How a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Attorney Can Help When You’ve Been Injured
If you or a loved one has suffered a head injury because of the negligence of someone else in the Washington, DC Metro area, it is imperative that you contact a Maryland or DC Personal Injury Lawyer. The communication and legal guidance you receive is crucial to your physical, mental, emotional, and financial recovery, so make sure you reach out to your team of TBI lawyers as soon as possible.
About Traumatic Brain Injuries
Often referred to in the medical literature as a TBI, a traumatic brain injury or a concussion is an injury from a jolt or forceful impact most often sustained during a fall, a vehicle-related collision, an act of violence, high-impact or extreme sports contact, or from an explosive blast. Millions of people in the U.S. suffer brain injuries every year, and half of all TBIs are from vehicle-related collisions.
After an auto accident or other forceful impact, injuries such as a broken bone or a punctured lung are usually treated promptly and often heal minimal or no difficulty, and the previous functions are –with appropriate medical treatment –eventually restored.
When a traumatic brain injury results from a vehicle-related collision or other sudden impact, signs, and symptoms from the injury may appear right away. But more often than not, when such symptoms are presented in an ER or Urgent Care facility, no referral is made to a neurologist.
Seek medical attention right away—preferably from a neurologist — if you have experienced a blow to the head or another trauma that can cause a TBI.
If you or a loved one is injured in an accident that has been caused by another person’s negligence and the injured party displays the symptoms described in this blog, seek an attorney to ensure that both the short-term and long-term effects of the injuries are adequately addressed in the settlement. An experienced attorney who has handled such claims, can refer a person displaying such symptoms to a neurologist for examination and treatment.
Risk for Traumatic Brain Injuries by Age
- Infants, toddlers, and children are at risk, particularly from birth to 4 years of age
- Teens and young adults between 15 to 24 years of age are also at higher risk for TBIs
- Males at any age who engaged in sports activities—football being the highest at-risk sport for TBI — at the pro or semi-pro level. College sports team players of either gender are vulnerable to incurring
- Adults 60 years of age and older
In infants, Shaken Baby Syndrome is a traumatic brain injury resulting from the violent shaking of an infant.
Infants and young children may be unable to clearly verbalize a headache, confusion, sensory difficulties, and other TBI symptoms. In a child with a traumatic brain injury, these signs may be observed:
- A change in nursing or other feeding patterns
- Sadness/depression
- Decreased interest in favorite toys and other activities
- Easily and unusually irritated
- Changes in attention and focus
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Drowsiness
- Seizures
Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Vary in Severity
Physical and psychological effects of TBIs are wide-ranging. In mild traumatic brain injury, brain cells may be temporarily affected, whereas more severe brain injuries can have prolonged and even lifelong health consequences. Common symptoms vary, depending on the location as well as the extent of the injury.
Symptoms of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Physical signs and symptoms of mild TBI may include:
- Loss of consciousness lasting a few seconds to minutes
- Feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused without a loss of consciousness
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Drowsiness and/or fatigue
- Headache
- Lightheadedness
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than usual
- Speech difficulties
- Feeling dizzy or losing one’s balance
Sensory signs and symptoms of mild TBI:
- Sensitivity to light and/or sound
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Changes in the ability to smell
- Changes in taste, particularly a bad taste in the mouth
Cognitive/mental signs and symptoms of mild TBI:
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating and remembering
- Changes in mood or mood swings
- Feeling anxious and/or depressed
Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries
More involved traumatic brain injuries can include any of the above signs and symptoms of mild TBI, as well as any of the following:
Physical signs and symptoms of moderate to severe TBI:
- Loss of consciousness lasting for several minutes to hours
- Difficulty or inability to awaken from sleep
- Headache that worsens or persists
- Recurring nausea and/or vomiting
- Convulsions/seizures
- Dilation of the pupil in one or both eyes
- Clear fluid discharge from the ears and/or nose
- Numbness and/or weakness in arms and/or legs, fingers and/or toes
- Decrease in coordination or loss of coordination
- Slurred speech
Intellectual/cognitive/mental signs and symptoms of moderate to severe TBI:
- Unusual behavior, including agitation or combativeness
- Increase in confusion
- Challenges in attention and focus, learning and memory, problem-solving, reasoning, judgment, and/or decision-making
- Difficulties in planning, starting and/or completing tasks
Maryland and DC Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one has suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, don’t wait any longer to contact your TBI Lawyer at The Lapidus Law Firm in Washington, DC or Maryland. And don’t minimize your injury – even a concussion falls under the scope of TBIs, and too often, this injury is dismissed as “minor,” when, in fact, this injury can result in a substantial settlement offer from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with The Lapidus Law Firm today at (202) 785-5111 or at (301) 852-7500.
Written By Award-Winning Lawyer Lawrence S. Lapidus
Up Next, read PART II of our TBI blog post for more need to know information.