Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability among kids and young adults in the United States. Each year, about 1.5 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury. Of these injuries, about 230,000 individuals are hospitalized and survive, 50,000 people pass away, and between 80-90,000 people experience long-term disability.
Traumatic brain injury is defined as any kind of injury that influences how the brain functions. Generally speaking, traumatic brain injury is usually the result of a violent strike to the head or body. Objects that go through the brain tissue, like a fragmented piece of an individual's skull or even a bullet, can also cause traumatic brain injury.
There are three main types of traumatic brain injuries. Mild, Moderate, and Severe traumatic brain injury. Each of these is measured on a scale called the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to determine the severity.
A mild traumatic brain injury is a fairly new discovery that can occur in anyone’s day-to-day life. Any pressure to the head can trigger a mild TBI, which by no means should be ignored. For instance, concussions: these types of head injuries have become a regular occasion in the lives of active people, particularly professional athletes. Before they discovered the severity of concussions, professional athletes who experienced a concussion were typically told to get back in the game or rest for only a brief amount of time. Nonetheless, we now know that mild traumatic brain injuries like concussions can slowly accumulate and affect the way an individual's brain functions long-term.
Additionally, mild traumatic brain injuries can be the outcome of an abrupt movement. An example would be taking a trip in a moving automobile and all of a sudden slamming on the brakes. This inertia-driven force can literally bounce your brain against the skull cavity, causing a mild stressful brain injury. The results can be swelling, bruising, and also in some cases also bleeding of the brain, classifying it as a traumatic brain injury.
Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries are a level above a mild traumatic brain injury on GCS measuring scale. Much like moderate traumatic brain injuries, moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries can result after force to the head or by a piercing injury like a gunshot injury to the head. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries threaten the lives of people each year and need to be taken seriously. Gunshots, auto accidents, assault cases, as well as falls by the elderly all add to the leading causes for moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries.
Prior to detailing the steps you should take when you or a loved one has experienced a traumatic brain injury as the outcome of somebody's neglect, it is vital to understand the details of TBIs. Listed below, you will find the types of TBI there are, symptoms related to traumatic brain injuries, diagnosis, prevention, and the treatments that are available for individuals that have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Although traumatic brain injuries are oftentimes described as individual injuries, many people who experience a TBI are more likely to have a combination of the following injuries, each of which has a different level of severity.
Secondary brain juries can also happen as the result of the body’s inflammatory response to the primary injury. Extra fluids and nutrients will gather to try to heal the injury. In certain areas of the body, this is normal and is the expected result to help the body heal; however, inflammation of the brain can be dangerous in other cases due to the firm skull limiting the space available for those extra fluids and nutrients. Swelling of the brain increases pressure in the head, which can also cause injury to parts of the brain that were not initially injured. Swelling will happen over time and can happen up to 5 days after the injury occurs.
It is crucial to keep in mind that the type and location of your injury will determine your symptoms. Symptoms can include:
Injuries such as concussions or diffuse axonal injury (diffuse injuries) typically will cause decreased levels of consciousness. Focal injuries such as ICH or a contusion will have symptoms based on which part of the brain is affected. Each patient affected by a traumatic brain injury is different, and some injuries will involve more than one area or even just part of a section, making it tough to predict symptoms that a patient will experience.
When somebody has suffered a head injury and is taken to a medical center, doctors will take in as much as possible, as promptly as possible, concerning the patient’s symptoms and how the injury took place. The state the patient's brain is in will be swiftly examined to identify the intensity of the injury. Physicians will utilize the Glasgow Coma Scale to grade the patient's level of awareness; this scale ranges from 1-15. Physicians evaluate the person's capacity to 1) open their eyes, 2) respond properly to concerns like "What is your name? What is your birthdate? What is the date today?" and 3) comply with commands like "Hold up three fingers or give a thumbs up." If a patient is completely unconscious or is not able to follow the commands that were provided, their response to painful stimulation will be checked. After this, a number will be taken from each category and be added together to obtain the overall GSC score.
In order to comprehend what part of the brain the injury impacted, diagnostic imaging tests will be taken. There are three different types of imaging scans that can be taken:
Although accidents occur often, and they are just that, accidents, there are a few things that you can do to lower your risk of suffering a TBI. You should:
Traumatic brain injuries are a very serious situation and probably require immediate attention. As specified above, treatment will depend on the type, location, and severity of the injury.
If you have experienced a mild traumatic brain injury, treatment will more than likely include lots of rest. Medication may also be needed in order to alleviate the headache related to the injury. This medication can simply be over-the-counter pain medicine.
