Seeking timely diagnosis and treatment after suffering traumatic brain injuries in a car accident could mean the difference between life and death. A blow to the head could cause catastrophic injuries that will alter your life forever. It is alwas advisable to seek treatment even for seemingly minor brain injuries like concussions. The treatment and other costs associated with traumatic brain injuries are often enormous. Upon suffering head injuries in an accident, you should contact an attorney to guide you on how to file a claim. An attorney had probably handled similar cases before and sought compensation for accident victims who sustained head injuries. The attorney will do everything possible to help you recover the money you need for medical treatment, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other losses associated with your accident.

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries

Usually abbreviated as TBI, a traumatic brain injury occurs when an external force or object damages your brain and affects its ability to function properly. You could suffer traumatic brain injuries when your brain experiences a hard jolt. You could also suffer traumatic brain injuries when an object breaks your skull, penetrating the brain tissue. There are numerous ways in which a car accident can cause traumatic brain injuries.

For example, you could suffer traumatic brain injuries if your head bumps on the steering wheel in an accident. If flying objects and shards of glass hit your head, you could suffer a TBI. You do not have to be involved in a high-speed crash to suffer traumatic brain injuries. You could sustain head injuries even in a low-impact vehicle accident.

The Common Types Of Traumatic Brain Injuries

The common types of traumatic brain injuries are:

Concussions

A concussion is a bruise on the brain. It occurs when your brain collides with your skull's interior, usually after a forceful, sudden change in movement.

Brain Hemorrhage

A brain hemorrhage refers to internal bleeding in the brain. Brain hemorrhage results from a hard blow on the head. Internal bleeding in the brain is a serious injury that could be fatal if not addressed.

Brain Edema

Brain edema is a swelling of the brain. When the brain swells, it increases pressure inside your skull. If this pressure is not addressed, edema could lead to severe brain damage or death.

Diffuse–axonal injuries

A diffuse-axonal injury is also known as a shear injury. You could sustain this injury if your brain experiences a sharp rotation. This can occur if your head twists or shakes violently due to the impact of a car accident.

Penetration Injuries

A penetration injury occurs when an external object breaks through your skull and penetrates your brain. Penetration injuries often damage the brain tissues and the blood vessels within your brain. If you do not seek immediate medical treatment, penetration wounds in your brain could be fatal.

Coup-contrecoup Injuries

These injuries occur due to a hard blow on the brain, making the brain rattle from side to side within the skull.

The Typical Symptoms Of Traumatic Brain Injury

How can you know that you have suffered a traumatic brain injury?

The symptoms you experience will vary depending on the extent of your injuries. Below are some of the signs that you should look out for:

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

The following are the common symptoms of mild traumatic brain injuries:

  • Fatigue/drowsiness

  • Nausea/vomiting

  • Headache

  • Feeling dizzy/vertigo

  • Blurred vision

  • Changes in your sense of taste and smell

  • Ear ringing

  • Sensitivity to sounds and light

  • Feeling dazed, disoriented, and confused

  • Memory problems

  • Difficulties concentrating

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Oversleeping or insomnia

  • Mood swings

Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

The symptoms of moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries are:

  • Losing consciousness for a few minutes or longer after suffering the injury

  • Experiencing severe, persistent headaches

  • Convulsions and seizures

  • Repeated vomiting or persistent nausea

  • A clear fluid flowing from your ears or nose

  • Dilated pupils in one or both your eyes

  • Loss of coordination

  • A deep confusion

  • Persistent vegetative state

  • Coma

  • Personality shifts such as agitation, feeling overly emotional, and combativeness

Diagnosis And Treatment Of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury can be a medical emergency, especially in the case of severe traumatic brain injury. Without treatment, the consequences could worsen rapidly. Before you commence treatment, the doctor will assess the extent of the injury through imaging tests (computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging). The doctor could also use an intracranial pressure monitor to

A mild traumatic brain injury does not require treatment. Your doctor could recommend rest and over-the-counter pain medication. However, it is always advisable to seek medical treatment even if you suspect that the injury is minor. People who suffer mild TBI require close monitoring to prevent the injuries from worsening. The doctor could limit your physical and mental activity as you recover from the injury. For example, your doctor could advise you to take some time off work. The doctor's report will come in handy when seeking compensation for head injuries suffered in an accident. If the report indicates that you should take some time off work, you can use it when seeking compensation for lost wages.

Emergency Treatment

Emergency treatment for moderate to severe TBI ensures that the victim has an adequate blood supply and oxygen. It also seeks to maintain blood pressure and prevent additional injuries to the brain. People with extensive head injuries could also have other injuries that require immediate medical care. Treatment in the emergency room minimizes secondary damage that could result from inflammation, reduced oxygen, or bleeding in the brain.

Medications

Your doctor could recommend medication immediately after the accident to limit secondary damage to the brain. The often-recommended medication includes:

  • Diuretics — These drugs are administered intravenously to people with traumatic brain injuries. They help to minimize pressure in the brain.

  • Anti-seizure drugs — People who have sustained moderate to severe brain injuries are at a higher risk of developing seizures during the first week of the injury. The doctor may recommend an anti-seizure drug during the first week of the accident to prevent further brain damage caused by the seizure.

