Brain Injury

Decatur Brain Injury Lawyers Working for You

Far too often, motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall incidents, and other crisis events cause someone to suffer injuries to the brain. The brain controls every aspect of our bodies, yet doctors and scientists are still unclear about just how the brain functions in many respects. Damage to the brain is difficult if not impossible to repair. Sometimes, the body heals brain injuries, and sometimes the damage is irreversible, often leaving victims to struggle to perform even the basic tasks of daily living.

Our Decatur brain injury lawyers know that even a seemingly “minor” brain injury can have lifelong consequences. These injuries can make it difficult for accident victims to focus, remember critical information, maintain balance, and perform other vital functions necessary to work and enjoy a full life.

A brain injury often causes people to lose aspects of their life that cannot be replaced. When the injury was caused by the irresponsible behavior of another, the responsible person can and should be required to make restitution for the losses. The role of a personal injury attorney is to provide justice and compensation for those who have been harmed by the negligence and wrongdoing of others. At Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC, we have helped hundreds of brain injury victims recover, so we understand the unique issues involved when pursuing justice in brain injury cases. We have the knowledge, skill, and dedication to achieve the best results for the future of accident victims and their families.

What is a Traumatic Brain Injury? Our Decatur Brain Injury Lawyers Explain

A brain injury is considered traumatic when it is caused by an external traumatic event as opposed to an internal disease process. Accidents often cause different types of traumatic brain injuries. Non-traumatic brain injuries, by contrast, are caused by internal processes such as strokes or infections. They are both acquired brain injuries because they occur after birth.

Biomedical researchers report that traumatic brain injuries change the activity or structure in one or more parts of the brain and this often affects brain functions. The impairment in function may last no more than a few days but could last indefinitely. Researchers have observed that even when injuries do not cause permanent impairment, the patients impacted still often suffer psychological and physiological outcomes that make it difficult to integrate into the pattern of living they enjoyed prior to the injury. When someone suffers a traumatic brain injury, their quality of life may be permanently degraded.

Different Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries—generally referred to as TBIs—often occur when the victim’s head hits an object with sudden and violent force or when the skull is pierced by an object that enters brain tissue. This second type of traumatic brain injury is a penetrating TBI while the first type is a non-penetrating TBI.

A penetrating TBI results when shrapnel, a bone fragment, or another object penetrates the skull to cause damage to brain tissue. In many cases, a penetrating TBI causes severe damage, but that damage is localized to the part of the brain near the penetration.

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A non-penetrating TBI is also called a blunt TBI or closed head injury. These types of brain injuries result from an external force that is strong enough to cause the brain to move inside the skull. Though there may be no sign of damage visible externally, a blunt TBI can lead to catastrophic damage, particularly if brain tissue impacts the skull repeatedly.

Car accidents, falls caused by unsafe conditions, or being struck by a falling object are examples of incidents that frequently lead to non-penetrating TBIs. Our Decatur brain injury lawyers often see incidents where motor vehicle collisions, explosions, accidents involving equipment, and violent attacks cause a victim to suffer both penetrating and non-penetrating TBIs.

The Most Common Traumatic Brain Injuries

Although an accident victim can suffer a nearly endless range of injuries, it is helpful to understand some of the more common injuries. Most people are familiar with concussions, which are TBIs that do not cause gross structural damage. Even though concussions are usually mild, they do affect the structural integrity of neurons in the brain and can lead to serious adverse neuropsychological outcomes.

Concussions

A concussion is usually caused by the acceleration and deceleration forces resulting from a blow to the head. Concussions cause transient alterations to the victim’s mental status. This could range from mild confusion to loss of consciousness. Repeated concussions can lead to psychiatric disturbance, attention deficit, and derangement of memory and executive functions.

Extra-Axial Hematomas

Bleeding in the brain is referred to as extra-axial when it occurs within the skull but outside the brain parenchyma. It is one of the most common forms of TBI caused by motor vehicle accidents and is often deadly.

This category includes both epidural hematomas and subdural hematomas. The bleeding from extra-axial hematomas increases intracranial pressure to the point where it can cause secondary brain injuries that lead to death or severe long-term impairment.

Contusions

A contusion is caused by bruising of the brain tissue, and it is distinguished by the location of the injury. A coup contusion occurs at the site of impact, while a contrecoup injury usually occurs on the opposite side of the impact. Often, a coup contusion is caused by a moving object striking the head while it is still, and a contrecoup contusion results when the victim is moving and strikes a stationary object. After the impact, the brain rebounds in the opposite direction and impacts the skull, causing damage.

Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhages

Subarachnoid hemorrhage results when small capillaries in the brain tear and release blood into the subarachnoid space. Like epidural and subdural hematomas, subarachnoid hemorrhages cause tremendous pressure around the brain and inside the skull. Researchers report that approximately 2/3 of the patients who suffer this type of injury will either pass away due to the injury or suffer severe disabilities because of it.

Diffuse Axonal Injuries

Twisting, shearing, or stretching of neuronal axons can lead to diffuse axonal injuries. The action causes damage to the cytoskeleton which in turn can result in axonal swelling, detachment, increased permeability, and axonal death. These injuries often accompany other TBIs.

Causes of TBIs

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are falls, motor vehicle collisions, assaults, and self-inflicted firearm wounds. Almost half of all hospitalizations for TBIs result from falls in nursing homes, down stairways, outside, and in other locations. Accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles are also a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. While these are often blunt trauma injuries, vehicle crashes frequently cause penetration injuries as well.

Assaults with or without a weapon are also common causes of traumatic brain injuries. In many of these situations, the injuries could have been prevented if someone had exercised reasonable care. Decatur brain injury lawyers work to help victims recover damages for losses that result when someone fails to take ordinary precautions or causes harm recklessly or intentionally. 

Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Someone suffering from a traumatic brain injury can exhibit symptoms that are physical, mental, or sensory. Physical symptoms might include:

• Nausea or vomiting
• Drowsiness or fatigue
• Headache
• Speech difficulty
• Dizziness or challenges with balance

Symptoms may appear right after the injury but frequently do not manifest until hours or even several days after the injury.

Symptoms Affecting Senses or Cognitive Processes

A traumatic brain injury can cause sensory difficulties such as sensitivity to light or sound, ringing in the ears, loss of ability to smell, blurred vision, or a bad taste in the mouth. In addition, a TBI can cause difficulty sleeping or lead to excessive sleep. A person suffering from a TBI may feel anxious or depressed and experience mood swings. Frequently, a TBI can interfere with concentration or memory and lead to disorientation and confusion.

Signs and Symptoms of a TBI Indicating That it Could Be Serious

Even mild TBIs are injuries that require medical attention, and that could leave lasting effects. However, some symptoms indicate that a TBI could be more severe and even life-threatening:

• Loss of consciousness
• Headache that will not go away or gets worse
• Fluid draining from ears or nose
• Convulsions or seizures
• Repeated vomiting
• Dilation of eye pupils
• Inability to wake up
• Loss of coordination
• Numbness or weakness in hands or feet
• Slurred speech
• Agitation, aggression, or unusual behavior

It is vitally important to get a thorough medical exam after an accident because doctors are trained to look for symptoms of TBIs and other injuries that can be difficult to detect. It is equally important to return for a follow-up as ordered or go to the doctor immediately if symptoms worsen or new symptoms develop.

Michael M. Day Helps Accident Victims Get the Care and Compensation They Need After a Brain Injury

Decatur brain injury lawyers know that two factors become critical when an accident causes brain injuries. First and foremost, the injured person must receive prompt and thorough medical care. This includes not only examinations right after the accident but also care and rehabilitation long afterward. The dedicated team at Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC works to ensure that accident victims have the resources they need to reach their maximum level of recovery without unnecessary stress or worry.

The second factor is the need to take steps to meet future financial needs resulting from the injury. TBIs can require extensive long-term care and interfere with the ability to work, even when the injury does not seem severe. Michael M. Day has the experience to help you anticipate your future needs and the skill to obtain compensation to meet those needs and offset intangible losses such as pain, mental anguish, and loss of future opportunities.

To recover compensation, it is necessary to demonstrate another party’s liability for the injury, and that requires evidence. It is best to collect evidence as soon after the accident as possible, and your attorney can help with the process, so don’t hesitate to contact our team right after an accident so we can start building a strong case.

How Much Is Your Brain Injury Case Worth?

While every case is different, the team at Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC has sufficient experience with brain injury accidents that we can provide an estimate of the value of your case. If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury in an accident, we urge you to contact us for a free consultation and case evaluation.

Call us now at 404-480-4284 or contact us online to get our help to work toward your full recovery.