If you hit your head in an accident, it’s possible that the impact may cause trauma and have life-threatening consequences. In this case, you should seek medical attention and immediately contact a San Antonio brain injury lawyer at George Salinas Injury Lawyers. We’ll advocate for your rights to receive multiple compensation benefits to cover your medical bills and rebuild your life alongside your loved ones.

The great danger of brain injuries is that they may not be obvious. This can make compensation cases for victims especially complicated. For example, a person who is hit on the head during an accident may appear to have only a bruise on their forehead that doesn’t require hospitalization. Within a few days, it may seem to clear up with no apparent consequences.

However, sometimes it takes several weeks or even months for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to present its first symptoms, including dizziness, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, depression and anxiety. In other words, these symptoms may be very general and associated with multiple diseases. Therefore, the diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury often takes a long time to be clearly established.

When the victim realizes the full extent of their injuries and makes a compensation claim, these circumstances can cause insurance companies to try to pay nothing (or as little as possible). Insurers will argue that during the accident the victim only reported a hematoma and that their brain injuries came on later and weren’t caused by the accident.

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Faced with such a complicated legal scenario, many brain injury victims unfortunately lose the right to compensation simply because they tried to sue on their own or chose a law firm with little experience in these types of cases.

Winning brain injury compensation cases requires specialized knowledge of personal injury regulations, neuroscience expertise, and a long track record of beating powerful insurance companies.

That’s why if you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, you should get help from an experienced legal team, such as George Salinas Injury Lawyers – the most recommended attorneys in San Antonio!

Call us at 210-225-0909 or fill out this form. We offer you a free consultation where we listen to your case, evaluate your legal options and create a winning legal strategy. No matter your immigration status, you’re entitled to compensation if you were injured in an accident due to somebody else’s negligence. Texas law protects you regardless of whether or not you have citizenship.

Remember, you’re not alone. Our San Antonio brain injury lawyers at George Salinas Injury Lawyers will fight to get you justice and obtain compensation that will let you rebuild your life alongside your loved ones.

How can a traumatic brain injury lawyer at George Salinas Injury Lawyers help you?

When a victim suffers an accident resulting in any type of personal injury, the first priority is always their health. Thus, the law firm you hire to handle your case must first and foremost ensure that you receive the appropriate medical care.

Brain injuries are particularly complex due to their unpredictable nature. They’re not always obvious and their symptoms aren’t always immediate. However, if not identified, diagnosed and treated in time, the consequences can be very serious and lead to catastrophic (those that radically transform victims’ lives) or even fatal injuries.

That’s why it’s very important that these cases are handled by experienced brain injury lawyers, such as our team at George Salinas Injury Lawyers. We listen carefully to our clients’ concerns, including:

How am I going to cover the bills for medications, hospital stays, ambulances, consultations, doctor’s fees and rehabilitation therapy?
I’m unable to work because of my injury. Is there any way I can get reimbursed for all the wages I’m losing?
How can I protect my family if I lose the ability to keep working?
How much will it cost me to hire a traumatic brain injury lawyer from George Salinas Injury Lawyers?

During your free consultation, we’ll answer all your concerns in a clear, helpful and friendly way. Here are some common responses from our team:

Compensation for brain injuries that you suffered in an accident covers all your related medical expenses now and in the future.
If you’re unable to work because of your brain injuries, you can receive reimbursement for all wages you have lost and will continue to lose.
If your brain injuries permanently prevent you from working, there are compensation schemes in which you and your family receive an amount equal to all the wages you would have received up to the day of your retirement, had you been able to continue working.
Our brain injury attorneys at George Salinas Injury Lawyers work under a payment method designed to protect victims known as “contingency fees.” You don’t have to pay out of pocket. Instead, we handle your case with our resources in exchange for a small percentage of the final compensation you receive in the end. In other words, if we don’t win, you don’t have to pay.

Once all your doubts have been clarified, we’ll explain the actions we’ll take to win your case and get you compensation benefits to rebuild your life alongside your loved ones and without financial stress.

Here are the five main areas that we’ll take care of:

1. Counsel you on the best possible medical care for your specific brain injuries.

Our priority is your health and ensuring that your injuries are being attended by the right medical team. It’s common for insurance company packages to only include coverage at certain hospitals and with certain doctors, even if they don’t specialize in brain injuries.

This is extremely dangerous, as receiving a wrong diagnosis or inadequate treatment can lead to acts of medical malpractice with catastrophic consequences. That’s why it’s very important that you:

Refuse to speak to insurance company agents (including your own). Don’t sign anything or give any statements.
Contact a San Antonio brain injury lawyer from George Salinas Injury Lawyers at 210-225-0909 immediately.
Always keep in mind that insurance companies represent the interests of their investors and often use abusive strategies to pay out as little as possible, even if that means leaving victims unprotected. Instead, personal injury lawyers defend the rights of victims. Our job is to work to get you fair compensation that lets you recover without financial worries.

