A traumatic brain injury is when an accident or trauma causes injury to the brain. This type of injury can be a penetrating head injury or a closed head injury. With a closed head injury brain damage may have occurred without any outward signs of trauma being present. Depending upon the extent of damage to the brain, the symptoms will be considered mild, moderate or severe. Jerrold Mayro, has represented many brain injury victims and family and understands both the legal and the physical and emotional aspects of brain injuries.
When a loved one suffers a traumatic brain injury, the entire family’s quality of life may instantly change. These catastrophic injuries require commitment to a long road of recovery and can cause a family to quickly accrue costly medical bills.
In order to alleviate the stress and financial burden, your family needs a traumatic brain injury attorney who understands the worth of your case and will fight for the compensation you deserve, which can include:
- Mental and physical suffering
- Diminished earning potential
- Past, current, and future related medical bills
- Rehabilitation costs
How Traumatic Brain Injuries Occur
Slip and fall accidents are the most common cause of brain injuries. For the elderly requiring the assistance of a nursing home, nursing home abuse and neglect can result in a loved one sustaining a brain injury due to a fall.
Other common causes of brain injuries include:
- Violence
- Automobile accident injuries, which account for 20% of all TBI’s
- Head trauma
- Oxygen deprivation
Brain injuries can also occur without direct trauma to the head. When the head is whiplashed without hitting a hard object, the brain’s white matter can suffer an axonal injury. This type of traumatic brain injury is referred to as an acceleration/deceleration injury. In serious whiplash injuries the brain’s axons are stretched to the point of damage and body tissues are torn.
Types of TBIs
There are three classifications of brain injuries
- Closed brain injury – When the brain hits the skull due to the head being struck or jerked
- Open brain injury – When the brain is punctured by an object that pierces the skull
- Oxygen deprivation – When the brain is either partially starved of all oxygen (hypoxia) or completely lacks oxygen (anoxia), resulting in the death of brain cells
Disabilities Caused
The injuries and disabilities sustained due to a traumatic brain injury vary from case to case. Both the severity and location of the injury impact the potential disabilities you may develop. Common disabilities associated with traumatic brain injuries include:
- Damage to the nervous system
- Memory loss
- Decreased mental capacity and cognitive ability
- Inability to effectively communicate
- Difficulty reading
The “wait and see” approach that doctors often take with TBI patients is a frustrating one for friends and family. However, no one knows whether a TBI patient who is in a comatose state will remain in coma for a few days or years. Obviously, the longer a person is in a comatose state, the less likely he or she will recover completely.
Recovery
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, children and adolescents are more likely than adults to survive following TBI. Of the 1.4 million people that sustain a TBI each year, 50,000 of those will die while 1.1 million will be treated at an emergency department and released. Those with moderate to severe TBI typically have life-long disabilities with varying degrees of dependence.
For personal injuries involving TBI, recovery can be measured in weeks, months and even years. The most rapid recovery occurs during the first six months after an injury. For milder traumatic brain injury, a patient is likely to be back at work within three months. Some TBI patients will have no noticeable symptoms, while others will require life-long care.
The task of adjusting to life after a traumatic brain injury is a difficult and prolonged process. With a long road of recovery ahead, your loved one will require the family’s full devotion and attention. If you are worrying about medical bills and determining negligence after a traumatic brain injury, you may be devoting misguided energy.
Contact Attorney Jerrold Mayro
At The Mayro Law Firm, we understand your family’s needs and demands. Jerrold A. Mayro has more than 30 years of law experience and will fight to achieve the full compensation your family deserves.
If a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury in the Phoenix, Mesa, or Tucson, Arizona area, please contact Jerrold A. Mayro today or call (602) 604-8400 to schedule a confidential consultation with Mr. Mayro.