As a category of medical trauma, brain injuries have the potential to cause serious disruptions to the victim’s life. Worse, the damage inflicted can have lasting impacts, resulting in diminished functioning and the need for extra care for the rest of the victim’s life.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be life-threatening. According to the CDC “there were over 69,000 TBI-related deaths in the U.S. in 2021,” enough to equal nearly 190 each day. Even a mild TBI has the potential to cause cognitive changes, as well as short-term hardships in the victim’s life.
Properly diagnosing and treating a TBI can be prohibitively expensive. Many times, victims injured through no fault of their own can end up with tens of thousands in medical bills they have no way to pay. If you find yourself in this situation, know that there’s a resource you can turn to: an Atlanta brain injury lawyer.
Ali Awad, the CEO Lawyer, and his Personal Injury Law Firm team have extensive experience fighting on behalf of brain injury victims for the rights to obtain compensation. When your TBI was the result of a car accident, slip and fall, or some other type of negligent action, we can come to your aid, helping you assess all your costs and aggressively seeking the maximum compensation allowed.
Your first case review is always free and confidential, with no obligation to use our services afterwards. Find out how we can represent you at no up-front cost and what your case could be worth when you contact us to schedule your free Atlanta case evaluation and legal consultation today.
What Services Can an Atlanta Brain Injury Attorney Provide Me?
When you or a beloved family member are suffering from a TBI, the prospect of filing an injury claim can feel stressful and overwhelming. Not only do you have to worry about keeping up with daily tasks while you recover, but you now also have to contend with an insurance company — and, potentially, their legal team.
In any case, filing a brain injury claim is highly complex. Consulting with medical experts to receive a full diagnosis is advised, and you may also need experts to submit testimonies and opinions on your behalf in order to fully build your case.
Appointing an Atlanta brain injury attorney means that you have access to all the legal resources you need to identify the at-fault parties and start building a strong case for liability. At the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we also help you get access to the medical care you need to get a full evaluation and start all of the appropriate treatments — sometimes at no up-front cost to you.
Let our team of experienced attorneys with a proven history of winning cases fight on your behalf for all of the compensation you need to fully recover. You will receive everything you need in order to recover and maximize your chances of receiving full compensation from the parties most responsible.
Our services include:
- Rigorous investigation of your accident’s circumstances and causes
- Referrals to TBI treatment experts who can fully evaluate, diagnose, and treat your injury
- Complete case management, from the start of your claim to its final resolution, all while keeping you informed and in charge of selecting from among the major strategic decisions available
- Guidance and legal counsel available at any time, whenever you are in need
- Accurate calculation of the full costs of treatment and other damages, including any future care costs, lost wages, and other projected losses you will suffer
- Fearless negotiation with insurance companies, other attorneys, and others who will try to reduce the value of your claim
- Representation in court for cases that proceed to lawsuit and a jury trial, managed by attorneys with extensive trial experience
Our Atlanta brain injury attorneys go above and beyond to not only help your case obtain the highest chances of success, but also to ensure that you feel listened to and taken care throughout every stage of your case.
How Can I Tell How Severe My Brain Injury Is?
The only way to medically know for sure what kind of injury you have suffered — and the appropriate treatment plan to respond to it — is to get a full medical evaluation from a provider that specializes in traumatic brain injuries.
A brain injury can be graded in three main stages:
- Mild (concussion)
- Moderate
- Severe
Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries
Mild TBIs and concussions will still likely have visible effects on the injury victim’s cognition (thinking ability) and potentially their motor functions. They are not to be taken lightly! Any delays in treatment could also cause them to progress, making a treatable injury worse, and introducing the risk of long-term — or permanent — complications.
These types of injuries are only considered “mild” because they pose a low risk of permanent or fatal complications. They can still have a huge effect on the life of the injury victim, especially during the initial recovery period that follows the injury.
Symptoms of a mild TBI can include:
- Dizziness, and trouble balancing
- Fatigue
- Nausea, vomiting, and digestion issues (especially immediately after)
- Headaches and pain in the skull
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mood swings
- Memory issues
- A feeling of “brain fog” or lack of clarity
- Changes in sleep habits
- Depression, anxiety, and irritability
Moderate and Severe TBI
A brain injury categorized as moderate or severe poses immediate and significant threats to the life and full-functioning of the injury victim.
According to the CDC, only 26% of those who suffered a moderate-to-severe TBI experience an improvement in their condition within the first five years. 22% will see their symptoms persist, 30% can expect their condition to worsen, and 22% of serious TBI victims will lose their life to complications.
Anyone who has sustained a serious brain injury can expect to require major care, potentially even with basic functions like breathing, eating, or going to the bathroom. Even in cases where the prognosis is positive — meaning the patient is likely to improve — “complete recovery can take months or even years,” per a resource provided through the National Library of Medicine.
