Baton Rouge Brain Injury Lawyer
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Head injuries can have devastating and long-lasting consequences. Your brain controls so many things, from unconscious reflexes to memories and personality. Any damage to this delicate organ can result in major changes for you and your family.
If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, all hope is not lost. Call the Baton Rouge brain injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown today.
Our personal injury attorneys have been helping injured victims across southern Louisiana since 1984. Call us today at 225-343-1111 and schedule a free consultation with an experienced brain and head injury attorney in Baton Rouge.
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury can happen anytime someone suffers trauma to the head. This can be a blow to the head or a penetrating injury. Traumatic brain injuries affect how the brain works. These injuries can be deadly. In 2020, there were over 64,000 TBI-related deaths in the U.S. More than 223,000 people were hospitalized for brain injuries in 2019.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Not every brain injury happens the same way or has the same symptoms. The prognosis and treatment plan often depends on the type of brain injury. Brain injuries can be closed or penetrating injuries. These injuries are also classified based on severity (mild, moderate, or severe). These injuries can happen in one part of the brain (focal) or more than one area (diffuse).
A closed head injury is an injury where the skull remains intact. These injuries are usually caused by falls, car accidents, or sporting accidents. The force that acts on the skull bruises and tears brain tissue. A penetrating head injury, on the other hand, happens when there is a break in the skull. This is most often seen as a result of a gunshot wound or a fall from a height.
A mild traumatic brain injury is often known as a concussion. These injuries may be ‘mild’ compared to severe brain injuries, but concussions should always be treated by a medical professional.
Moderate and severe brain injuries are more serious and can be deadly. These injuries can result in heavy bleeding in the brain and often require surgery to fix. A diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is an example of a severe brain injury. This injury happens when the brain shifts inside the skull, resulting in torn connective tissue in the brain.
What Are the Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury?
The symptoms of a TBI often depend on the severity and type of injury. A person with a mild brain injury may only experience a few symptoms, while someone with a severe TBI can slip into a coma or vegetative state for an unknown period of time. Symptoms of a mild brain injury include:
- Dizziness
- Blurry vision
- Headache
- Confusion
- Vertigo
- Problems with memory, thinking, or attention
Symptoms of a moderate to severe brain injury include the above symptoms as well as:
- Vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Slurred speech
- Uneven pupils
- Weakness or numbness in extremities
- Agitation and confusion
A ‘mild’ brain injury is still a medical emergency. Any trauma to the head can result in severe complications, so all head injuries should be examined by a medical professional as soon as possible. It’s not uncommon for head injuries to develop hours or days after the initial trauma.
What Causes a Traumatic Brain Injury?
The brain is a sensitive organ protected by bone. Any type of trauma to the head can result in a serious brain injury. Depending on what caused your brain injury, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the negligent party. Below, our Baton Rouge brain injury lawyer team outlines the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries in Louisiana.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents caused by hazardous conditions can result in serious brain injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), due to the impact of hitting the ground or other objects. These injuries often lead to long-term medical complications, costly treatments, and lost income. Our Baton Rouge slip and fall lawyers can help you pursue compensation for your injuries, holding negligent property owners accountable and ensuring you receive the support needed for recovery.
Car Accidents
Car accidents often lead to brain injuries due to the sudden force of impact, which can cause mild to severe brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBI-related injuries). These injuries may result from head trauma during collisions, Baton Rouge pedestrian accident claims involving vehicles, or bike accident claims in Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge car accident attorneys can help victims seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and long-term care needs, ensuring their rights are protected throughout the recovery process.
Sporting Injuries
Contact sports are a common cause of head injuries, accounting for 10% of injuries. 15% of high school students reported one or more sports-related concussion injuries in the previous 12 months.
Workplace Accidents
Working from heights or around falling objects can result in workplace accidents. Your employer has a duty to follow OSHA regulations and provide the necessary equipment and training to work in these conditions. Improper training or faulty equipment can result in a catastrophic injury.
Medical Malpractice
When you see a healthcare provider, you expect them to treat your injuries, not cause more. Medical negligence and errors can cause traumatic brain injuries. For example, our Baton Rouge brain injury attorney team frequently handles personal injury cases where oxygen deprivation during a routine medical procedure resulted in the client’s serious brain injuries.
Negligent Security, Violence, and Combat Injuries
Negligent security can lead to violence, resulting in severe brain injuries or even fatal head injuries. Incidents involving gunshots or physical assault in Baton Rouge often occur when property owners fail to provide adequate safety measures. Victims of such traumatic events may face long-term medical challenges and financial burdens. A brain injury lawyer in Baton Rouge can help hold negligent parties accountable and seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional suffering.
