We Handle All Types of Brain Injury Cases
If you or a loved one suffer from a brain injury after an accident, consult a serious injury lawyer now. The sooner you’re represented, the better. We can start by investigating the accident, finding out who’s liable, and pursuing compensation.
We have experience with cases involving all types of brain injuries, including primary and secondary injuries. It’s common for a primary brain injury, like a TBI from a car accident, to be followed by secondary injuries, such as brain swelling or bleeding. When calculating the value of your claim, we account for everything.
Concussions
A concussion is a minor TBI. It should result in a swift recovery, and you should be able to handle this insurance claim yourself. But if there’s any significant effect on your life, such as if prior concussions or TBI compound your current injury, call our office.
Post-Concussion Syndrome
Post-concussion syndrome lasts weeks to months after a head injury. Symptoms include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Sleep disruption
- Psychological impacts like depression, irritability, anxiety
- Cognitive issues involving memory, concentration, and thinking
If you continue to struggle with concussion symptoms, go back to your doctor. If you receive a post-concussion syndrome diagnosis, your next call should be to a traumatic brain injury lawyer.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Trauma to the head causes TBIs. The trauma could be:
- Violent shaking due to the force of an accident
- An object striking the head directly
TBIs can be open or closed brain injuries. If the trauma doesn’t penetrate the skull, it’s a closed injury. If the trauma penetrates the skull, it’s open. It’s also called a penetrating brain injury when an object pierces the brain.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
A DAI is the shearing of the brain’s axons – the long nerve fibers. This happens when the brain shifts and rotates in the skill. It often puts the victim in a coma.
Acquired Brain Injury
An acquired brain injury happens after birth and isn’t congenital. There are many types of ABI, some of which are traumatic, and others are non-traumatic. For instance, a TBI is an ABI.
Other ABIs are caused by:
- Exposure to toxic chemicals
- Infections
- Strokes
- Internal bleeding
- Lack of oxygen
- Near-drowning
Skull Fracture
A skull fracture is any break in the cranial bone caused by an impact or a blow to the head. The fracture depends on the force of the blow, the location of the impact, and the shape of the object hitting the skull.
Brain Bleeding
A hemorrhage is a stroke caused by an artery in the brain bursting and bleeding in the surrounding tissues. This bleeding kills brain cells.
Brain Swelling
Swelling, or edema, is a natural result of trauma, and it can cause serious injuries or death. The skull allows little room for the brain to swell, and brain cells can die if too much swelling occurs.
Brain Damage
The destruction or deterioration of brain cells is known as brain damage. A mild brain injury may cause temporary harm. Symptoms of a moderate injury can last longer and be more pronounced. But a person with severe head trauma may suffer life-changing and debilitating problems.
Brain Injury Symptoms
You may experience symptoms right after the accident, or they may take days to develop.
The symptoms of moderate to severe brain injury include:
- Passing out for several minutes to hours
- Persistent headache or one that worsens over time
- Repeated vomiting or nausea
- Convulsions or seizures
- One or both pupils of the eyes are dilated
- Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears
- Inability to wake up after sleeping
- Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes
- Lost coordination
- Profound confusion
- Agitation or combativeness
- Slurred speech
- Coma or other consciousness disorders
If you or a loved one experiences any of these symptoms, seek medical help. You can go to Signature Care Emergency Center, Odessa Regional Medical Center, Excel ER Odessa, WesTex Urgent Care, or any other immediate care or emergency facility in the Odessa area.
Medical Center Hospital in Odessa is a Level III Trauma Centers in the Permian Basin. Odessa Regional Medical Center is a Level IV trauma facility.
How Do Doctors Diagnose a Brain Injury?
Diagnosing a brain injury requires a thorough physical examination and diagnostic tests. Your doctor might choose to perform X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. However, not all brain injuries show up on these tests. That doesn’t make them any less real and serious.
A doctor will ask questions about how the injury happened and whether you lost consciousness, and for how long. They’ll ask you various questions to look for any speak issues, such as delays, slurring, or using the wrong words.
There are levels of TBI: mild, moderate, and severe. Doctors have various scales they use to determine the TBI level. The Glasgow Coma Scale requires a doctor to rate your eye-opening, verbal, and motor responses between one and four, five, or six points, respectively. The higher the points, the better. The lower the powers, the more severe the TBI.
The more severe a TBI, the more likely you or your loved one will suffer life-long consequences. Severe TBIs also can result in a coma, vegetative state, or death.
Getting the correct diagnosis can take time and become expensive. We recommend keeping copies of all your medical records and bills. This helps us calculate the value of your brain injury claim.
