What are traumatic brain injuries – and how do they happen?
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, occurs when physical trauma to the head results in brain damage. It is also known as an intracranial injury. In some cases, a TMI is “closed,” meaning that the skull has not broken open – such as when a boxer suffers a blow to the head. In others, a TMI is “penetrating,” and the skull itself is damaged – for example, when the victim suffers a bullet wound, or is impaled by an object in an automobile crash. The severity of brain damage will vary from case to case, but in its most severe form, a TMI can result in death. Nonfatal TMIs can cause a host of physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities, though some victims do make a complete recovery, often after extensive treatment and rehabilitation.
Traumatic brain injuries can result from numerous events, but the leading causes include motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assaults.
How common are these injuries?
Each year, 1.4 million people (in the United States alone) suffer a traumatic brain injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of these, 50,000 will die and 235,000 will need to be hospitalized. TBIs are particularly prevalent among children. Among those 14 years of age or under, TBIs result in 2,685 deaths and 37,000 hospitalizations each year.
What are the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury?
Many – but not all – symptoms of a TBI manifest themselves immediately. Those that don’t, however, may not appear for days or even weeks after the injury.
Symptoms may include:
- Loss of consciousness (often for a few seconds or minutes)
- A “dazed” feeling; not feeling like oneself
- Headache, dizziness, and/or lightheadedness
- Blurred or double vision
- Mental confusion
- Fatigue
- A change in sleep patterns
- Memory problems
- A noticeable change in behavior
In more severe cases, a TBI may also bring on seizures, repeated vomiting, and particularly severe and persistent headaches. Pupils may also be dilated, and limbs may feel week or numb.
Signs that a small child may have suffered a TBI include persistent crying and an inability to be consoled; vomiting; and a refusal to eat or drink.
How are traumatic brain injuries diagnosed and treated?
A neurological examination – including the measurement of a patient’s reflexes and cognitive abilities – is the first step in diagnosing a TBI. But imaging tests – in particular, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – are essential. These can pinpoint bone fractures as well as brain swelling, hemorrhages (bleeding), hematomas (areas where blood has clotted and accumulated), and contusions (bruising in the brain). Severe TMIs often require surgery to relieve pressure in the brain, stop bleeding, and repair or remove hematomas and contusions. Doctors may also conduct extensive testing to determine the areas of the brain that have been affected and what disabilities may have resulted. Rehabilitation – which can be long-term and extensive – often includes physical, occupational, and speech and language therapy to restore abilities damaged by the injury.
Why is it important to work with a lawyer who specializes in traumatic brain injury cases?
Traumatic brain injuries are complex, high-stakes cases – not just because of the severity of the harm and the great physical and emotional damage that often results, but because they require lawyers to master both the medical and the legal aspects of the case. Lawyers don’t just need to show how the defendant’s negligence caused the harm, but just what the harm was and what that means, now and down the road, for the victim. When it comes to the structure and function of the brain, that’s no easy thing. Not surprisingly, patients who win these suits do so because they partnered with lawyers skilled in both the law and the science; firms that have the resources and will to investigate complex cases – and explain them in noncomplex ways to juries. Over the past quarter of a century, the lawyers of Mary Alexander & Associates have built a reputation for mastering the technical and legal aspects of traumatic brain injury cases. And for getting results.
How do I pay for your services?
It’s simple: Unless we recover a financial award or settlement, you don’t pay us anything. That’s because we handle traumatic brain injury cases on a contingent-fee basis. In short, the risk is all ours: You pay us only if we’re successful. Expenses work the same way. We pay all costs of the litigation, and get reimbursed only if we obtain a settlement or jury award. Think of it this way: It may be your lawsuit, but it’s always our risk. That’s why you can be assured that if we take your case, it’s because we fully intend to win it.