2. Build a winning case that will ensure that you earn multiple compensation benefits.

To win any type of personal injury compensation case, it’s essential to prove that the victim suffered the accident due to someone else’s negligence. To prove this, it’s necessary to gather evidence that leaves no room for doubt. To accomplish this, our brain injury attorneys at George Salinas Injury Lawyers work as follows:

Our expert investigators go to the scene of the accident to gather evidence and reconstruct the circumstances of the accident to get accurate information about what happened.
We identify possible eyewitnesses and take down their statements.
We track down videographic records of the accident (e.g. surveillance cameras or a witness who may have recorded the events on their phone).
In some cases, gathering hard evidence requires the support of high-tech equipment. In these cases, we rely on experts in different fields to perform highly specialized technical work.

3. Make specialized calculations for the amount of compensation that we’ll seek to help you rebuild your life.

Based on all the evidence and information about your accident, we’ll calculate the fair amount you deserve to receive to rebuild your life alongside your family and create a strong case to support your claim.

To determine the final amount of brain injury compensation, we’ll look at benefits in three possible categories:

Economic damages: This is the easiest category to calculate, since it’s determined by the invoices related to all the expenses that your injuries have caused (such as medications, hospitalization, x-rays, laboratory studies, doctor’s fees or rehabilitation equipment).
Pain and suffering: This involves compensation related to emotional and psychological injuries, such as depression, distress or post-traumatic stress. Calculating it can be complex and there are different methods. The most common one consists of establishing a number between 1.5 and 5 (depending on the severity of the injuries) and multiplying it by the amount of economic damages.
Punitive damages: This compensation is charged to the guilty party when it’s proven that they held an express intention to harm the victim.

4. Conduct the necessary negotiations to attain compensation for you.

Usually, compensation for the victim must be sought from the at-fault party’s insurance company. This involves a negotiation process where both parties present their arguments and try to reach an agreement.

If this agreement is beneficial to the victim, compensation may be paid within a few weeks. If an agreement isn’t reached that’s beneficial to the victim, then the legal team at George Salinas Injury Lawyers will take the case to court to win the case at trial.

5. Engage in open, honest and friendly dialogue with you throughout the process.

At George Salinas Injury Lawyers, we’ll always work for you and defend your best interests. That’s why we maintain an open, honest and friendly dialogue with you throughout the process, so we can discuss different options that may arise and make the best decisions together.

If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury during an accident, you can’t risk having your interests defended by the wrong legal team. At George Salinas Injury Lawyers, we’re here to help you rebuild your life. Our long and successful career is defined by legal excellence, extraordinary negotiation skills and tailored services provided by warm, friendly and Spanish-speaking professionals.

What are common causes of brain injuries?

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, traumatic brain injuries can be caused by blows or punctures to the head. Unfortunately, they’re very common among the U.S. population, as shown by figures published annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to average figures over the last decade, each year 230,000 people are hospitalized and nearly 60,000 die from traumatic brain injuries. In an effort to prevent these types of injuries, the Mayo Clinic has identified the three most common causes of brain damage:

1. Brain injuries caused by falls

Slips and falls represent the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries and encompass a wide variety of accidents – from slips on wet stairs in commercial premises to falls on construction sites due to defective or improperly positioned scaffolding or ladders.

In either case, if the slip or fall was caused by someone else’s negligent action, the victim is entitled to receive compensation benefits.

2. Brain injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents

Any type of motor vehicle accident, whether involving Uber, a scooter, pedestrian, bicycle, bus, motorcycle, truck or 18-wheeler, can cause a traumatic brain injury. During a crash, it’s common for victims’ heads to suffer abrupt movements or impacts, mainly against glass (which can cause cuts as well as impact-related injuries).

Most motor vehicle accidents occur because the at-fault party is driving while intoxicated or engages in behaviors such as reckless driving, fatigued driving or distracted driving (especially taking their eyes off the road to respond to text messages).

3. Brain injuries caused by falling objects

If an object falls on a person’s head, it can cause brain injuries. This type of accident occurs mainly on construction sites, where objects are frequently moved at great heights.

Although all workers are required to wear a protective helmet by law, if the falling object is too heavy (such as a beam), it may still cause life-threatening traumatic brain injuries to the victim. In this type of accident, the fault usually lies with the construction contractors or companies.

Although less common than the previous three, there’s a third cause that can lead to brain injuries: practicing certain contact or physical sports, such as football (in which athletes are exposed to constant head impact). As a consequence, safety protocols for these types of sports have become increasingly rigorous to protect athletes.

What are the most common symptoms associated with brain injuries?

The great danger of brain injuries is that people may not be aware that they have them until they’re serious health problems. What makes them so complex is that symptoms sometimes present themselves several days or even weeks after the accident. Their symptoms can be so varied and generic that they’re indicative of multiple possible diseases.

