Car accidents cause all sorts of injuries. Some of them are minor and don’t require a whole lot of medical treatment. Others are more serious. They may require surgery and long-term physical therapy.
Some of the most serious car accident injuries are traumatic brain injuries. These are caused whenever you suffer a severe blow to your head. This is common in car accidents especially the following types:
- Head on collisions
- Speeding
- Wrong way accidents
- T-bone crashes
- Drunk driving accidents
Because of the nature of these accidents, they tend to cause a lot of impact. Your head simply can’t withstand this kind of impact. This results in something called a traumatic brain injury.
If you’ve suffered a TBI, your car wreck attorney in Atlanta will work hard to get you compensation. The amount of money you receive depends on how bad your TBI is. It also depends on how long-term your treatment will be. You may be asking yourself “how much compensation will i get for a brain injury?”
What Are the Types of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
There are different types of TBI depending on the cause and severity. Some injuries get worse with time. That is why it is essential to seek medical attention as soon as you get the symptoms. Some of the signs to look out for include:
- Headaches and migraines.
- Blurred vision.
- Dizziness and nausea.
- Pain around the shoulders and back.
- Loss of memory.
- Fatigue.
- Confusion.
- Seizures.
Most Common Types of TBI
Concussion
It is a type of mild brain traumatic injury that occurs when you get hit on the head. Concussions are quite common since the blow doesn’t have to be very hard for one to get it. It happens when the brain shakes due to a strike. Depending on the force of the blow, it can be quite mild or severe hence causing lifelong effects to the affected.
Brain Contusions
A contusion is merely an injury or bruise that bleeds due to receiving a hard blow on the head. Many people with average to serious concussions may have a contusion. Many times a contusion heals without medical attention, but sometimes it has to be removed through surgery.
Coup-Contrecoup
It occurs when there is a hard hit to the head that makes the brain to hit the opposite side of the skull. It is unlikely that the symptoms will appear later since you will feel the effects immediately. It’s a severe injury that may have a long-term impact on the person. It is one of the injuries that have to be checked quickly.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
It occurs like a concussion but in a more severe way. The head moves so fast such that the brain cannot keep up. As a result, the connecting tissues of the brain start tearing. The tears may not be too large, but they can cause severe damage.
Long Term Effects of TBI
The reason TBIs are so dangerous is because of the long-term impact they can have on your life. Unlike a broken bone, these things don’t heal right away. It can take months or even years. And some people never fully do recover. Brain injuries can have an impact on the rest of your life.
Some of these issues include:
- Paralysis
- Communication problems
- Blindness
- Problems walking and talking
- Inability to swallow and eat normally
- Hearing damage
- Trouble thinking and comprehending
- Memory loss
These things can make it very hard to work. You may become permanently disabled. If this happens, someone needs to be held accountable. This someone is the other driver. Your Atlanta car wreck attorney will make sure this happens.
Just How Common are TBI?
You’d be surprised how often people suffer TBI from car accidents. They aren’t always so obvious. In fact, some people suffer a TBI and don’t even know it. In Georgia, the statistics for traumatic brain injuries are quite high:
- Someone in Georgia suffers a TBI every 5 minutes
- There are over 100,00 TBI in Georgia every year
- Thousands of Atlanta drivers are permanently disabled by TBI each year
- More than 50% of all motor accidents causing TBI involve alcohol
- TBI is the leading cause of death in children and young adults
Because they are so common, car accident lawyers in Atlanta handle a lot of cases involving traumatic brain injuries. They know how to get you the compensation you deserve for these injuries. How much they demand depends on how bad your brain injuries are.
Be Honest About Your Symptoms
Whenever somebody is taken to the hospital after a motorcycle accident, their families fear the worst. Many motorcycle accident victims suffer back and head injuries that can cause their entire lives to change. However, they can also suffer a traumatic brain injury. This sort of injury can be hard to diagnose because there are no physical signs. However, when you recite your symptoms to the doctor, they’ll make a determination and include notes of the file.
Some of the TBI symptoms won’t show up right after your crash. You may feel fine for a few days. Then the symptoms hit you like a ton of bricks. If you feel any of the following, make sure you get to the hospital immediately:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Inability to sleep or concentrate
- Short and long-term memory loss
Once you report your symptoms, the doctor will run whatever tests necessary to rule out a brain injury. If they’re unable to do this, they’ll make a notation in your file.
