If you suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car crash in Beaumont that wasn’t your fault, you might feel angry and overwhelmed. You’re probably getting in a stack of medical bills because of the treatment you needed for your injuries. Your injuries might prevent you from returning to work temporarily, or maybe they prevent you from returning to work at all. When a car crash results in serious injuries to the head, your life may never be the same again.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from car accidents can affect a person’s capacity to move around, control emotions, or even think. People who have suffered a TBI often require extensive medical treatment. In many cases, their injuries mean they cannot perform their work or live their lives as they did before the accident occurred.
If an accident in South Texas has led to your traumatic brain injury, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation for your losses. The experienced Beaumont car accident attorneys at Portner Bond, PLLC will work to help you hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions so you can recover the compensation you deserve. Call us today at (409) 838-4444 or contact us online for a free consultation to determine your legal options.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A TBI is an injury to the brain from external factors that causes damage to the brain’s structure. This damage prevents the brain from functioning in its usual way. The three situations that can lead to the occurrence of a TBI are:
- When a person’s head strikes or is struck by an object
- When a person suffers a sudden, violent shaking or jolt
- When a foreign object penetrates a person’s skull
When someone is in a car accident, any or all three of these situations can occur.
What Are the Effects of a TBI from a Car Accident?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), TBI can have profound effects on:
- A person’s cognitive capabilities, such as thinking, memory, and reasoning
- The way a person experiences sensation (touch, taste, smell, vision, and hearing)
- An individual’s capacity to communicate with others (speaking and comprehending language, symbols, or gestures)
- The degree to which a person can control their emotions and navigate social interactions
Some people can make a full recovery from TBI and can return to leading their lives normally. However, many others are never able to regain the normal functioning of their brain. They often require extended or even lifelong medical treatment and assistance in performing basic tasks in life.
Common Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
People who suffer TBI in car accidents often have one of the following diagnoses:
- Contusion – This is a bruise on the brain that tends to occur due to a direct impact on the head. This can lead to dangerous swelling. Contusions often require surgical intervention to release pressure and maintain a safe level of oxygen flow to the brain.
- Concussion – While a concussion may be considered a “mild” form of TBI, the consequences can still be serious. A concussed person may briefly lose consciousness, and they might suffer several days of symptoms such as headaches, depression, anxiety, balance problems, nausea, and dizziness. If a person suffers another concussion before they have recovered, they may have an increased chance of dementia.
- Hematoma – A brain hematoma is a serious and potentially fatal blood clot.
- Hemorrhage – Some TBIs lead to hemorrhaging, which is uncontrolled bleeding in the brain tissue or inside the skull.
- Edema – This is the medical term for swelling, which can be incredibly dangerous for the brain’s soft tissue.
- Diffuse Axonal Injury – This is a TBI that involves widespread damage to the brain. It is usually the result of a severe jolt or shaking of the head, which can often occur in car accidents.
- Coup-contrecoup Injury – In an accident with a particularly severe force of impact, the brain can strike first one side of the skull, then rebound to strike the opposite side. This causes damage to both sides of the brain and could impair memory, coordination, muscular function, swallowing, balance, and sensation.
- Penetration – If an impact breaks the skull, pieces of bone and/or a foreign object can enter the brain tissue directly, causing severe damage. This severe type of TBI often leads to severe impairment or loss of life. Patients often require brain surgery for a chance of recovery or survival.
What Is Your TBI Claim Worth?
The value of a brain injury claim will depend on individual factors, such as how severe the injury is and the circumstances of the accident. Consulting with an experienced car accident attorney can give you a better understanding of the potential value of your claim because they will assess the losses you have suffered. These may include:
- Medical care and treatment costs of your injury
- Projected future costs of medical care you will require for your TBI
- Wages you have lost due to missed time at work because of your brain injury
- The projected value of lost future earnings and earning potential
- The cost of assistive devices you may require
- The costs of past, current, and future assistance you require for day-to-day tasks
- The cost of counseling
- Personal costs of the pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life that your injury has caused
Contact an Experienced Beaumont Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident that someone else caused, you deserve compensation for your losses. The experienced car accident attorneys of Portner Bond, PLLC understand how challenging life can become after a TBI, and we will help fight for the compensation and help that you deserve.
Our attorneys have more than 85 years of combined experience successfully helping injured people in Beaumont and throughout South Texas. We are ready to put our experience to work for you too. We represent our clients on a contingency basis, which means there are no legal fees until we recover compensation on your behalf. Call us today at (409) 838-4444 or contact us online for a free consultation.
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