If you have been in a car accident, you understand the need to be checked by medical health professionals immediately afterward. Even “mild” car accidents can cause damage to your body by throwing your spine out of alignment from whiplash.
But what happens when you are involved in a more severe crash?
While we hope that this never happens to you or anyone you care about, the fact of the matter is that we live in a dangerous city when it comes to driving, and accidents occur frequently.
Atlanta is known for its heavy traffic, eighteen-wheeler accidents, and road rage. This can often be a lethal combination, and if you travel our roadways, you have likely seen hair-raising crashes that make you feel fortunate that you weren’t the one involved.
However much we might think we’re impervious to car wrecks, life doesn’t quite work that way. We want you to know what to do if you suffer from a car accident Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Atlanta that leads to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
In this article, we will walk you through the following important aspects of navigating Georgia car accident settlements due to traumatic brain injuries.
What Is A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
Traumatic Brain Injury, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, “usually results from a violent blow to or jolt to the head or body. An object that penetrates brain tissue, such as a bullet or shattered piece of skill, also can cause traumatic brain injury.”
There are five main causes of traumatic brain injury:
- Car Accidents
- Falls
- Violence (such as gunshot wounds or assault)
- Sports Injuries
- Combat injuries
These main causes of traumatic brain injury can cause various levels of severity in terms of the injury. For example, you might suffer from mild traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion, which may affect you only temporarily.
Or, you might suffer from much more severe complications due to traumatic brain injury, such as “bruising, torn tissues, bleeding, and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death” (Mayo Clinic).
Whether you have suffered mild TBI or severe TBI, it is imperative that you seek medical care immediately after your injury.
The documentation you receive from your doctor can lead to a Georgia car accident settlement that may pay for your medical bills and/or personal pain and suffering.
Symptoms of TBI
If you’ve been a victim of a car accident, there are certain TBI symptoms that you should be on the lookout for and mention to your medical provider.
Please note that if you have been in a car accident and experience no symptoms, it is still crucial that you are examined by a doctor for potential traumatic brain injury.
Mild TBI, symptoms, according to Alz.org, can include:
- “Inability to remember the cause of the injury or the events that occurred immediately before or up to 24 hours after it happened.
- Confusion and disorientation.
- Difficulty remembering new information.
- Headache.
- Dizziness.
- Blurry vision.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Ringing in the ears.
- Trouble speaking coherently.
- Changes in emotions or sleep patterns.”
For moderate or severe TBI, symptoms can include:
- “Headache that gets worse or won’t go away.
- Repeated vomiting or nausea.
- Slurred speech.
- Convulsions or seizures.
- An inability to wake up.
- Engagement of the pupil (dark center) of one or both eyes.
- Numbness or tingling of arms or legs.
- Loss of coordination.
- Increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation,
- Loss of consciousness lasting a few minutes to hours” (National Institutes of Health).
Who Is At Risk for TBI?
Unfortunately, there are groups of people who are more at risk for traumatic brain injuries. The Mayo Clinic explains that children, especially newborns to 4-year-olds are at greater risk for TBI due to the fact that their skulls are still in the formation stage. Their soft heads must be protected during a car accident to avoid TBI.
For information regarding how to protect your children during car accidents, we recommend that you know and understand important facts about child passenger safety.
Young adults (ages 15-24) are also at greater risk, along with adults aged 60+. The highest at-risk category for traumatic brain injury is adults over the age of 75, although injuries to the 75+ age group are usually due to falls.
Interestingly, males in any age group are at a higher risk for traumatic brain injury (Mayo Clinic). For more information about the role of sex and gender in traumatic brain injuries, we recommend this article from the Brain Injury Association of America.
Can a Car Accident Cause Brain Damage?
The short answer to this question is “yes.”
Brain damage “is an injury that causes the destruction or deterioration of brain cells,” and it can be caused by traumatic brain injury from a car accident (WebMD).
How lasting this damage is, however, will depend on the specific injury you incur, as well as your own body’s ability to heal.
According to Florida Physical Medicine, there are five different types of brain injuries caused by car accidents that cause various levels of brain damage:
- Concussions--when the brain receives trauma, usually from impact or a change in momentum or movement. It is important to understand that concussions range from mild to severe, and in the case of moderate-severe concussions, can take quite a long time to recover from.
- Contusions--contusions are another word for “bruise;” however, they may be much more serious when found on the brain. Contusions are areas of brain bleeding.
- Coup-contrecoup--this term basically means that there are contusions on both the right and left side of the brain (the side that has received impact and the other side). The word is French for “counterblow.”
- Diffuse Axonal--this injury is caused by a forceful rotation of the head, which can cause the structures of the brain to actually tear. This injury “usually causes coma and injury to many different parts of the brain” (Johns Hopkins Medicine).
