Traumatic brain injury can take a catastrophic toll on you and your family—physically, emotionally, and financially. Suddenly, you’re unable to do things you could before. Speaking, understanding, getting around, or dressing yourself may have become a chore. It’s frustrating. Upsetting. Exhausting. You may also find yourself wondering how you’re going to pay for all of the associated costs: time off work, medical care, rehabilitation, and more. Will life ever get back to normal?
If you or someone you love has suffered as a result of a traumatic brain injury, the George Salinas Injury Lawyers may be able to help. Contact us today at 210-225-0909, or online, for your free consultation.
Why Hire a Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney?
At George Salinas Injury Lawyers, we work with our clients toward achieving the legal and financial results they need to recover and resume living after a traumatic brain injury (“TBI”). We have years of experience dealing with insurance companies and responsible parties who may owe compensation to our clients.
Some of our past clients have received compensation for their medical costs directly resulting from their TBI, for the pain and suffering they’ve been forced to endure through no fault of their own, and their lost wages from time off work either because they’re the ones injured, or they’re caring for a family member with a TBI.
When the need arises for an experienced traumatic brain injury attorney in the Austin, Texas area, put our Austin personal injury lawyers at the top of your list.
Working With Us in Traumatic Brain Injury Matters
We have a proven track record of helping our clients recover compensation for all types of injuries, including TBI. On our Testimonials page, you can find statements by our former clients about working with us. As you will see, our commitment to clear communication is one of our strong suits. We aim to work closely with our clients to ensure we gather important evidence from them and they have a clear picture of the services we’re providing.
Whether working with our founder, George Salinas, or our partners, Amanda R. Esparza Carollo, and Eunice Fernandez Moore, our clients consistently find that we’re dedicated to working to achieve the best outcomes for injured victims and their families.
What are Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Traumatic brain injuries occur when the brain suffers what doctors sometimes refer to as an “insult” (such as physical injury, bleeding, swelling, or tissue death) as a result of some outside cause—often a blow, jolt, or deprivation of oxygen. Traumatic brain injuries commonly occur when people are battered in auto accidents, construction accidents, sports collisions, and war zones. But, they can also occur when a person is deprived of oxygen, such as in a drowning, or when a systemic condition causes swelling, such as an infection.
According to the famed Mayo Clinic, depending on the severity of the injury, the symptoms of TBIs may include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Convulsions and seizures
- A worsening headache that doesn’t go away
- Weakness or numbness in the limbs
- Slurred speech
- Inability to wake the patient with the injury
- A person who, after an impact, seems dazed, confused, or out of sorts
Brain injuries heal differently than external injuries and broken bones. In many cases, recovery is a matter of regaining function by building new neural pathways—in effect, “re-learning” how to do life activities that you once took for granted. Throughout the recovery process, a patient with a traumatic brain injury may experience difficulty with comprehension, mood swings, increased frustration, fatigue, and difficulty communicating. In severe cases, traumatic brain injury can lead to coma or death.
In some cases, the signs of a potential traumatic brain injury show up immediately: lost consciousness at the accident scene followed by partial paralysis when the patient wakes up, for example. In other cases, however, the signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury may not become apparent until some time after an accident. For this reason, it’s critical to seek medical care any time you’re involved in an accident that even potentially involved a brain injury. Even a relatively minor fender-bender can result in a TBI under some circumstances.
Who Can Be at Fault for Traumatic Brain Injury?
Fault for a traumatic brain injury will depend on the circumstances surrounding the injury. At George Salinas Injury Lawyers, we have represented clients who suffered TBIs because of the wrongful acts or negligence of a third party. In the case of construction accidents, for example, we may represent a worker whose employer did not follow appropriate safety standards, resulting in an accident. Similarly, we may represent a client who suffered a TBI in a two-car collision where the driver of the other car ran a red light and caused the accident.
We also routinely represent clients in seeking compensation from insurance companies who deny or fail to pay the benefits our clients are due. For example, if a client suffers a TBI in a drowning incident at a neighbor’s pool, and the neighbor did not take due care to prevent it from happening, the neighbor’s homeowner’s insurance policy may resist covering the incident.
Through our years of experience, we have a strong track record of identifying third parties who may be responsible for compensating the victim of a traumatic brain injury, and pursuing those parties so that our clients receive the justice and compensation they deserve.
What Kinds of Damages Can Be Recovered for Traumatic Brain Injury?
When a traumatic brain injury occurs, often the medical costs of caring for the victim will be covered by some sort of insurance, whether it’s their health insurance, auto insurance, or worker’s compensation insurance. But medical costs, while usually substantial, are hardly all of the costs and expenses associated with a TBI. Victims of a TBI and their families may also be entitled to compensation for:
- Lost wages due to time off work to recover from the injury or to care for an injured family member
- Lost future earnings of the TBI victim
- Long-term care and rehabilitation services
- The pain and suffering resulting from the accident and the difficulty of living with a TBI
- Legal fees, in some cases
In addition, under Texas law, you may be entitled to recover limited “punitive” damages that serve to punish the wrongdoers and ensure that others are not injured by their conduct in the future.
The full scope of the damages you can receive after a traumatic brain injury will depend on your specific case and the circumstances involved. Working with an attorney experienced in representing victims of traumatic brain injury and their families can be the most effective way to ensure that you receive the compensation you’re due for your injury.
How Do Those Liable for Traumatic Brain Injury Try to Avoid Paying?
No one ever wants to pay for someone else’s injury. Insurance companies and responsible parties routinely try to avoid paying their fair share by blaming accident victims. That is an especially difficult problem in TBI cases, where victims often have difficulty recalling the circumstances of an accident or otherwise speaking for themselves.
When an accident resulting in a TBI happens, potentially responsible parties may try to build a case right away that it “wasn’t their fault.” For victims and their families, it can be important to call on the services of an experienced attorney right away, to make sure insurance companies or unscrupulous third parties do not try to take advantage and convince them to sign releases or accept low-ball settlement offers before they learn about their rights.
Austin, Texas, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
If you or someone you love has experienced a traumatic brain injury, contact the George Salinas Injury Lawyers today at 210-225-0909, or online, to schedule a free consultation to discuss your potential legal options.
Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“He helped me understand every stage of my case and fought hard for me. I was proud to have him on my side.”
-Stephen P.