Brain Injury After a Car Wreck

July 11, 2023

Head injuries often happen after collisions. Every year, about several million people sustain a traumatic brain injury, with vehicle crashes being the number one cause. If you have unfortunately experienced one, you could suffer physical and psychological problems that could have serious impacts on your life.

This post discusses important medical and legal issues that you should consider.

How Do You Know If You Have Sustained a Brain Injury?

What is a traumatic brain injury? Doctors describe it as a sudden assault that shakes and damages the brain tissue, nerves, and other components. But since most are internal (“closed”) they can be difficult to identify without sophistical medical testing and analysis.

Not every brain injury is apparent immediately after a crash. Symptoms can take weeks or even months to emerge. That’s why it is important to visit a hospital or doctor if you hit your head in the collision, even if you seem to be feeling okay at the time. But according to a 2017 study, most people who suffer mild head injuries do not ever get diagnosed.

Johns Hopkins Medicine describes body deficits that include the following:

Cognitive: shortening of your attention span, difficulties with memory and problem-solving, an inability to understand or execute complex tasks
Sensory: changes in your ability to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell as normal
Motor skills: partial or total disability in different areas of your body
Communication: difficulties with reading, writing, speaking, and accurately identifying objects and people you come into contact with
Functional: difficulty driving, dressing, eating without assistance, and carrying out day-to-day activities
Personality: changes in your emotional stability, motivation, or ability to interact with people around you

As experts have done more research into these injuries, they realize that major damage can occur from even mild to moderate impacts. And of course, if you get in a major car accident, your chances of sustaining a serious head injury are higher.

What Medical Treatment Is Needed?

Medical treatment may consist of different courses of action including these:

The hospital will stabilize your condition, conduct detailed testing to assess the damage, and restore blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
Doctors may prescribe a variety of medications to help manage your symptoms and assist in the recovery process. These can include pain relievers, anti-anxiety medications, anticoagulants to prevent blood clots, anticonvulsants to prevent seizures, and diuretics to reduce swelling in the brain.
Surgery may be necessary to remove blood clots, repair skull fractures, or relieve pressure in the skull.
Rehabilitation therapies can help you relearn skills you may have lost. This can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychological counseling.
Neuropsychological assessment and management involves the evaluation of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects and devising strategies to manage them.

A serious brain injury is often incurable. Experts believe that adult brains have a very limited capacity to heal themselves.

Though treatment can ease symptoms and improve your quality of life, you may unfortunately never make a full recovery.

How a Brain Injury Affects Children

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that many children have suffered a concussion or other head injury in their lives. Again, car and truck accidents are the leading cause of serious brain injuries in children.

Doctors used to believe that because a child’s brain is still developing, it is more likely to recover from a traumatic brain injury than an adult’s. However, newer research has refuted that. Head injuries in children can be more complex because of their developing brains, but this doesn’t mean they are more likely to heal.

If your child has suffered a head injury in a car wreck, it is vital that you seek immediate medical treatment and also secure adequate compensation for them. Medical care can get very expensive and it will be critically important for your child if they are to have the best possible quality of life moving forward.

How These Claims and Lawsuits Proceed

They can be more complicated than other crash cases, so you should contact a good personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal right to compensation.

We will start working on your case immediately by collecting and analyzing all necessary information and researching the law related to your accident and your condition. This will include police reports, photographs, scene diagrams, medical records and bills, and other relevant evidence.

Our first important job is to use this evidence to prove that the at-fault party is totally liable for the devastating harm you have suffered. This means showing that the crash and your injuries would not have taken place but for their negligent behavior. Our second job is to prove your injuries and damages and get you paid back for what you have lost.

Mr. Berenson will meet with the insurance company representatives and lawyers and attempt to negotiate a favorable settlement that will cover all your expenses and get your life back on track. He will use his experience to accurately estimate how much you need to cover healthcare costs, lost earnings, and other damages. About 99% of all cases settle out of court. However, if the insurer isn’t willing to pay a reasonable sum of money, Mr. Berenson will fight for your rights in court.

If a member of your family tragically lost their life due to a brain injury, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault party and other entities including companies that were responsible.

Hiring a Fort Worth Injury Lawyer to Get Your Life Back on Track

In serious cases like these, obtaining the maximum damages is crucial. You need to make sure that you have sufficient money to pay your living expenses and the cost of your medical care for the rest of your or your family’s life.

If your crash happened in Tarrant County or anywhere in the North Texas area, the help of the best Fort Worth car accident lawyer is important. If you do not have an attorney who can build a solid foundation, accurately value your claim, and aggressively pursue the best possible settlement or lawsuit, you are leaving a lot of money on the table. This applies to other types of serious injuries that result from car accidents as well.