- Penetration--in this type of injury, and object has penetrated the skull and has directly affected brain tissue.
Brain Swelling After Car Accident
Brain swelling can occur after a car accident that causes traumatic brain injury. Swelling often occurs in patients with moderate-to-severe TBI. These victims should be observed for signs of brain swelling.
After the initial impact of a TBI occurs, “the brain undergoes a delayed trauma--it swells--pushing itself against the skill and reducing the flow of oxygen-rich blood” (Mayfield Clinic).
Brain swelling can increase the pressure within the victim’s skill, which can actually cause injury to parts of the brian that were not affected by the initial impact.
This is why it is so important to seek medical attention after a car accident, as there might be medical implications like brain swelling that are not immediately recognizable by an untrained eye.
Brain swelling happens over time and can continue up to five days after a traumatic brain injury (Mayfield Clinic).
If you notice changes in your symptoms after an initial TBI diagnosis TBI, it is important to schedule a follow-up visit with your doctor to make sure that you are not suffering from brain swelling.
Car Accident Head Injury Statistics
The CDC gives some very alarming statistics regarding car accidents and traumatic brain injuries: motor vehicle crashes were the second leading cause of all TBI-related hospitalizations at 20% behind falls.
This means that 20% of all traumatic brain injuries are caused by motor vehicle crashes.
Further to this, “motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of hospitalizations for adolescents and adults aged 15 to 44 years of age” (CDC.gov). Clearly car accidents and head injuries go hand-in-hand, especially for younger adults.
Overall, the cumulative number of people in the United States living with a permanent TBI-related disability is 5.3 million men, women, and children. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury directly resulting in hospitalization (CDC.gov).
The Burden of TBI
For the 5.3 million Americans living with a traumatic brain injury, the burden on both the victims and their families can be quite severe.
TBI can permanently interrupt lives and place huge financial and emotional burden on the families caring for those affected by traumatic brain injury.
Financial toll is not the only long-lasting result of TBI, however. The victim can suffer from:
- Cognitive
- Emotional
- Sensory
- And motor impairments (CDC.gov)
If you are caring for a loved one who has survived TBI, you have likely incurred a huge interruption to your daily life. You might be responsible for your loved one’s medical appointments, medicine regiment, and managing physical therapy appointments.
If you are the victim of severe TBI from a car accident, your independence may be permanently altered, as well as your life goals and dreams.
TBI Attorneys and What To Do After a Car Accident
If you are a loved one of a victim of a car crash that has resulted in TBI, or if you are the victim, there are many options available to you. There are many personal injury attorneys who actually specialize in traumatic brain injury, including Marks Law Group.
Please note that there are specific things you should do immediately after the accident. If you are conscious and able, make sure that you do the following:
- Stop your car and don’t leave the scene of the accident. Put on your emergency flashers to protect yourself and those around you.
- Observe yourself and anyone in your car. Note any injuries and the state of your car and other cars involved in the accident (if you can do so safely).
- Call the police and make a police report.
- Take notes in your phone regarding exactly what happened during and after the accident.
- Take photos of your car, and if you can, of the vehicles involved (keep your safety top priority, and never interfere with a police investigation, however).
- Report the accident to your insurance company.
- Seek medical attention even if you do not feel hurt. Injuries can become apparent even several days after an accident.
- Contact a TBI attorney and make sure that you keep all medical records, receipts, photos, eye-witness accounts--any documentation of the accident is relevant and worth keeping.
Why Choose Marks Law for a Car Accident Traumatic Brain Injury?
After you have suffered from a traumatic brain injury or any other catastrophic injury, the last thing you want to worry about is how you will pay for your treatment and gain compensation for your physical and emotional trauma.
If your TBI is severe, you don’t want your loved ones to have to both care for you and battle financial hardship due to medical bills and insurance companies who do not cover all of your expenses.
TBI victims can feel especially confused or disoriented after an accident. It’s important that you work with a lawyer who is empathetic to your situation and who understands the particular needs of a TBI victim and their family.
At Marks Law Group, we will handle your case from beginning to end, alleviating stress from you and your family. We will go to bat for you against insurance companies and hospitalization and therapy fees. We are relentless in our pursuit of restitution for your TBI due to a car accident or fall.
Georgia car accident settlements can help you pay for car repairs, hospital bills, therapy bills, and any other financial hardship you suffer after your accident.
Our personal injury and car accident experience is second to none, and we have a particularly stellar track record working with victims of car accidents.
If you or your loved one have been affected by TBI as a result of a car accident, contact us immediately for a free initial consultation. Our combination of empathy, skills and resources, and our relentless pursuit of restitution make us the perfect choice as your TBI attorney.