Symptoms of a moderate or severe TBI include:
- White spots, blurred vision, or loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Intense dizziness and nausea, accompanied by vomiting that won’t stop
- Confusion, slurred speech, and difficulty communicating
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness, potentially lasting several hours or even days
- An inability to go to sleep, or wake from rest
- Pupil enlargement in one or both eyes
- Difficulty standing or coordinating normal activities, like lifting cups to drink
- Numbness and tingling in the arms, legs, fingertips, toes, or shoulders
- Severe mood episodes, including uncontrollable crying, violent mood swings, or other personality changes
- Intense headaches that won’t subside
Common Causes of Brain Injuries
There are two main categories of brain injury:
- A “closed” or non-penetrating injury, often resulting from a blow or strike to the head that does not enter the skull
- An “open” or penetrating injury, which happens when the skull is fractured and an object enters the brain tissues
Both types of brain injury are considered serious, and any possible injury to the brain should be treated immediately.
Brain injuries are most likely after the following types of common situations.
Falls
Falls are the leading cause of brain injury in the United States, particularly for young children and older adults.
40.5% of all brain injuries result from some sort of fall, according to the Shepherd Center. The CDC states that nearly half of all TBI-related hospitalizations stem from an initial fall.
Motor Vehicle Crashes
A car accident or other type of motor vehicle incident can easily result in a mild to severe TBI. Injury victims often end up striking their head on the steering wheel or dashboard, even when airbags operate as intended. They may also hit their head upon the side window or other parts of the cabin, especially if passenger belongings and other debris go flying during the initial crash.
Motorcycle operators, pedestrians, and cyclists are at an even higher risk of a TBI. Anyone hurt in one of these types of accidents — or any motor vehicle accident — should have themselves evaluated for a potential TBI, even if they don’t feel any symptoms. They should also monitor themselves, with the help of loved ones, for any signs of a developing brain injury.
Motor vehicle traffic events account for 14.3% of all TBIs.
Struck by or Against Objects
A “struck by” injury refers to an accidental contact with a moving object or a fixed object. This type of TBI can include situations where a bicyclist collides against an object, or when a piece of moving equipment hits a worker in the head.
“Struck by” events also encompass most recreation and sports-related injuries, including events where someone is hit by a hard object like a baseball or makes accidental “helmet to helmet” contact during a sport like football.
Many injury victims of “struck by” events will complain of soreness at the site of the contact and initial headaches, but they may not notice the signs of a developing TBI. As such, they should always receive an initial evaluation and at least one follow up several days after the accident.
Struck by or against events account for 15.5% of all TBIs.
Violent Assaults
A violent assault can mean someone is struck by a blunt object, like a baseball bat, or receive a penetrating injury, from something like a firearm bullet or a bladed weapon. Many times, these events are the result of inadequate security or failures to otherwise protect the injury victim from harm.
Assaults account for 10.7% of all TBIs.
Misdiagnosis and Other Medical Errors
Malpractice can lead to both a traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury. Failure to diagnose and treat a condition like encephalitis can result in permanent brain damage to the patient. The patient may also be deprived of oxygen as a result of failures to properly calibrate breathing equipment, or to monitor a newborn being delivered to prevent getting wrapped up in the umbilical cord.
Traumatic brain injury can occur from inadequate medical supervision and care, resulting in a fall. The malpractice victim may also have been harmed during surgery, such as when a surgeon causes arterial damage or makes an incision into the healthy parts of the brain.
Damages Available in a Brain Injury Case
A successful injury claim or lawsuit for a brain injury will result in compensation for all of the losses — called damages — that the victim has suffered.
Common types of damages sought by an Atlanta traumatic brain injury legal team include:
- Past medical care, including initial care for the traumatic incident, the costs of hospitalization, and any further medications, tests, or specialized care required.
- Future medical care, projected across the lifetime of the victim. As some TBI sufferers require around-the-clock care and equipment, these costs can easily reach the millions over the period they are likely to survive.
- Lost wages and loss of earnings potential, calculated as the difference in earnings when compared before and after the injury occurred. In cases where the injury victim is unable to earn income, or they must seek out a new profession because of their injury, a claim will compensate them for the lifetime reduction in the income they were likely to make.
- Pain and suffering, including loss of enjoyment of life, as injury victims are likely to experience significant cognitive symptoms, especially early on, and will be unable to participate in the activities they once enjoyed — sometimes permanently.
- Funeral and burial costs for victims who did not survive their brain injury.
Your brain injury lawyers in Atlanta will consult with experts and put rigorous research into your case in order to determine exactly how much you have suffered, and will suffer, as a result of your TBI. We will then identify all potentially liable parties in order to pursue them for the full costs of all the damages you have suffered.
Reach Out to an Experienced Atlanta Brain Injury Law Firm
Ali Awad, the CEO Lawyer, and his Personal Injury Law Firm team can provide you with experienced and proven injury lawyers ready to help you and your family recover from this devastating incident.
Our sole priority is helping you improve your life conditions following your accident, ideally by recovering all of the damages you have suffered because of your injury. We not only possess the extensive legal knowledge needed to appropriately value and pursue these types of claims, but we have also built relationships with medical specialists and other experts in their field, ensuring that your case will have access to all of the resources needed to build the strongest claim possible.
You’ll receive our legal representation and other services at no up-front cost, and your first appointment is always free and confidential. So to talk to a lawyer in your area who wants to help, reach out to schedule your free case review today.