Brain Injuries Can Lead to Severe Health Complications
Some traumatic brain injury cases can lead to permanent and irreversible damage. More than 200,000 adults in the United States are living with TBI-related disabilities. It’s not uncommon for brain injury survivors to have physical, cognitive, and emotional/behavioral problems during recovery and for extended periods afterward. These problems can include:
- Increased risk of infections
- Blood vessel damage
- Frequent headaches
- Seizures
- Brain swelling
- Communication problems
- Lack of self-control
- Risky or impulsive behavior
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Blind spots in vision
- Balance issues
How Long Does It Take to Recover From a TBI?
Like any injury, the recovery process for a TBI depends on the extent of the injury and the patient. It’s not uncommon for brain injury survivors to be in a coma or vegetative state while their brain tries to heal itself. 2 years after a moderate to severe brain injury, 30% of brain injury survivors need some sort of assistance or in-home care. Only 50% of moderate to severe brain injury survivors can drive again after two years. Recovering from a head injury can be a slow process as your brain tries to reform the connections it lost. Thinking and problem-solving skills can be slow, and trouble with memories is common. Mild brain injuries often see a full recovery in three months, but repeated injuries can have a devastating effect on the recovery period.
Do I Have a Brain Injury Claim in Baton Rouge?
If your brain injury was caused by another person’s negligent actions, you have every right to pursue legal action. A traumatic brain injury lawsuit is often the only way for brain injury victims to get financial compensation for what they’ve lost. A brain injury claim in Baton Rouge often requires extensive evidence and documented proof of your injuries.
This information can be difficult to gather while you’re recovering from an extensive injury. It’s also incredibly difficult to judge the extent of the injury shortly after the accident.
Brain injury lawsuits can be almost impossible to pursue without an experienced attorney by your side. This is when an experienced brain injury lawyer in Baton Rouge Law Offices of Ossie Brown can help.
Do I Need a Brain Injury Attorney in Baton Rouge?
At the Law Offices of Ossie Brown, our traumatic brain injury attorneys know how damaging these injuries can be. We also know how complicated and overwhelming a lawsuit can be, especially for someone recovering from a devastating injury. Our attorneys have the knowledge and experience necessary to make sure you get everything you deserve from the responsible party and their insurance company. We can do all the heavy lifting of gathering evidence and proving negligence, all while staying within Louisiana’s strict legal deadlines.
Proving Negligence
The head injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown can take care of the most important piece of your personal injury lawsuit in Baton Rouge: proving negligence. To recover monetary damages from another party, you and your legal team must be able to prove the four elements of legal negligence: duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages. Your legal team will establish that the negligent party had a duty of care to you that they breached.
Take a truck accident claim in Baton Rouge, for example. Other drivers have a duty to drive safely and follow the law. Speeding, driving impaired, and reckless driving are all breaches of this duty. In addition to this breach of duty, your legal team must prove that your injuries were a direct result of this breach (causation). Finally, your brain injury attorney in Baton Rouge must prove that your injuries resulted in damages or financial losses. Medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage are all forms of damages.
At the Law Offices of Ossie Brown, our brain injury lawyers fight to recover every penny you deserve. This includes compensation for
- Medical expenses (present and future)
- Lost wages
- Loss of income potential
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Permanent disability
- Loss of enjoyment in life
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial expenses if the accident results in wrongful death
If your loved one died from a fatal brain injury, our Baton Rouge wrongful death attorneys can assist, as well.
Collecting Evidence
Medical records and accident reports aren’t the only pieces of evidence you need to prove your injuries. The right pieces of evidence can make or break your case. At the Law Offices of Ossie Brown, you can trust that our experienced team of brain injury lawyers in Baton Rouge knows exactly what to look for. When you retain our legal services, our attorneys perform a full investigation to gather evidence and determine the liable party.
Statute of Limitations for Brain Injury Claims in Louisiana
In addition to doing all the work for you, the attorneys at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown can ensure you meet all the required legal deadlines for your case. A traumatic brain injury victim has only one year to file a personal injury lawsuit.
After the one-year deadline is up, injured victims cannot recover compensation for their injuries. A year may seem like plenty of time to recover from your injuries and pursue a lawsuit, but this time can fly by before you know it. As mentioned above, the healing process for a traumatic brain injury can last for months, even years. When you work with the experienced Baton Rouge TBI attorneys at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown, you can rest assured that we have the knowledge and experience necessary to pursue your brain injury case.
Experienced Baton Rouge Brain Injury Attorney
A traumatic brain injury is a devastating injury that often leads to extensive medical care and long-term consequences. We are ready to support you through every step of this overwhelming process.
If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, a traumatic brain injury attorney at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown is standing by to help. Let us become your law firm for a lifetime! We can fight aggressively for what you deserve while you focus your energy on healing. Schedule an initial consultation today by calling 225-343-1111.
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The attorneys at The Law Offices of Ossie Brown are skilled in several practice areas and ready to discuss your case. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