If you have a moderate to severe injury, treatment will most likely call for intensive care at a hospital. Bleeding and swelling in the brain usually become an emergency that requires surgery. Nonetheless, there are times when a patient will not have to get surgery and can be safely monitored by a physician in the ICU. A lot of time, medical professionals will start by stabilizing the patient's injury. This will include getting oxygen to your body and brain, maintaining your blood pressure, as well as managing your blood pressure. These preventative measures are taken to help protect against any kind of additional damages. The goal of treatment is always to resuscitate and support the critically ill patient, reduce secondary brain injuries and difficulties, and assist the patient’s transition to a recovery setting (such as rehab).
If an individual's injury was severe, it is possible that treatment will consist of many monitors, such as brain oxygen and intracranial pressure monitors, ventilators, feeding tubes, and seizure and EFG monitoring. Medication will most likely be provided too to help with controlling intracranial pressure, pain, sedation, and also preventing seizures and infection.
If surgery is needed, it is usually to repair skull fractures, repair any bleeding vessels, remove big hematomas, or relieve incredibly high intracranial pressure. Surgical treatments can consist of:
Other surgeries that can be done to help aid in the patient’s recovery include:
If you believe you have suffered a traumatic brain injury and it resulted because of the negligence of another person, you are going to want to file a lawsuit. Even if you are currently negotiating with an insurance company, in the midst of making a workers' compensation claim, or getting various other advantages, the first thing you need to do is seek advice from a legal professional that specializes in brain injuries. Brain injury lawsuits are extremely complex, both medically and legally, so it is important to consult an experienced and qualified attorney.
Understanding the legal concept on which your lawsuit will be based is important because what you will need to show in order to win your case is determined on this. It will likewise help you gather all of the proof that you will need for your case.
Many brain injury cases are built on negligence, which specifies that someone (typically a physician in a brain injury case but could be another person) acted wrongfully and was the reason for your injury. In order to have a basis for a negligence insurance claim, the client (complainant) must be able to verify that the party they are suing (the accused) is lawfully responsible for their injury.
Verifying that a brain injury occurred and connecting that injury to the accused's behavior can be extremely helpful in a legal suit. Traumatic brain injuries are usually more complicated and harder to identify than any other type of personal injury. This results from the immense amount of evidence that needs to be gathered in relation to the nature of the brain injury and the accident. The more information you have on these two things, the easier it will be to prove your negligence claim.
When preparing your case, the lawyer of your choice will ask several questions about how your brain injury occurred. They will likely ask you to remember what you can of the accident, such as how it took place, where you were as well as who you were with, what you were doing at the time of the accident, and also the medical treatment that you received after the injury occurred. As memory loss is common with brain injury patients, it is alright if you cannot recall certain details about your accident. The important thing is just to be honest with your lawyer and assist in putting together as much information as you can from other sources such as witnesses, police reports, and even news articles.
Although a traumatic brain injury case can appear daunting, particularly in the time of memory loss and various other pain and sufferings, the right experienced attorney will help navigate you through the complicated legal process to the very best of their ability. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney about your traumatic brain injury today.
Johnnie Cochran had long dreamed of creating a national law firm of men and women from all races, religions, creeds, and backgrounds to show how well we could all work together to make the world a better place. When Mr. Cochran started The Cochran Firm, his mission was “a journey to justice.” Today, with more than 35 offices across more than 20 states, the attorneys at The Cochran Firm work every day to fulfill that dream and continue that mission by working for our clients with the same work ethic and dedication to justice exemplified by Mr. Johnnie Cochran himself.
The Cochran Firm is a diverse group of highly skilled and experienced lawyers that are dedicated to bringing high-quality representation to injured people and their families. Our experienced attorneys at The Cochran Firm are among the nation’s most recognized and successful attorneys in the country. When navigating through the legal process, you deserve to have an experienced attorney by your side. Our attorneys at The Cochran Firm know how to fight for you.
Here at The Cochran Firm, our personal injury attorneys are ready to help victims who have suffered from a terrible brain injury receive the maximum compensation and financial recovery for all of their pain and suffering. Our attorneys work closely with each of our clients using pooled resources and their access to legal expertise to ensure the most effective legal representation available is provided. Our experienced TBI attorneys have the resources to hire the top neuroradiologists, neuropsychologists, and neurologists who are trained in diagnosing and treating traumatic brain injuries. Understanding traumatic brain injury medicine is crucial to effectively explain it to the jury.
You need the help of an experienced attorney who has proven successful results in other similar cases to guide you through the process and help you to receive the monetary damages you are entitled to under the law. The Cochran Firm’s results have been well documented and demonstrated both in the courtroom and at settlement conferences. At The Cochran Firm, we have the offices, the experience, the results, and the resources to aid clients throughout the United States.
If you’re looking for an experienced lawyer to help you pursue justice for your traumatic brain injury case, please contact our personal injury attorneys at The Cochran Firm today for your free, no-obligation initial consultation today. We serve the entire country with offices in many major U.S. cities.
