we’ve seen the long-lasting effects of seemingly “minor” TBIs, our brain injury lawyers are prepared to push back when insurers try to minimize your harm and losses.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
Examples of traumatic brain injuries include:
- Concussion – A concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury typically characterized by a loss of consciousness lasting a few seconds to a few minutes and by feelings of disorientation and confusion. Longer-term symptoms include headaches, balance and coordination issues, mood swings, depression, and anxiety. Suffering a concussion can make a person susceptible to another brain injury, while multiple concussions over a lifetime can lead to the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
- Diffuse axonal injury – A diffuse axonal injury involves widespread brain damage that results from a severe and sudden jolt or rotation of the head, which causes the brain to slam against the skull.
- Contusion – Also known as a brain bruise, a contusion results when the head suffers a direct impact. A contusion may cause swelling of the brain that can become dangerous if treatment is not implemented to relieve pressure and ensure adequate blood and oxygen flow to all parts of the brain.
- Coup-contrecoup – A coup-contrecoup injury is characterized by damage on both sides of the brain. This occurs when one side of the brain smashes into the skull with such force that it causes the brain to bounce back, bruising the opposite side.
- Penetrating injury – A penetrating injury occurs when an external object like a shard of glass or piece of metal penetrates the skull. The penetrating object may cause severe damage to brain tissue and may lead to permanent impairment or loss of life. These types of injuries often require surgery to remove the foreign object and repair the skull.
- Hematoma/blood clot – These are terms for blood collecting or clotting outside a blood vessel in the brain. If the condition is severe enough, it can put damaging pressure on the affected part of the brain.
Brain Injury FAQs
What is a severe brain injury?
The term “severe brain injury” can refer to a wide variety of brain injuries, including both traumatic brain injuries and acquired brain injuries (those injuries that result from natural conditions or disease, such as a stroke). A brain injury is typically classified as severe when it impacts your basic functioning or puts you at risk of death.
What physical changes may occur due to a brain injury?
Physical effects that may result from a brain injury include bruising, bleeding, swelling, or fluid build-up in and/or around the brain, and damage of brain tissue or death of brain cells.
Is there a difference between adult and childhood severe brain injury?
Children can suffer all the same effects of a brain injury as adults. However, diagnosing and treating brain injuries in children can prove more difficult, particularly in younger children. These kids don’t yet have the ability to communicate or verbalize their symptoms or what they are feeling. As a result, parents of children who may have suffered a blow to the head should monitor for behavior or mood changes. Unfortunately, young children who suffer severe brain injury may experience significant setbacks or lose the ability to learn basic skills such as speaking, reading, or writing.
What are some long-term effects of brain injury?
A brain injury can cause long-term symptoms that vary with the type and severity of the injury, including
- Physical changes, such as altered senses, sensitivity to light or sounds, vision problems, dizziness, vertigo, or balance or coordination problems
- Behavioral changes, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or impulse control
- Cognitive function changes, such as loss of memory or the ability to think or communicate clearly
Also, a brain injury can put you at greater risk for developing degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or CTE.
How Can You Claim Compensation in a Brain Injury Lawsuit in Irving, TX?
You may be entitled to seek compensation in a brain injury lawsuit when you can trace the cause of your injury to the negligent actions or omissions of someone else. For example, you may be entitled to file a brain injury lawsuit against another party who was:
- The at-fault party in a motor vehicle accident that caused your brain injury
- The property owner who negligently maintained the property where you slipped, fell, and hurt your head
- The manufacturer or seller of a defective product that harmed you
- Your medical provider who failed to uphold the applicable medical standard of care
When you’ve suffered a brain injury because of the negligent actions of another person, contact the Irving, TX head injury lawyers at Tate Law Offices, P.C. We have won over 3,000 injury cases. Our goal is to help you seek the full and fair compensation that you need to pay your bills and live your life with the dignity that you deserve. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your rights and options.