To alert the public to possible brain injuries, the Department of Health and Human Services has published a list of symptoms that anyone who has suffered a blow to the head should be aware of:

Mild symptoms

Momentary loss of consciousness
Dizziness
Memory loss
Confusion
Nausea
Vomiting
Headaches
Sudden mood changes
Irritability due to noise
Extreme sensitivity to light
Blurred vision
Hearing a ringing in the ear
Sleeping more than usual
Experiencing a loss of balance

If you’ve been in an accident where you hit your head and have any of these symptoms, it may indicate a brain injury. You should seek immediate medical attention.

While symptoms may be mild and moderate, traumatic brain injuries can also cause severe symptoms that are life-threatening. Some of these severe symptoms include:

Severe symptoms

Extreme confusion
Difficulty speaking and articulating words
Prolonged loss of consciousness (several minutes or hours)
Extreme agitation
Erratic behaviors that are unusual for you
Frequent seizures
Uncontrollable vomiting
Numbness in the fingers and toes
Difficulty waking up
Dilation of both eyes
Clear fluid coming out of the ears and nose

How is a traumatic brain injury diagnosed?

Sometimes brain injuries take a long time to manifest themselves and their symptoms appear gradually. On other occasions, especially in cases of severe strokes, symptoms may be immediate and require urgent first aid.

In both cases it’s very important that victims go to a hospital and receive a diagnosis, which is usually made according to one of the following criteria:

CT scans are done immediately upon admission to an emergency room if a traumatic brain injury is suspected. These scans consist of detailed x-rays of the brain where fractures, swelling or possible bleeding can be seen.
The patient undergoes a Glasgow test, which consists of 15 points where abilities such as speech, memory and mobility of limbs and eyes are evaluated. The objective is to determine or rule out traumatic brain injuries.
When the patient’s brain injuries have stabilized, MRI scans can be performed to study the patient’s condition in detail and determine the best options for rehabilitation.

What are the potential consequences of a brain injury?

The evolution of brain injuries can be unpredictable. Each brain acts differently and patterns are unique to the individual. According to the Mayo Clinic, some studies suggest that traumatic brain injuries may lead to degenerative brain diseases, such as:

Alzheimer (progressive memory loss)
Parkinson (progressive mobility impairment)

Traumatic brain injuries can also cause patients to exhibit changes in states of consciousness and lead to catastrophic illnesses, such as:

Coma (State of unconsciousness where the person is unable to respond to stimuli. The coma may end suddenly and the person “wakes up” or drifts into a vegetative state.)
Vegetative state (The person is aware of their surroundings. Though unable to get up or speak, they may sometimes open their eyes and make sounds.)
State of minimal consciousness (The person shows limited reactions to their environment. This state can lead to recovery.)
Brain death (This is considered irreversible. The brain has no activity and the patient will stop breathing as soon as their artificial respiration devices are disconnected.)

What steps should you take if you sustained a brain injury?

If you suffer a head injury during an accident, it’s very important that you seek medical attention immediately. Never state that you feel fine (either to doctors or insurance company agents). Even if you feel fine, brain injuries can take several hours, days, weeks or even months to show symptoms.

It’s very important to say that you hit your head and fear you have suffered a brain injury. Once you have expressed your concern and received medical attention, consider taking the following steps that may help you get compensation to heal from your injuries:

Call 210-225-0909 immediately to speak with a San Antonio brain injury lawyer at George Salinas Injury Lawyers.
Take down the names and phone numbers of others involved in the accident and possible eyewitnesses.
Take photographs and videos of the circumstances of the accident.
If you’re unable to perform these actions because of your injuries, ask someone else to do it for you.

Don’t post anything on social media about the accident. No photographs or opinions (and if you do, don’t delete them). Any posts you make can be used against you to dismiss your case.

FAQs

How much money can you get if you win a brain injury compensation case in San Antonio?

Every brain injury compensation case is unique and victims may receive different amounts, depending on the case. However, the calculations to establish the amount is based on two main factors: the severity of the injuries and the time it takes for the victim to recover and return to work.

Getting a fair figure that allows for a worry-free recovery often requires the support of a legal team with expertise in brain injury accidents. Unfortunately, many victims end up receiving insufficient compensation because they chose the wrong attorneys.

What can you do if you lost a family member due to brain injuries resulting from an accident that was someone else's fault?

If a family member died as a result of a brain injury caused during an accident, their relatives are entitled to claim compensation benefits that allow them to cover all funeral expenses. In addition, if they were financially dependent on the deceased, there are benefit schemes where they can receive daily, weekly or monthly pensions. Those who can claim this type of compensation are mainly children, parents, spouses and siblings.

What if you’re hospitalized and want to sue for your brain injuries?

If you’re hospitalized due to your injuries and are unable to come to our offices, don’t worry. One of our San Antonio brain injury attorneys will visit you wherever you are. If it’s more convenient for you, we also offer the option of scheduling a video meeting.

Brain injury lawyers in San Antonio