  • Coma-inducing drugs — Your doctor could use drugs to put you into a temporary comma because when you are in a coma, the brain requires less oxygen to function. This is particularly important if your blood vessels are compressed due to excess pressure in the brain and cannot supply the brain with the required levels of oxygen and nutrients.

Brain Surgery

You may require immediate surgery after an accident to minimize further damage to your brain. Surgery could be necessary to:

  • Removing a blood clot — Bleeding within or outside the brain could lead to a collection of clotted blood, commonly known as a hematoma. This clotted blood could put pressure on the brain, damaging the brain tissue.

  • Skull fractures repair — If the skull is severely damaged, surgery may be necessary to repair it. Surgery could also be necessary to remove pieces of the skull from the brain.

  • Window in the brain — Surgery could also help create a window in the brain by draining the accumulated cerebrospinal fluid. Doing this provides more room for swollen brain tissues.

  • Bleeding in the brain — If you sustain head injuries that cause bleeding in the brain, you may require surgery to stop the bleeding.

Other TBI Treatment Options

Other TBI treatment options include:

  • Rehabilitation (inpatient and outpatient)

  • Physical and occupational therapy

  • Ventilators or feeding tubes if you have difficulty eating, drinking, or breathing

  • Personal caregiving or round-the-clock nursing to manage your daily tasks

  • Psychotherapy to handle the depression or emotional distress that often accompanies a traumatic brain injury

It is not easy to predict when you will fully recover from a traumatic brain injury. You should speak to an experienced attorney to help you determine the extent of your damages. An attorney will help you pursue the compensation you need to cover your expenses and live a normal life after an accident.

What You Should Do After Suffering Head Injuries In An Accident

Suffering traumatic brain injuries in a car accident could alter your life forever. After you have suffered a blow to your head, you could be wondering whether you have sustained a traumatic brain injury. Which steps should you take after suffering a brain injury in an accident?

Seek Immediate Medical Attention

After suffering a blow on your head, you should seek immediate medical attention. Many people do not realize that they have suffered a brain injury. They go on with their routine activities only to realize later that they have suffered severe injuries. If you delay before seeking treatment, you could suffer permanent damage that could have been avoided. Some of the signs of a serious brain injury are:

  • Slurred speech

  • Confusion

  • Difficulty with concentration or focus

  • Nausea

  • Sleepiness

  • Dizziness

  • Severe headache

Even after seeking treatment, you may still realize that the head injury is affecting your cognition. Brain injuries could alter your life. You might never recover from a brain injury. Upon seeking treatment, ensure that you adhere to your doctor's instructions. This is the best way to protect your future head injury claim.

Contact An Experienced Attorney

After suffering a brain injury in an accident, you should contact an experienced attorney. An attorney will help you establish fault and file a claim against the negligent party. Brain injury is an "invisible" injury. Therefore, claims involving brain injuries are usually complex. Because the effects of brain injuries are not visible, insurance companies try to minimize the severity of the damages. If you choose to go it alone, you risk losing the compensation you deserve for your TBI. The brain injury could affect the rest of your life. The compensation will provide for your future.

Available Damages

You can obtain the following damages after filing a brain injury claim:

Pain And Suffering

Nevada law allows vehicle accident victims to recover damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and mental anguish associated with the accident. The compensation for pain and suffering will depend on the degree of physical damage you sustain. Emotional distress and mental anguish consider the non-physical suffering resulting from the accident. This item of damage can be substantial depending on the nature of the injuries and diagnosis.

Lost Wages

You should also seek reimbursement for the income lost while away from work. Even if you have ample vacation time and sick leave days, you should not have to use them because of a careless driver who caused your injuries. The compensation for lost wages will cover the days you miss work because of your injuries and the time you spend traveling for medical appointments. The settlement for lost wages will be higher if you suffer injuries to the extent that you can no longer perform your previous work duties or return to work.

Permanent Disability

If you suffer head injuries and become permanently disabled, you should seek compensation. You will be compensated for your inability to work and your loss of future earning capacity.

Medical Costs Related To The Injury

Medical costs are a large portion of the economic damages available in an accident. This is compensation for the costs incurred when seeking treatment for your injuries. They include the estimated costs for seeking future medical treatment. The costs covered under medical benefits include:

  • Ambulance costs

  • Hospital stays

  • Medication

  • Prosthetic devices

  • Medical appointments

  • Needed in-home services

  • Surgeries

  • Cognitive therapy

  • Costs of rehabilitation

Your lawyer will engage the services of a medical expert to determine the extent of medical expenses you are likely to incur in the future.

Caregiving Costs

Sometimes, traumatic brain injuries could make you unable to attend to your needs, meaning that you would need a lifetime caretaker. Therefore, you should seek reimbursement for the caregiving costs.

Loss Of Quality Of Life

Loss of enjoyment or quality of life is also a common compensation for victims of vehicle accidents. After suffering a traumatic brain injury, engaging in activities that you used to love could be hard, including leisure activities and hobbies.

Find A Personal Injury Attorney Near Me

If you sustain head/brain injuries in an accident, your life could change unexpectedly. It could be hard to engage in the activities you used to love. It could also be impossible to resume your career. However, with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney, you can seek compensation for your damages to help you lead a comfortable life. Contact the Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm for reliable guidance and representation. Our attorneys will evaluate your case and help you to seek compensation. Call us at 702-996-1224 to speak to one of our attorneys.