Traumatic Brain Injury
How We Help in Representing TBI Victims and Their Families in Seeking Full Compensation
Because of the enormous and extremely variable ways in which a TBI victim’s life may be impacted, representing a TBI victim requires meticulous dedication, not only in proving legal responsibility for the injury, but also in working with physicians, other medical providers, wage loss experts, psychologists, therapists, and vocational experts to carefully assess the prognosis, ongoing complications, and future earnings capability of a victim.
We will want to know the full range concerning how a TBI victim’s life has been, and will be, impacted. It is important at trial that this full impact range be shown to a jury, particularly because those with significant TBI-related problems may appear “normal” at first glance.
TBI Causes & Facts
Traumatic brain injury can result in two ways: when a person’s head suddenly and violently hits another object or is otherwise suddenly snapped back from force, or if there is an injury resulting from the brain being pierced by some object.[1]
It is estimated that each year approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (or TBI).[2] Of this number, more than 1.3 million people seek emergency department visits, more than 275,000 people are hospitalized, and approximately 52,000 deaths occur.[3] It is estimated that 5.3 Americans are currently living with some form of brain trauma.[4]
Falls are the greatest cause of traumatic brain injuries, with an estimate of 49.1% of all TBI-related hospitalizations resulting from falls in 2017.[5] In that same year, motor vehicle accidents additionally accounted for 24.5% of TBI-related hospitalizations.[6]
The extent of damage that results from a TBI victim is as unique and different as are the victims. Severe traumatic brain injuries can significantly change the outlook of a person’s life, and may require a lifetime of care and financial compensation.
Common Symptoms Experienced by Severe TBI Victims
Common symptoms of severe TBI include:
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Verbal and physical aggression
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Agitation – TBI victims can experience violent mood swings
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Learning difficulties
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Poor self-awareness
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Altered sexual functioning
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Impulsivity
TBI victims also are at increased risk for suicide, divorce, chronic unemployment, and substance abuse.[7]
The lifetime cost of care for treating a person who has sustained a severe TBI can range from $600,000 to over $2 million. This amount only takes into account the care for the victim, and does not include other damages, such as lost wages.[8]
What You Need to Know About Severe TBI
The prognosis for those suffering from a severe TBI can range significantly. In litigation, and at trial, there will be only one opportunity to seek full compensation for all of the injuries suffered in the past, as well as the medical, economic, and other injuries likely to be incurred in the future, as there is no opportunity in our judicial system to seek further damages if it turns out that the damages and injuries were much worse that originally believed.
[1] https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/health/causes-of-paralysis/brain-injury?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqtawjIHv2QIVRJF-Ch005QveEAAYAiAAEgIT1PD_BwE
[2] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/TBI-surveillance-report-2016-2017-508.pdf
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/TBI-surveillance-report-2016-2017-508.pdf
[4] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pubs/tbi_report_to_congress.html
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/TBI-surveillance-report-2016-2017-508.pdf
[6] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/TBI-surveillance-report-2016-2017-508.pdf
[7] https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/health/causes-of-paralysis/brain-injury?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqtawjIHv2QIVRJF-Ch005QveEAAYAiAAEgIT1PD_BwE
[8] https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/health/causes-of-paralysis/brain-injury?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqtawjIHv2QIVRJF-Ch005QveEAAYAiAAEgIT1PD_BwE
GET IN TOUCH
Call us to schedule a free consultation.
We can meet with you at your convenience and answer any questions that you may have about the legal process and your opportunities for seeking compensation from those legally responsible for causing the TBI. There is no fee for our representation unless and until we are successful in recovering compensation for you. Additionally we advance the costs of litigation on behalf of our clients, so our clients will not need to pay such costs while litigation is progressing.