Every year in the United States, almost 1.5 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury, and 80,000 to 90,000 of them end up with a long-term disability. Living with a traumatic brain injury’s long-term disability and medical bills are only part of the burden. You may endure a loss of income, and the injury may prevent you from living a normal life.
Even minor head injuries can result in a diminished quality of life and may require long-term or lifetime medical care. The brain injury attorneys at the law firm of Nessler & Associates fight to make the wrongdoers pay for your lost income, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
Common Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
A brain injury is defined as any damage to the brain caused by internal or external trauma. There are two types of brain injury:
Closed head injury
A physical blow to the head can result in this type of head injury. The brain can suffer a severe jolt from its natural position and hit the inside of the skull.
Open head injury
An open head injury occurs when the skull bone breaches the brain from a violent jolt. The brain’s soft tissue becomes exposed when the skull is broken or punctured. A major impact that damages the brain’s soft tissue can result in an open head injury.
Although many traumatic brain injuries are apparent immediately, some have delayed symptoms or aren’t detectable using standard medical imaging technology. A Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) refers to microscopic tears of the brain’s long nerve fibers. This can occur as the brain rotates or bounces inside the skull.
A DAI can often be missed in CT and MRI scans and can result in severe injuries to multiple parts of the brain or a coma if left untreated.
What Are the Common Causes of TBI?
You may be eligible for compensation if you sustain a brain injury due to the negligent actions of someone else. The most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are:
Brain injury caused by motor vehicle accidents
Car, motorcycle, and truck accidents may cause a head injury. Auto accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians can result in severe skull fractures.
Slip and falls
An accidental injury can occur when a property owner doesn’t maintain their property and fails to keep it safe, such as a wet floor. A lack of staffing and inadequate training may lead to the risk of falls and head injuries for elderly citizens living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Falls from heights
A work-related head injury can result from blows to the head from heights such as roofs, ladders, and scaffolding. A workplace accident involving a traumatic brain injury can also result from being struck by tools, equipment, or motor vehicles at construction sites.
Medical negligence
When a medical professional applies inappropriate force to a baby’s head, it can result in traumatic brain injuries, causing cerebral palsy. A newborn infant who suffered a lack of oxygen during the birthing process may also result in permanent brain impairment.
Sports and recreation
Concussions are among the recreational and sports injuries sustained in these activities. Coaches and trainers may fail to offer sufficient protective equipment to handle a mild concussion after it happens, resulting in permanent brain damage.
What Are the Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms?
While traumatic brain injuries are sometimes obvious, some symptoms may not show up immediately. Symptoms also depend on the severity of the injury.
Mild TBI symptoms
A mild traumatic brain injury can result in a loss of cognitive abilities and emotional symptoms such as:
- Temporary loss of consciousness
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abnormal speech issues
- Dizziness and confusion
- Blurry vision
- Fatigue and drowsiness
- Mood swings such as depression, anxiety
- Light sensitivity and blurred vision
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Hearing problems like sensitivity to sound and ringing in the ears
- Memory loss may result from trouble with memory
- Disruption of sleep patterns
Moderate to severe TBI symptoms
Moderate to severe brain injuries can cause permanent impairment and may display the following brain damage symptoms:
- Long-term loss of consciousness
- Chronic headache
- Persistent vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Loss of coordination
- Seizures
- Drainage of clear fluid from the nose or ears
- Numbness or weakness in the fingers and toes
- Disorientation
- Unusual mental health issues such as aggression, combat, or combativeness
What Physical Changes May Occur Due to a Brain Injury?
The physical symptoms depend on how much permanent damage your brain has sustained. A traumatic brain injury can result in the following types of brain damage:
- Brain damage and loss of some brain cells
- Damage to blood vessels, resulting in blood clots, stroke, and other medical issues
- Bruising in the brain
- Brain membrane tissue damage
- Traumatic encephalopathy or fluid build-up and swelling
- Brain hemorrhages
How are Brain Injuries Typically Treated?
Suffering a traumatic brain injury may require ongoing care that includes:
- Emergency medical treatment
- Digital imaging tests such as X-rays and MRIs
- Prescriptions to treat physical pain
- Rehabilitation to regain basic skills like walking and speaking
- Long-term convalescence to limit physical and cognitive abilities
- Surgery to relieve bleeding and additional damage to the brain
- Assistive medical devices like wheelchairs and walkers to help with basic living tasks
The brain injury rehabilitation process may also include psychological counseling to teach traumatic brain injury victims coping skills. Vocational counselors can review a victim’s ability to return to work with the ongoing brain injury care and provide resources for coping with workplace issues.
Our Illinois traumatic brain injury attorneys understand the medical costs of brain damage treatment. They can work with you to review your medical records and provide you with an estimate of what financial compensation you can expect.
Types of Damages That Can Be Claimed for a TBI
Our team of brain injury attorneys use their expertise and resources to get you the maximum compensation you are owed. The types of damages we can fight for on your behalf include:
- Past and future medical expenses that include rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, or any other procedures or equipment required to manage your TBI
- Loss of income if you have to take time off for treatment and recovery
- Loss of future earning capacity if you suffer permanent disabilities from the head injury
- Compensation for pain and suffering and loss of quality of life may entitle you to non-economic damages
- Chronic pain may entitle you to additional compensation
- Property damage that stemmed from the accident
- Wrongful death if you lost a loved one due to the negligence of someone else
Our experienced brain injury attorneys at Nessler & Associates have handled thousands of Chicago’s brain injury and wrongful death cases. We’ve successfully recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients, including more than $15 million for a personal injury case.
We have over 35 years of litigation experience and a track record of positive outcomes for our clients. We strongly believe that everyone deserves the right to legal representation, so we never charge you unless we win a settlement or judgment for your case. Contact our law firm today for a free consultation to discuss your personal injury lawsuit with a traumatic brain injury lawyer so we can help you receive fair compensation.
How an Experienced Brain Injury Attorney Can Help
Personal injury claims involving catastrophic injuries such as brain trauma can be extremely complicated, especially when it comes to determining liability. A brain injury attorney at our law firm can help you navigate Illinois’ complex legal issues surrounding personal injury cases and act on your behalf to gather evidence to support your case.
Your attorney may contact medical professionals to obtain medical records or expert testimonies. They can collect photo and video evidence, police reports, and eyewitness statements if your severe brain injury was caused by an accident.
Personal injury lawyers can ensure that all documentation is filed within the statute of limitations, typically two years from the date of the accident or the date the injury was recognized.
Our Brain Injury Lawyers Will Fight for Your Compensation
If you or someone you love has been hurt by someone else’s negligence, the law firm of Nessler & Associates can offer legal assistance in the compensation process. Call us at 800-727-8010 for a free case evaluation and speak with a skilled and sympathetic personal injury attorney about your brain injury compensation claim.