Common causes and treatments for TBIs in Georgia
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can dramatically alter a person’s life. While some people may have short-term changes in their cognitive abilities, others may deal with symptoms such as memory loss and difficulty thinking that never go away.
Sadly, many of those who sustain injuries to their heads do so because of someone else’s negligence. TBIs have a wide range of symptoms and causes, and understanding how brain injury lawsuits work helps you know what to do when you or a loved one suffers for someone else’s bad decisions.
What is classified as a TBI?
A TBI occurs when you sustain an injury to your head or neck that also affects your brain. This typically occurs when the head or neck is struck with force by an object. A TBI can also happen if your skull is fractured or if an object penetrates through your head into your brain.
The damage caused by these types of accidents may range from a mild concussion to severe brain damage that limits your ability to live your life to its fullest. In the most severe cases, a TBI can even lead to death.
What are the common causes of TBIs?
Your brain is fragile, but your skull helps to protect it from harm. For this reason, you are most likely to experience a TBI as a result of some type of serious accident.
A TBI can happen to someone as early as the first few minutes of life. Birth injuries are one of the most tragic causes of TBIs. These tend to happen when a doctor uses their hands or tools to manipulate the baby’s head as they are emerging from the birth canal. They can also happen due to a lack of oxygen if the medical team fails to respond appropriately to a baby in distress.
Slip and fall accidents are another common cause of TBIs. The elderly are especially vulnerable to these types of accidents, but they can happen to anyone who trips over an object in their path or wanders onto a slippery surface.
By far, motor vehicle accidents are the most common reason why people present with brain injuries. The forces generated by a collision between 2 vehicles often cause the head to move rapidly back and forth. Your head might also hit the dashboard or other areas in the car. Car accidents that involve pedestrians and cyclists are especially likely to cause a TBI.
It is best to seek medical attention immediately after any type of accident that involves head trauma. You could have a brain injury without feeling the effects at first. Establishing a medical history report also helps your personal injury lawyer begin working on your case.
What TBI symptoms do people commonly experience?
The most obvious symptom of a TBI is a loss of consciousness. People often describe this as being knocked out. You may also feel dizzy, have trouble thinking or be unable to recall what happened. Nausea and vomiting are also common after a head injury.
Depending upon the severity of the trauma to your brain, you may have lingering symptoms, such as memory loss, that go on for years. You might also have personality changes that impact your ability to hold a job or enjoy healthy relationships.
When should you suspect TBI in children?
A young child might not always be able to tell you how they feel or think. They may also experience a head injury without you knowing exactly what happened. For instance, a young child may fall on the playground while their parent’s attention is focused elsewhere. A child who is crying for a prolonged period without any obvious cause might have a brain injury.
You should also suspect a possible TBI in a child who experiences a change in their eating habits or cannot focus like they once did. A TBI can be devastating in children who are just beginning their life. Traumatic brain injury lawsuits are often necessary to help these children get the best chances for a full recovery.
Car accidents are the third leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TBI is a contributing factor to at least 30 percent of all injury fatalities.
What are the possible treatment options for a brain injury?
Multiple types of diagnostic testing are often done to assess the severity of brain injury. These may include brain imaging tests to look for signs of damage. Speech and language tests are commonly used to check for damage that affects communication. You may also be given cognitive tests to look for problems with your memory and reasoning abilities.
Treatment plans for TBIs are designed to reduce the severity of the symptoms or to help people learn to cope with the changes in their abilities. Most people need to attend therapy sessions for many months. Surgery and medicine might also be needed to help your brain heal.
These treatments are expensive, and you can expect that you might need multiple types of care to fully heal. This is where the damages from a lawsuit can be especially helpful.
What if a TBI happens due to negligence?
At the law firm of Westmoreland, Patterson, Moseley & Hinson, our personal injury lawyers help provide the resources that accident survivors need to manage their health needs during the recovery process. We can also help you get compensated for things such as the income you expect to lose over the course of your life due to an injury caused by someone else’s negligence. A person or business could be held responsible for your brain injury if they failed to uphold their responsibility to provide proper care.
If you know or suspect that you or a loved one are suffering from a TBI, it is important to seek a prompt diagnosis so that treatment can be started right away. It is also essential to begin working on your personal injury case as soon as possible. Making sure that the negligent party is held responsible for their actions helps you get the compensation that you need to begin the process of healing.
