Many head and brain injuries result in a spectrum of disabilities that can be temporary or permanent, resulting in life-changing damage. Over 31% of trauma patients in Arizona suffered traumatic brain injuries in 2020. Head injuries can result in long-term damage caused by bleeding, torn tissues, and severe bruising. The consequences can be damaging to your health, possibly leading to a reduction in cognitive ability, memory, and emotional stability.
After you’ve experienced a severe brain injury, you should take action. A brain injury lawyer can collect evidence on your behalf, investigate your claim, and work with the other party to help you obtain fair compensation. After an initial review of your brain injury case, your personal injury attorney may confirm that you are not at fault for your damages. To find out whether you are eligible for a settlement, contact Wattel & York now for a free consultation.
Common Types of Head and Brain Injuries
Head and brain injury victims can be at risk of fatal and serious injuries that can permanently disable them. Most likely, you will need immediate medical treatment after experiencing a brain or head injury. Here are some common injuries you may see.
Hematoma
A hematoma is a type of brain injury that causes internal bleeding within the skull. An intracranial hematoma causes bleeding inside the brain, forming a clot that can cause other complications around the brain. An epidural hematoma causes bleeding directly under the skull after you experience heavy head trauma.
Contusion
When you hit your head hard but don’t cause an immense traumatic brain injury, you may experience a contusion within the brain. This results in swelling and bleeding within the brain tissue, but it is not as severe as a hematoma.
Concussion
Out of all the traumatic brain injuries, concussions are the most common. This is when the brain is shaken hard enough that it bounces around the skull. This can cause brain bruising and mild to severe swelling.
Skull Fracture
A traumatic brain injury can be the cause of a fractured skull. This is dangerous because broken pieces of the skull can penetrate the brain and cause other injuries inside the brain tissue.
Scalp Wounds
These wounds are non-penetrating head injuries that don’t affect the brain tissue or skull. Instead, scalp wounds cause bleeding on the top of the head, which can result in heavy blood loss, immense pain, and deep scarring.
Scarring and Disfigurement
Bad head trauma can also result in scarring and disfigurement, which can be life-changing. For example, a bad car accident can result in the loss of an ear. There may be explosions that happen in an incident that cause disfiguring burns or the loss of eyesight.
How Do Head and Brain Injuries Happen?
Head and brain injury attorneys deal with many types of personal injury cases that result in traumatic brain injuries. Here are some of the most common types of head and brain injury cases that can happen.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Fast-moving vehicles are one of the major causes of head and brain injury, mainly because the high impact of a heavy object can cause a serious injury. Car accidents are the cause of approximately 14% of traumatic brain injuries on average per year. Motorcycle accidents especially can cause head injuries because the rider can be thrown to the pavement at a high speed.
Slip and Fall Accidents
When you are on someone else’s property and encounter a dangerous condition that results in a slip and fall accident, this can cause a head or brain injury. Slip and fall accidents can occur when you trip on a poorly maintained walkway or staircase. This can be because the business owner didn’t fill in potholes, fix sidewalks, make slippery areas safer, or address other inconveniences that put your wellbeing at risk.
Medical Malpractice
Your doctor or healthcare facility could be the cause of a personal injury if they caused a medical error that resulted in poor results or a worsening health condition. For example, you may have taken medication that caused blood clots with no forewarning, were improperly operated on, or were misdiagnosed. These can also cause a head or brain injury.
What Kind Of Damages Can You Be Compensated For?
Traumatic brain injuries can result in long-term damages that impact your everyday life. You may be dealing with economic and non-economic damages that continue for years after your injury.
Economic Damages
Traumatic head and brain injuries can result in high medical expenses, multiple doctor’s visits, and additional treatments. You may need imaging scans and x-rays to identify the type of injury you may have. Surgery or stitches may be required to remedy the injuries. If the head trauma affects your motor skills, you may need physical therapy to help you regain movement. You may receive pain medication to manage migraines, soreness, and other discomforts. Medical bills can pile up over time. These expenses can be added to your traumatic brain injury claim.
You can also include lost wages in your compensation, which your head and brain injury lawyer can help calculate based on how much time you missed from work. This includes the amount you would have earned had you gone to work on your normal schedule and your future lost income.
Non-Economic Damages
After you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may be struggling with emotions that prevent you from doing the things that you love. Not only can a traumatic head or brain injury result in mood swings and poor focus, but it can also cause detrimental pain and suffering. You may deal with PTSD, anxiety, grief, embarrassment, depression, and other terrible feelings caused by your loss of function after a terrible head and brain injury.
Your head and brain injury attorney will work with an insurance adjuster to select a multiplier based on how severe your accident was. This multiplier is used to estimate how much you should receive in non-economic damages and is added to the total settlement amount.
What Can Tucson Personal Injury Attorneys Do to Help?
Head and brain injury attorneys investigate your personal injury claim to find out who is liable for your damages. They find evidence tied to your head and brain injury to support your compensation claim. Using this evidence, they work to show how your wounds were caused by the other party’s negligence. You can then receive compensation based on the damages you experienced.
Your head and brain injury lawyer will also calculate your settlement, including any damages and expenses you had to pay. Instead of settling for an amount that won’t cover the full extent of your injury, your head and brain injury lawyer will help you receive full compensation. They will estimate all of your damages, which include lost income, medical bills, as well as pain and suffering damages so that you receive a settlement you truly deserve.
When you seek compensation alone, you have to handle the other party or their insurance company alone. They may offer a smaller settlement or use your own words against you to prevent you from obtaining the compensation you are owed. This is why you should let a Tucson brain injury attorney manage your case for you. They have experience dealing with traumatic head injury cases and can protect you from common errors when speaking with the other party.
What Should You Do After You’ve Experienced an Accidental Head Injury?
Once you’ve been in a head and brain injury accident, you should get immediate medical help. Document what you’ve been experiencing. Take pictures of your injuries and, if possible, the location of the accident. Any physical evidence tied to your personal injury can be key to you receiving full compensation.
Reach out to a head and brain injury attorney in Tucson, Arizona, so they can represent you through this trying time. To find out how much you may be owed in compensation, contact Wattel & York now for a free consultation.
