Head Trauma: The Dramatic Effects of a Head Trauma Injury

An injury that causes head trauma is a serious matter. The dramatic effects of such an injury can impact your life or the life of a loved one significantly and possibly forever. A brain injury attorney will fight for fair compensation on your behalf as you heal or assist your loved one. Injury cases sometimes settle out-of-court; however, the right brain injury attorney will take your case to trial if necessary.

Liability for Your Head Trauma Injury

Our heads contain one of the body’s most important organs: the brain. When an accident causes a bump, blow, jolt, or penetrating head injury, a severe brain injury may occur.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupts normal brain activity.

The impact can affect:

• Cognitive skills, such as memory and thought processing;
• Mobility due to muscle weakness or poor balance;
• Sensations, including hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell; and
• Behavior/emotional issues, like anger or depression.

Head trauma is a possible outcome in many types of accidents, including:

Slip and fall accidents: The CDC cites falls as a leading cause of head trauma. Slip and fall accidents often fall under premises liability law.

A property owner may face liability for slips and falls that result from:

• Wet floors;
• Torn carpets;
• Cords across floors;
• Staircase with no handrail;
• Poor parking lot lighting; and more.

If the property owner knew or should have known of the problem and failed to repair it, they are often liable for injuries that result. A slip and fall accident that results in head trauma can change your life forever. If this happened to you, contact a slip and fall lawyer today.

Car accidents: Texas Department of Transportation data from a recent year shows a reportable car accident occurred every 56 seconds.

Additional statistics show:

• 1 person injured every 2 minutes and 3 seconds; and
• 1 person killed every 2 hours and 26 minutes.

Dangerous drivers are sometimes hard to spot and almost impossible to avoid. Common causes of car accidents include drivers who are:

• Under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
• Drowsy due to an undiagnosed sleep disorder or no rest;
• Distracted by smartphones, passengers, or other interferences; and
• Aggressive driving such as speeding, tailgating, and other dangerous driving behaviors.

Someone else’s reckless actions should not impact your quality of life. Experiencing head trauma is life-changing —and expensive. The law may entitle you to compensation for your damages, including medical expenses.

Sports injuries: The Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut reports that an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur each year. We may never know the true impact, as sports-related injuries are chronically under-reported.

Sports-related concussions and head trauma are most common among people ages nine to 22. This age group is most vulnerable to experiencing head trauma due to the popularity of team sports in schools.

This is not a complete list of accidents that can cause head trauma. If you or a loved one suffer a blow to the head, seek immediate medical attention. Next, consider discussing your accident with a brain injury lawyer without delay.

The High Cost of Head Trauma

Head trauma requires special care by skilled medical professionals. The severity of the injury determines the type and length of such care. Your loved one may require the services of a skilled nursing facility. If so, this and other costs should not be your financial burden to bear.

Experts estimate the lifetime costs associated with a brain injury is more than $3 million per patient. A brain injury lawyer can assist you with seeking the compensation you need and deserve.

Brain injury cases all differ, but the types of compensation head injury victims often pursue include:

• Medical expenses: examples include hospital and doctors’ fees.
• Loss of income: earnings missed due to time recovering.
• Future earnings: the income possible if your injuries prevent you from returning to work.
• Mental anguish: the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of the injury.

The details of your accident can help your lawyer build a strong case for compensation. Head trauma is a devastating injury that, when caused by someone else’s negligence, is worth filing a claim.

How a Brain Injury Lawyer Can Help You

A traumatic injury brings life as you knew it to a stop. Insurance adjusters may try to contact you to discuss an out-of-court settlement. Their desire to close your claim quickly is a red flag. Do not speak with the insurance companies—refer them to your lawyer.

Accepting less than you deserve in a settlement can affect your or your injured loved one’s future access to medical care. Insurance companies are generally eager to close claims for the least amount of money possible. If you sign a settlement agreement, you will almost always have to agree to give up your right to pursue additional compensation for this injury in the future. If your medical condition worsens, you generally cannot file a lawsuit for additional compensation.

Brain injury lawyers almost always offer a free case consultation. If they believe you have grounds for a lawsuit, they can manage the details of your case. You must take quick action, because state law sets a time limit, called the statute of limitations, for filing your case.

Head trauma is serious and victims must receive specialized medical care. Concentrating on your care or that of a loved one is easier without fighting your civil case alone. Your lawyer can provide you updates on your case throughout the legal process.

Brain injury lawyers understand the stress of a serious injury, mounting medical costs, and an inability to work. If you or a loved one suffered head trauma due to another person’s reckless actions, contact a brain injury attorney today.