Traumatic Brain Injuries And How They Affect Your Personal Injury Case in Georgia

Table of Contents

  1. What Is TBI?
  2. What Are The Most Common Causes Of TBI?
  3. More Precise Diagnosis And Treatment Of TBI
  4. Severity Of TBI
  5. Long-Term Effects Of TBI
  6. The Impact TBI will have on your personal injury case
  7. Contact Your Local Georgia Attorney at The Brown Firm

Accidents are inevitable. They are a part of life that no one can escape from.

If you’ve never been involved in an accident, you’re the luckiest person alive, or you’re living a sheltered and boring life.

With accidents come injuries. Not all injuries are severe or life-threatening.

Some injuries are just a mild annoyance that interrupts your day to day life for only a matter of days.

Some injuries can prove to be near fatal and can take months or years for you to recover from fully.

Broken backs, broken necks, damage to your eyes and compound fractures are all injuries you never want to endure.

Another type of injury you want to avoid at all costs is a brain injury.

Brain injuries can sometimes be hard to detect but can have the most significant impact on your life.

Brain injuries as a result of an impact on your brain are known as Traumatic Brain Injuries or TBIs.

If you’re a fan of the NFL, you’ve likely heard of TBIs because of how prevalent they are among many former NFL athletes.

TBIs are also common among people who have been involved in car accidents.

It only makes sense that TBIs are widespread amount car accident victims.

When you’re in a car accident, you usually hit something, or something else hits you.

This leads to a significant impact that can affect multiple areas of your body, including your head and brain.

If you have been diagnosed with TBI after your car accident, it can have a huge impact on your personal injury case.

Below, we’ll go in depth about what TBI is, and how it will affect your personal injury case.

I met with Harry Brown personally and he sat with me for 20 minutes at our initial consultation to explain everything. He even called after my surgery to see how I was doing. I met with him several more times after that and was kept informed about my case throughout. I highly recommend Harry Brown as an attorney.

STEVEN SWEENY, SAVANNAH 

What is TBI?

Traumatic brain injuries result from a violent blow or sudden jolt to your head or even your body.

If you have an object penetrate brain tissue, like a bullet or piece of your skull, you can also get a traumatic brain injury.

Mild TBI can affect your brain cells just temporarily.

More serious traumatic brain injury can have a much greater impact on your life and can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other types of physical damage to the brain.

Outside of the long-term complications, they will bring, sever TBIs can also result in death.

What Are the Most Common Causes of TBI?

There are several common causes of TBI. Some of these can happen at any time, so it’s important to be aware of them.

The most common causes are:

  1. Falls. Falling off your bed or a ladder, down the stairs, while you’re taking a bath or any other type of slip and fall accident is the most common cause of traumatic brain injury.
  2. Violence. Bullet wounds, domestic violence, physical abuse, and other assaults are common causes. Shaken baby syndrome is a TBI in an infant.
  3. Sports. A number of sports, not limited to boxing, football, baseball, lacrosse, skateboarding, hockey, and even soccer, can cause TBI.
  4. Combat injuries. Explosive blasts are a common cause of traumatic brain injury in active-duty military personnel. Experts believe that the pressure waves passing through the brain significantly disrupts brain function.
  5. Vehicle-related collisions. These are the types of TBIs that we deal with. Accidents involving cars, motorcycles or bicycles are a prevalent cause of traumatic brain injury.

Related posts: How common are traumatic brain injuries after car accidents?

More Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of TBI

Typically, TBIs are hard to diagnose, making them hard to treat.

Some diseases that result from TBIs, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), aren’t even detectable until death.

There is good news on the horizon though.

A study has revealed that patients who’ve suffered from traumatic brain injuries have changes in tiny blood vessels in their brains.

The researchers believe that these changes are linked to a range of cognitive symptoms.

The findings of the study can help doctors pinpoint specific types of TBIs and allow them to tailor personalized therapies.

Severity of TBI

Brain injuries are categorized as either mild or severe. A traumatic brain injury is considered mild if a loss of consciousness lasts for less than 30 minutes.

A severe TBI, then, is when consciousness lasts longer than 30 minutes.

Even though the majority of TBIs are considered mild, as much as 15% of victims will experience symptoms for a year or more.

There are certain signs and symptoms to look out for with both mild and severe TBIs.

Mild TBI
  1. Loss of coordination
  2. Excessive sleep
  3. Depression
  4. Changes in mood
  5. violent outbursts
  6. Difficulty formulating thoughts or sentences
  7. Memory loss
  8. Sensory issues
  9. Nausea
  10. Seizures
Severe TBI
  1. A clear fluid that drains from ears or nose
  2. Dilated pupils
  3. Depression
  4. Routine bouts of nausea or vomiting
  5. Difficulty speaking or walking
  6. Confusion
  7. Irritability
  8. Combative behavior

It’s important to remember that the signs of TBI might not show up immediately.

Depending on how severe the injury is, it could take several days or weeks for the symptoms to become apparent.

To be on the safe side, be sure to always see a doctor after suffering any blow to the head, especially if you notice physical or behavioral changes.

Your doctor will complete a neurological exam that should reveal any damage sustained by your brain.

Long-Term Effects Of TBI

When you experience a severe TBI, it is likely to have several long-term effects that will impact you and your family.

That’s why it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible so you can start treating your injury right away.

Some long-term effects you could expect are:
  1. Sleep disorders
  2. Loss of stamina
  3. Appetite changes
  4. Difficulty swallowing
  5. Paralysis or spasticity
  6. Chronic pain
  7. Loss of control of bowel and bladder functions
  8. Seizures
  9. Difficulty regulating body temperature
  10. Hormonal changes
  11. Difficulty with attention, focus, or concentration
  12. Easily distracted
  13. Memory problems
  14. Slow speed of processing
  15. Confusion
  16. Impulsiveness

The Impact TBI will have on your personal injury case

After learning all of this about TBI’s, it only makes sense that sustaining a TBI during an accident can have a significant impact on your personal injury case.

The first thing you need to do if you think you’ve sustained a TBI is to maintain all medical records and document the effects of the injury on your daily life in a journal.

This is important because the value of your personal injury claim will likely be substantially higher than other personal injury cases.

Physical, neurological, and psychological rehabilitation all need to be considered when filing your personal injury claim.

Your life care costs, along with past, present, and future physical and mental pain and suffering and the loss of future earning capacity are also likely to be higher with a TBI.

The costs associated with these will be significant, especially considering they will likely be needed throughout the remainder of your life.

Ready to Talk to a Lawyer Who Has Your Back?

Contact Your Local Georgia Attorney at The Brown Firm

The most important thing you can do if you feel like you’ve suffered a TBI as a result of an accident is to contact a lawyer.

It can be very intimidating and challenging to get everything done on your own, but the right attorney will take you by the hand and guide you through the process.

The Georgia Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers at The Brown Firm have been fighting for their clients for years and would bring the same fire and passion for your personal injury case.

Every minute they’re not fighting for you and your personal injury case is a minute wasted, so click the button below to get started.

The Original Article Is Here

Our Recent Personal Injury Articles

Contact The Brown Firm

Get the Answers and Compensation You Deserve

You’ll notice the difference when you contact The Brown Firm! Our local dedicated attorneys want to help you recover and rebuild.

Schedule your free consultation by calling (800) 529-1441 or completing our simple online form.

Schedule Your Free Consultation

If you or a loved one were injured and need help, our skilled personal injury lawyers will be at your side every step of the way.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.