A brain and closed head injury can be traumatic not only to the victims but also to their families. At Marks Law Group, our experienced brain injury lawyers have decades of experience working with brain injury survivors and their families. We recognize how complicated traumatic brain injuries are and how difficult they can be for you and your family.
To speak with a skilled Decatur brain injury lawyer who understands the complexities of traumatic brain injuries, call our law office in Decatur, Georgia, at (678) 251-9309. We build each personal injury case with thorough preparation. We work on a “contingency fee” basis, so you won’t have to pay us anything unless we win your brain injury case.
What are the Most Common Brain Injuries?
A brain injury refers to many types of injuries relating to the brain, scalp, and skull. Probable complications and the required treatments largely depend on how the brain injury was acquired, the location of the injury, and the severity of brain damage. There are four common types of brain injuries. These include:
- Concussions. This is a minor brain injury caused by shaking, a sudden change in movements, such as whiplash, or an impact to the head. Concussions can cause problems with concentration, headaches, memory loss, and disorientation. Concussions are particularly dangerous if a second one occurs before the first heals, or if more than one is suffered over time.
- Brain contusions. This is a bruise of the brain tissue. Any impact to the head may cause brain contusions. For instance, a brain contusion may occur in a motor vehicle crash when the head hits the steering wheel, a slip and fall when the head hits the ground, or in sports-related activities where the brain takes substantial impact. Severe contusions can cause confusion, tiredness, loss of consciousness, emotional distress, or agitation. And more severe brain contusions can cause the brain to swell, could prevent proper oxygenation, and other severe consequences.
- Penetrating brain injuries. These occur when an object pierces through the skull. This might cause hair, the object, skin, skull fragments to make contact with the brain. The contact and pressure on the brain can cause severe injury to a concentrated or a large part of the brain. An external force or an object that’s strong enough to break through the skull can cause penetrating brain injuries.
- Anoxic brain injuries. These injuries occur when the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen to operate properly. After just three or five minutes without proper oxygen levels, brain cells start to die, causing brain injury. Because blood transports oxygen to the brain, anoxic brain injury often occurs because of blockage of this blood circulation. Blockage can occur because of a blood clot, heart attack, stroke, or severe brain trauma, among others. Also, blood can flow to the brain in normal quantities, but that blood may be carrying less oxygen. This occurs because of poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, drowning, choking, suffocation, or anything that hinders the lungs from taking in a normal amount of oxygen molecules.
Do Traumatic Brain Injuries Get Worse Over Time?
Yes, some traumatic brain injuries get worse over time. Doctors aren’t completely sure why some traumatic brain injury patients experience a decline, but they believe there are two key reasons:
- Secondary injury. These are complications that arise following the initial injury, such as infections or hematomas. Often, these injuries cut off blood flow to certain parts of the brain, killing neurons. However, the effects of brain cell death aren’t always immediate; this explains why some people with brain injury appear to get worse as time goes by.
- Chemical changes. Further, harmful chemical events that occur in the brain after traumatic brain injuries could explain why some people with brain injuries get worse over time. For instance, brain injury often causes an excess of neurotransmitters in the brain, which overstimulates brain cells, causing brain cell death.
Finally, if a brain injury victim doesn’t get the proper medical care that encourages brain healing, then this would also cause their symptoms to worsen.
How Much is a Brain Injury Case Worth in Atlanta?
Sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause severe, debilitating injury caused by significant trauma to the head after an accident, including car accidents.
TBIs are difficult to identify, but with the help of an experienced Decatur brain injury attorney, you can determine the value of your brain injury case and pursue the compensation you deserve.
The probable value of your brain injury claim largely depends on the damages you have incurred. Damages vary from case to case, but they might include expenses related to:
- Medical costs. A significant portion of your claim will be based on the medical bills for injuries you incurred, including any prescriptions, initial emergency room or hospital stays, lab work, imaging tests, or other medical bills you received that were directly linked to your injury.
- Lost wages. You might have lost time from work while recovering from your brain injury.
- Lost earning capacity over your lifetime. If the brain injury left you or a loved one unable to go back to work, you may recover compensation for this loss. A financial expert can help you estimate the likely cost over your lifetime, and your personal injury attorney can include this data in a demand for financial compensation.
- Lifetime care expenses. Symptoms related to a traumatic brain injury may last for years or the rest of your life. Future anticipated medical bills must be considered when estimating the value of your case. Further, if you need a caregiver, this should also be factored into your losses.
- Pain and suffering. You may also recover compensation for the pain and suffering and the negative effects the injury had on your life.
- Loss of quality of life. Often, people who suffer traumatic brain injuries develop cognitive or physical disabilities that hinder them from engaging in activities that they enjoyed before the injury.
Estimating the worth of your personal injury lawsuit is a complex process that needs significant legal expertise and experience. Thus, it’s crucial to contact an experienced Decatur GA personal injury lawyer as soon as possible regarding your personal injury claim before accepting any settlement offer made by the party responsible or their insurance company.
Contact a Decatur Brain Injury Lawyer at Marks Law Group Today to Schedule a Free Initial Consultation!
The settlement and verdicts that traumatic brain injury victims can recover run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, depending on the circumstances. The settlement offer is essential to a person who has sustained a TBI because it helps them meet costs associated with medical expenses and general living costs for a significant period of time.
If you or a loved one has suffered a TBI in a motor vehicle accident caused by another person’s reckless actions, you should hire an experienced Decatur personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Call the Marks Law Group today at (678) 251-9309 to schedule a no-cost initial consultation with one of our skilled Atlanta traumatic brain injury attorneys. Don’t wait! Call us today!