Traumatic Brain Injuries
Practice Areas
Baton Rouge Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
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 traumatic brain injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown today. Our Baton Rouge 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 head injury attorney.
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, we’ll outline the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries in Louisiana.
Falls account for half of the TBI-related hospitalizations every year in the United States. 1 in 5 falls results in a traumatic brain injury. This is the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. Elderly people are often at the highest risk of injury and slip-and-fall accidents. Louisiana nursing homes and caregivers have to take extra care with fall-risk patients to prevent these devastating injuries.
Car accidents cause millions of injuries per year in the United States. The sudden force of a vehicle impact can jolt your head and result in mild to severe brain injuries. Car accidents are the second-leading cause of TBI-related injuries in the United States. Bikers, cyclists, and pedestrians are often at a much higher risk of injury.
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.
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.
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. Oxygen deprivation during a routine medical procedure can result in serious brain injuries.
The majority of fatal traumatic head injuries stem from gunshots, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Physical assault is the cause of nearly 10% of all brain injuries. Hazardous conditions in combat can also result in severe brain injuries.
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 Traumatic Brain Injury Claim?
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 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 the Law Offices of Ossie Brown can help.
Do I Need a Brain Injury Attorney?
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: 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, 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 legal team 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, we 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
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 knows exactly what to look for. When you retain our services, our attorneys perform a full investigation to gather evidence and determine the liable party.
Louisiana Statute of Limitations
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 attorneys at the Law Offices of Ossie Brown, you can rest assured that we have the knowledge and experience necessary to pursue your case.
Contact the Law Offices of Ossie Brown Today
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.Free Consultation
Let us review your case at no cost to you. We want to take the time to get to know you and understand your legal goals and objectives.
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