The brain plays a vital role in managing virtually every aspect of the human body. As a result, brain injuries have the potential to have far more wide-ranging consequences than almost any other type of injury. Brain injuries can impair everything in normal brain functioning, from a person’s short-term memory capacity to the ability to walk or talk. As a result, brain injury victims often must cope with consequences that they are not prepared to handle on their own. Consult with a Columbia brain injury lawyer from Goings Law Firm, LLC to get you the compensation you deserve.
Symptoms of Brain Injuries
Acquired brain injuries, whether they are traumatic or non-traumatic, share some of the following symptoms:
- Seizures
- Memory loss
- Headaches
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Fatigue
- Changes in mood or personality
- Nausea
- Difficulty speaking or forming thoughts
- Difficulty understanding others
- Loss of balance
- Sensitivity to light
Note that symptoms of brain injuries and damage may appear quickly after the infliction of the brain injury law, but they also may take time to manifest. If you or a loved one displays any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Also, if you have suffered any type of head trauma or have been involved in an accident where you lost consciousness, seek medical attention.
Types of Brain Injuries
According to The Brain Injury Association of America (BIA USA), approximately 2.8 million people in the United States suffer from some sort of brain injury each year. The specific type of brain injury case and its severity will largely determine how a person is affected by their brain injury. Generally, people refer to brain injuries that happen after birth and are non-genetic as acquired brain injuries (ABI). These types of brain injuries are usually the result of an accident or another party’s negligence or intentional wrongdoing. There are many types of acquired brain injuries, but most fall into a classification as a traumatic brain injury or a non-traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are those that result from an external blow to the head that a brain injury association causes the brain to move around in the skull or does damage to the skull, resulting in a brain injury. According to BIA USA, traumatic brain injuries are the most common type of brain injury, with approximately 5.3 million people suffering from them each year. In 2021, about 70,000 people died from TBI. Common causes of traumatic brain injuries are:
- Car accidents
- Falls
- Blunt force trauma
- Sporting injuries
In addition to traumatic brain injury victims in these incidents, a traumatic brain injury may occur as the result of any major trauma to the head or skull. Some of the most common types of traumatic brain injuries that affect victims include:
Read more: Repetitive Trauma Injuries
Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries
Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries include injuries to the brain that are not caused by external force. A non-traumatic brain injury generally results from a cellular reaction that occurs due to things, such as an event that causes swelling in the brain or an event that cuts off blood flow to the brain or a part of the brain, thereby depriving that part of the brain of oxygen and damaging it. Minor brain damage can start within a minute of oxygen deprivation to the brain. In contrast, four minutes of oxygen deprivation will cause major brain damage, and four to six minutes can cause serious brain injury cases to lead to death.
Events that can cause non-traumatic brain injuries include:
- Infections
- Poisoning or exposure to toxic substances
- Abuse of drugs or alcohol
- Heart Attach
- