Information Regarding Severe Brain Injuries

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports¹ that an estimated 2.5 million individuals in the United States required medical treatment for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a single year. TBI can range from a relatively mild concussion to severe and permanent disabling or even fatal brain damage. While all TBI victims deserve to recover for their losses from any negligent parties that caused their injury, victims with severe brain injuries often sustain the most extensive losses.

Types of severe brain injury

Severe TBIs are often split into two main categories, which are as follows:

Open head injury – This type of injury happens when an object penetrates the skull and comes into direct contact with the brain. This can often occur due to flying debris from explosions, firearm wounds, stab wounds, or other sharp objects hitting the head. In some cases, an object can be lodged in the brain and must be removed through surgery. In other cases, a projectile object may enter the brain at one point and then exit the brain at another point, which can be particularly devastating since the damage will occur in two different areas. An open head injury can also be caused by pieces of a fractured skull penetrating brain tissue.
Closed head injury – In a closed injury, the victim suffers damage to the brain without anything piercing the skull or coming into direct contact with the brain tissue. Closed head injuries can have one focal point or may be diffused across a large portion of the brain. In addition, if the victim suffered a sudden jolt, the brain may knock against the skull at one point and then bounce off the skull on the other side. This can cause damage to both sides of the brain and is called a coup-contrecoup injury.² Closed TBI can be dangerous due to the potential for bleeding or swelling, which both increase the intracranial pressure and can be life-threatening.

Effects of a severe TBI

Severe brain injuries can cause a wide variety of symptoms and effects, the nature of which depend on the type of injury sustained and the severity of the brain damage. No matter what the symptoms in a certain case may be, a victim will likely experience the effects of the TBI for a long time, if not for the rest of their lives. Some of the most challenging symptoms can affect the following:

Physical movement – Trouble with coordination, balance, and basic movements can exist, as well as ticks or seizures and difficulty speaking clearly.
Cognitive functioning – Severe TBI victims may struggle significantly with communication, understanding and following directions, concentration, memory, and more.
Emotional issues – TBI victims may have trouble regulating or expressing their emotions correctly and may be subject to moody or angry outbursts, depression, or anxiety.

Any of the above effects can make it difficult for a victim of severe TBI to return to work or to excel in an educational or professional setting. Some severe brain injuries keep victims from every earning a living again and they must instead rely on disability and other benefits. They furthermore may not be able to engage in many activities that they previously enjoyed.

Call a Tampa Bay brain injury lawyer to schedule your free consultation as soon as possible

Victims of severe traumatic brain injuries generally face life-long challenges, disabilities, and impairments. Their lives tend to substantially change, usually on a permanent basis. Not only do victims lose earning power and income due to the inability to return to their previous jobs, but also may suffer the loss of many activities that they previously enjoyed. Severe TBI victims have the right to recover compensation for both their financial and intangible losses.

At the Dolman Law Group in Tampa Bay, our skilled brain injury attorneys have extensive experience handling personal injury cases involving a wide range of traumatic brain injuries—from minor concussions to severe and disabling brain damage. You can trust us to represent your interests and legal rights in your brain injury case, so please call our office for a free consultation at 727-451-6900 today.

Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33756
727-451-6900

https://www.dolmanlaw.com/legal-services/brain-injury-attorneys/

References:

¹http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/severe.html
²http://radiopaedia.org/articles/coup-contrecoup-injury-1