Head Injuries are Very Common in Motorcycle Crashes
When you’re riding your motorcycle, there is nothing to stand between your body and a car or SUV. If you get into an accident with another vehicle while on your motorcycle, there’s a good chance you’ll be ejected from the bike. When this happens, you can smash your head on the asphalt over and over again. This is a good way to sustain a traumatic brain injury. While these injuries are common with motorcycle accidents, there are other causes of a TBI as well. This includes:
- Workplace accident, especially in the construction industry
- Slip and falls
- Motor vehicle accident
- Pedestrian accident
Regardless of what caused your TBI, your accident lawyer in Georgia will fight to get you damages.
What is a TBI Worth?
Car accident lawyers in Georgia handle dozens of cases every year that deal with traumatic brain injuries. They know how to calculate damages. They also know how to negotiate a fair settlement for your TBI.
Some of the factors that affect how much your case may be worth include:
- Whether you can work again
- How many surgeries you have had
- If you’re able to walk, communicate and live a normal life
- Learning ability prior to the accident
- Your age
- Your wages after the accident
- How your day to day life is affected
- Your medical bills and future medical bills
Your attorney will demand that you be compensated for all of these things. You’ll also be entitled to a decent amount of pain and suffering.
What are the Damages Associated with a TBI?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause serious and lifelong medical issues. You may never be able to work again. You may never be able to walk again. TBI can result in memory and speech issues. You may have to relearn everything you learned as a child – how to walk, how to talk, how to eat. Given the serious nature of a TBI, the damages associated with a claim for TBI are large and all-encompassing. Here are just a few types of compensation your Atlanta car accident attorney will demand in a traumatic brain injury case:
Medical Bills
If you have experienced a TBI, you will have a lot of medical bills. You will have tests like an x-ray and MRI and will possibly need surgery or more than one surgery. You will need physical therapy and will have follow-up appointments with doctors and surgeons. Just the co-pays will be high, not to mention any medical bills not covered by insurance.
Lost Wages
Sadly, if you suffer a TBI you will not just miss time from work. You may never be able to work again. It depends on what kind of work you did. However, chances are a TBI will prevent you from doing most types of jobs. You may end up on disability. Regardless, you will want to pursue the other party for all lost wages. This includes past and future lost wages.
If you have to go on disability, your attorney will work hard to get you fair compensation. The court will look at what you were earning versus not being able to earn anything at all. They will account for your age, future raises you would have received and so on. They will agree on a figure that is fair.
Pain and Suffering
If you end up in a wheelchair, you can bet you are going to have pain and suffering. Having to rebuild your life will be very difficult. Your family is going to have to rally around you and help take care of you. Very few injuries warrant the kind of pain and suffering that a traumatic brain injury does. Short of a wrongful death suit, there are few cases where a person has suffered more.
You are also going to be in pain for quite some time. This pain may be unbearable. The amount of pain and suffering compensation you are entitled to varies. However, rest assured, a good car accident lawyer is going to get you every penny you deserve.
What Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer Advice you Do If You Discover Traumatic Brain Injury Long after an Accident
After an incident or accident where you may be injured, your lawyer will advise that you undergo an evaluation. That is to rule out any injuries whose symptoms haven’t manifested. However, some injuries take time and may start showing signs long after the accident.
Such a case is quite complex, but with the help of an experienced lawyer, you can still get compensation. The first step will be to prove that the cause of the injury is the accident. So whether it was a car accident or incident at work, you will need to undergo an evaluation by a qualified doctor.
Once you are sure of the cause of the injury, your attorney will draft a suit to request compensation. It will not be an easy process that is why you need an experienced car accident attorney to help you. You will need the testimony of an expert since there will be a lot of questions. However, with the best legal help, you should win.
Contact Brain Injury Attorney Today for a Consultation
It is unfortunate when you discover a traumatic brain injury after the time limit for filing a claim. However, you still have a way of getting compensation, but that is if you have the best attorney.The Weinstein Firm, we have some of the best lawyers that will assure that your interests are covered. We will work together, and with a lot of dedication and careful planning, we should get you the compensation you need.
