Are Brain Injury Cases Worth More Than Other Injuries?
| July 25th, 2022
Auto accidents cause 14.3% of brain injuries, and brain injuries contribute to over 30% of injury-related deaths in the U.S. Approximately 2% of the population currently lives with a disability caused by brain injuries.
Brain injuries from car accidents vary in severity, but doctors can’t predict the outcome with as much confidence as other automobile injuries like broken bones and lacerations. The invisible nature of brain injuries makes hiring a personal injury attorney a vital step in recovering damages.
The legal team at Berg Injury Lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve so you can focus on your recovery. Our car accident attorneys know what evidence to present and how to prove the differences in your personality and cognition.
Types of Brain Injury
Car accidents commonly cause five types of traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Each type of injury can range from mild to severe and cause short-term or long-term damage.
1. Concussion
A concussion occurs because of blunt force trauma to the head, such as an accident causing impact against a window or from whiplash due to rapid head movement. This type of injury can damage neurons in the brain and result in chemical changes.
Symptoms typically resolve within three months, but some people may experience post-concussive syndrome or long-lasting adverse effects.
2. Brain contusion
Blunt force and whiplash injuries can cause brain contusions or bruises in the brain tissue. While concussions result in widespread damage to the brain, contusions affect a localized area.
Complications from a brain contusion can include seizures, cognitive issues, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. A severe contusion may require surgery to relieve hemorrhaging.
3. Coup-contrecoup
This type of injury refers to how the brain injury can occur in an accident, resulting in bruising of the brain. A blow to one side of the head (coup) causes the brain to slam into the opposite side of the skull (contrecoup).
People who suffer a coup-contrecoup may experience confusion, disorientation, seizures, and speech changes. Treatment may require surgical procedures, including lobectomy and decompressive hemicraniectomy.
4. Diffuse axonal injury
The accident causes brain tissue to change shape, adding more stress to the blood vessels and the long axons of nerves. This stress disrupts the regular neurotransmitters and changes the chemical concentrations. Tears in blood vessels lead to bleeding, and the microscopic damage from the deformation occurs in the large regions of the brain.
5. Foreign head trauma
A penetrating head injury happens when an item penetrates the skull. This damages the area where the penetration occurred, and the body’s response can cause swelling around that area. People who suffer penetrating head trauma require immediate medical and surgical intervention to remove the object.
Severe forms of these injuries can cause permanent damage that affects how you live and whether you can work. A car accident lawyer at our law firm can help you get financial compensation for your accident.
What Damages Can You Receive for a TBI?
TBIs can affect your ability to walk, speak, regulate your emotions, or control your body. Severe TBIs may require costly, ongoing medical care to treat headaches, dizziness, seizures, and balance problems. Some patients need long-term nursing care and medications. Your treatment plan might include:
- Physical therapy can help you regain mental and physical function after an accident. It improves balance and coordination and prevents complications, including pneumonia.
- Occupational therapy can help you re-learn daily tasks such as personal hygiene and food preparation.
- Speech therapy can help you recover the ability to converse and develop other communication skills. Some TBI patients may also require specific devices, such as touchpads or tablets for speech therapy.
- Mental health counseling can improve your quality of life. It may also involve medications to treat chemical imbalances after a TBI.
These therapies can help you recover after an accident, but they cost a significant amount of money and require frequent appointments.
A personal injury attorney at Berg Injury Lawyers can help you get compensation for your medical bills and future medical expenses. We can assess the loss of wages and your future earning capacity. We can also help you pursue non-economic damages that can include pain and suffering and the loss of enjoyment of life.
Hire a Lawyer You Can Trust
TBIs can cause far-reaching consequences, affecting your income, relationships, and mental and physical health. These consequences mean you might need more compensation than victims of other types of injuries. Because of the intricacies of brain injury cases, you need a lawyer who understands brain injuries so that they can maximize your compensation.
The California car accident lawyers at Berg Injury Lawyers understand the unique needs of TBI victims and will fight for your right to a fair settlement.
Contact our law firm today for a confidential, complimentary case review so we can advise you of your legal rights and help you get the compensation you deserve.
