BRAIN INJURY

Brain injuries are often misunderstood. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be caused by a forceful bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, or from an object that pierces the skull and enters the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI, and conversely all TBI's do not arise from a blunt force.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Some types of TBI can cause temporary or short-term problems with normal brain function, including problems with how the person thinks, understands, moves, communicates, and acts. More serious TBI can lead to severe and permanent disability, and even death.

Some injuries are considered primary, meaning the damage is immediate. Other outcomes of TBI can be secondary, meaning they can occur gradually over the course of hours, days, or appear weeks later. These secondary brain injuries are the result of reactive processes that occur after the initial head trauma.

There are two broad types of head injuries: Penetrating and non-penetrating.

1. Penetrating TBI (also known as open TBI) happens when an object pierces the skull (e.g., a bullet, shrapnel, bone fragment, or by a weapon such as hammer or knife) and enters the brain tissue. Penetrating TBI typically damages only part of the brain.
   
2. Non-penetrating TBI (also known as closed head injury or blunt TBI) is caused by an external force strong enough to move the brain within the skull. Causes include falls, motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, blast injury, or being struck by an object.

Some accidents such as explosions, natural disasters, or other extreme events can cause both penetrating and non- penetrating TBI in the same person.

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The defense will often point out that there are no objective findings for your TBI. This is misleading because 90% of all medical tests do not show any findings for mild TBI's. As an experienced brain injury plaintiff attorney, I know how to counteract their claims that there is no evidence of a TBI with the truth and simple facts.

Even mild TBI’s and concussions canexperience any or all of the following symptoms:

NEUROLOGICAL AND NEUROMUSCULARINJURIES:

·       Headache (most common symptom)

·       Light sensitivity

·       Noise sensitivity

·       Dizziness occurs in 40-60% of individuals.

·       Nausea

·       Vomiting

·       Diminished ability to use electronic devices

·       Loss of smell and taste

·       Neck pain

·       Anti-inflammatory pain medication

·       TMJ

·       Jaw muscle spasms

·       Lock jaw

·       Inability to chew certain foods

·       Weight loss

·       Inability to work same hours

·       Missing recreational events (wedding, vacation, etc)

·       Myofascial damage can refer pain to shoulders, face and scalp

·         Numerous medical doctortesting and treatment­­­­

·       Reduced range of motion

COGNITIVE SYMPTOMSOF MILD TBI:

·       Concentration Impairment

·       Confusion

·       Inattention / Inability to Focus

·       Short or Long Term Memory Loss

·       Difficulty finding words

·       Information processing – feeling slowed down

·       Executive functioning – foggy or groggy, not thinking clearly

BEHAVIORAL/EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS OF MILD TBI:

·       Depression

·       Irritability / easily angered

·       Emotional lability

·       Anxiety / nervousness

·       Inflexible behavior

·       Difficulty maintaining friendships

SLEEP RELATED SYMPTOMS:

·       Insomnia

·       Sleep disorder falling and/or staying asleep

Several years after injury somnolence is common

•Any period of loss of consciousness (LOC)

•Any alteration in mental state at the time of the incident (ie, feeling dazed,confused)

•Neurological deficits where severity does exceed:

-Loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less

-Initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13-15

-Posttraumatic Amnesia (PTA) of < 24 hours

•Normal brain imaging results (for example CT scan or MRI)

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Some factors that influence recovery from a TBI include genes and age.

According to the National Institutes for Health:

Genes—Genetics may play a role in how quickly and completely a person recovers from a TBI. For example, researchers have found that apolipoprotein E ε4 (ApoE4) — a genetic variant associated with higher risks for Alzheimer's disease — is associated with worse health outcomes following a TBI. Much work remains to be done to understand how genetic factors, as well as how specific types of head injuries, affect recovery. This research may lead to new treatment strategies and improved outcomes for people with TBI.

Age—Studies suggest that age and the number of head injuries a person has suffered over his or her lifetime are two critical factors that impact recovery. For example, TBI-related brain swelling in children can be very different from the same condition in adults, even when the primary injuries are similar. Brain swelling in newborns, young infants, and teenagers often occurs much more quickly than it does in older individuals. Evidence from very limited CTE studies suggest that younger people (ages 20 to 40) tend to have behavioral and mood changes associated with CTE, while those who are older (ages 50+) have more cognitive difficulties.

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You've had an accident. After a TBI or concussion, things start to fall apart.  You have doctor appointments, medical bills, lost wages and more.  If someone is responsible for causing your injury, we will seek justice for your harms and losses. We handle the entire legal process.

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We’ll investigate to determine who could be responsible for your injury.  We often find responsible parties where other lawyers have overlooked them. These can include:

• Property owners
• Management companies
• Property management companies
• Franchisors / franchisees
• Renters
• Vehicle owners
• Rental car agencies
• Ride share companies
• Manufacturers We are creative and experienced in finding the culpable parties and will hold them accountable.