Sacramento Brain Injury Lawyer
Traumatic brain injury can fall into three categories: mild, moderate and severe. It’s often the result of an accident, whether it’s a car crash, a bicycle accidentor a severe slip-and-fall.
Unfortunately, brain injuries aren’t always evident immediately after an accident. It can take several hours, days or even weeks for symptoms to show up – and in some cases, that leaves time for the damage to become even worse.
What is a TBI?
Anyone can become a victim of traumatic brain injury, or TBI. This type of brain injury is typically caused by a blow or jolt to the head, but sometimes it is the result of a penetrating head injury.
Dramatic brain injuries result in nearly three million emergency room visits each year. Generally, falls are the leading cause of TBI. There also caused by unintentional blunt trauma, such as what’s typically involved in a car accident.
Who is Most Likely to Sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury?
TBI can affect anyone. However, children and the elderly are more susceptible to traumatic brain injury from falls than any other groups are.
Men are nearly three times as likely to die as women are. Men typically have higher rates of hospitalization and emergency room visits, as well.
Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of brain injury and death for people between 15 and 20 years old.
TBIs can also be caused by:
- Violence
- Contact sports
- Slips and falls
- Exposure to explosions
You don’t have to have impact in order to suffer a traumatic brain injury, though. Any sudden stop or change in direction that causes your brain to hit the inside of your skull is capable of producing a TBI.
Symptoms of TBI
Traumatic brain injuries don’t always show up right away. With time, however, TBIs can become worse – particularly when swelling causes areas of the brain to become damaged.
A large percentage of people who suffer a traumatic brain injury experience symptoms for a year or more after the injury.
Mild TBI Symptoms
- Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Memory loss
- Sleep disturbances
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Visual disturbances
- Emotional disturbances
- Feelings of depression
- Seizures
- Nausea
- Loss of smell
- Sensitivity to light and sounds
Severe TBISymptoms
- Loss of consciousness for more than a few minutes
- Coma
- Headaches that persist or get worse
- Dizziness
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Repeated vomiting or nausea
- Convulsions or seizures
- Dilation of one or both pupils
- Difficulty speaking
- Weakness or numbness in the hands or feet
- Loss of coordination
- Confusion
- Restlessness
- Agitation
- Difficulty sleeping or staying awake
- Memory loss
How Serious is a TBI?
Traumatic brain injury can be very serious. In the most severe cases, it can lead to death.It’s important that if you suspect you or someone you care about has a TBI, that you seek medical treatment immediately.
The longer you wait to treat TBI, the worse the prognosis becomes.
As with any accident, it’s better to let a doctor evaluate you right away. If you wait to see a physician and you later choose to file a personal injury lawsuit, the insurance company may claim that your injuries are not from the accident; they could say that because you waited, the injuries could not have been as severe as you are now claiming they are.
Working with a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer in Sacramento
Recovery from a traumatic brain injury can be long and painstaking. Because you may need to miss work, pay medical bills and come up with the money to maintain your other financial obligations, it can be very stressful, too.
Many people choose to talk to a traumatic brain injury lawyer in Sacramento who can handle the legal aspects of their cases and leave them free to focus on what’s really important: physical recovery.
Could You Be Entitled to Damages?
If you have sustained a traumatic brain injury because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
You could receive damages for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
There are a number of other factors that may affect how much the insurance company is willing to offer you or how much a jury will decide your case is worth, so it’s best to speak to your attorney for case-specific guidance.
Call a TBI Lawyer Today
If you’ve had a traumatic brain injury, you don’t have to fight for compensation alone.
Call us at 916-303-2800 or get in touch with us online for a free case evaluation. We may be able to get you the compensation you and your family deserve.
