Has your life been upended by a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury? If so, you may be struggling to recover from the emotional and physical effects of the injury. You also may be unable to work and experiencing financial stress from the many unforeseen expenses created by the accident. Your quality of life may have been drastically changed by your head injury.
If someone else’s negligence caused the auto accident that left you injured, then you may have the right to demand compensation for the financial losses you’ve suffered and the impact your brain injury will have on your future.
You should seek the guidance of a knowledgeable and compassionate Las Vegas car accident lawyer at Sam & Ash Injury Law. Our experienced injury attorneys can investigate your accident and fight for you to receive the maximum compensation available for your losses.
You deserve What’s Right after a crash caused by another driver’s negligence. Let us review the circumstances of your accident and discuss how our experienced Las Vegas traumatic brain injury lawyers at Sam & Ash Injury Law, can help you. Call us or reach out to us online for a free consultation.
What Is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a traumatic brain injury is a head injury resulting in a change in how the brain functions. It can be caused by a bump or blow to the head or a blow to the body hard enough to cause your head to jerk backward or forward. Most often, traumatic brain injuries are closed head injuries, meaning the blow does not penetrate the skull. Even so, closed head injuries can be extremely serious injuries.
Car accidents and falls are the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries.
The types of traumatic brain injury as defined by The Cleveland Clinic are:
- Mild TBI or concussions
- Moderate TBI
- Severe TBI
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Concussions account for three out of four head injuries each year. A concussion may result from a hard blow or jolt to the head such as the impact of a car collision, motorcycle crash, or fall. People who take part in contact sports may sustain concussions as sports injuries.
Symptoms of mild traumatic brain injuries include changes in how the injured person thinks, sleeps, concentrates, or processes new information. A person may feel dazed for a period of time or experience a brief loss of consciousness.
The symptoms of a concussion include:
- headache
- nausea
- confusion
- temporary loss of consciousness
- blurry vision
- balance problems
- changes in sleep patterns
- difficulty concentrating
- feeling irritable or nervous
Mild traumatic brain injuries should be taken seriously. They are not usually life-threatening. But if there is a possibility that you have sustained a concussion or any type of head injury in an auto vehicle accident, you should always seek medical attention.
Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries
Moderate to severe TBI injuries are considered life-threatening. Moderate TBI survivors are more likely to require ongoing assistance and care.
According to the CDC, moderate TBIs are most commonly associated with:
- Car crashes
- Falls
- Physical assaults including gunshot wounds to the head
These injuries are associated with a range of physical and psychological effects and significantly impact the person injured, along with their family or caregiver. This may mean:
- Coma: A state of unconsciousness stemming from widespread brain damage affecting multiple parts of the brain. The person is not aware of their surroundings, nor can they respond to stimuli. A coma may progress to a vegetative state if the injured person doesn’t awaken after a few weeks. In a vegetative state, the person may reply to stimuli but be unaware of their surroundings.
- Minimally conscious state: A state in which a person shows signs of being aware of their environment. This state of altered consciousness may serve as a transitional state to that of recovery.
Any person with a moderate or severe brain injury will face significant lifetime medical costs and need to take advantage of all the financial resources available to cover the costs. Brain injury survivors with moderate brain injuries face treatment costs of approximately $950,000, according to a researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Meanwhile, patients with a severe traumatic brain injury face medical costs upwards of $3 million or higher.
Even if you have good health insurance, your medical costs are likely to exceed the coverage limits of your health insurance. A personal injury lawsuit may be a viable option to seek compensation for medical expenses related to a TBI if your injury was caused by a negligent driver. Let a brain injury attorney at Sam & Ash review the details of the car accident and help you understand the options available to you to pursue compensation.
Traumatic Brain Injury Signs and Symptoms
What signs do you need to be aware of regarding the various types of traumatic brain injuries?
Many people who sustain mild brain injuries recover within a few weeks.
The CDC says the signs and symptoms of TBIs will vary from person to person and may change, for better or worse, during the recovery period. The most common symptoms by category are:
- Physical: This includes factors such as balance, sensitivity to light and noise, headaches, vision problems, and fatigue
- Cognitive: This includes problems or difficulties with concentration and attention, being able to think clearly, and feelings of grogginess or being slowed down
- Social and Emotional: This category includes feelings of sadness, anxiety, or nervousness, and becoming more easily irritated or angry
- Sleep: The symptoms include difficulty falling asleep and sleeping less or more than usual compared to previous medical history before the onset of the traumatic brain injury occurrence
It may be easier to spot the signs of a mild traumatic brain injury in a loved one than to recognize the symptoms if you are the one who has suffered a head injury. The injured person may not be aware of how these symptoms affect their daily activities. Some signs of a closed head injury may not be apparent initially except to a trained medical professional.
Danger Signs of Traumatic Brain Injury
You should always seek prompt medical attention if you suspect any sort of traumatic brain injury. It’s important to seek a medical evaluation after any car accident, even if you believe you were not injured.
Call 911 if you observe any danger signs that may indicate brain bleeding or a blood clot. Danger signs include:
- Repeated vomiting
- Slurring or unusual behavior
- One pupil appearing larger than the other
- A headache that just doesn’t seem to go away
- Any experiences or sensations of numbness, convulsions, or weakness
- Decreased coordination
- Inability to recognize familiar people, places, or things
- Confusion
- Restlessness
- Agitation
- Loss of consciousness or difficulty in waking from sleep
Can You Recover Damages from Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury can be devastating for the victim and those close to them. Depending on the nature and severity of the TBI, you might be forced to deal with the consequences for weeks, months, years, or the rest of your life. If someone else’s negligence caused the car accident that left you seriously injured, you may be eligible to demand compensation for:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Special equipment costs
- Home modification costs
- Damaged or destroyed property
In addition, you might be eligible to receive compensation for “non-economic” damages that are harder to calculate and quantify, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
You should not have to shoulder the medical expenses and related costs of a brain injury caused by another driver’s carelessness or disregard for safety. The driver who caused the accident should be financially accountable.
Talk to Our Injury Lawyers At Sam & Ash Injury Law
Under Nevada law, drivers who cause car accidents may be held financially liable for the harm they cause others.
If you or someone close to you sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident in Las Vegas, you should seek the help of the Las Vegas injury attorneys at Sam & Ash Injury Law. We can explore whether filing an injury claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance or pursuing a personal injury lawsuit is appropriate. The Las Vegas car accident attorneys at Sam & Ash have a track record of positive results and want to do What’s Right for you. We have the experience and resources necessary to make a difference.
Call us or reach out to us online for a free consultation to discuss your case.
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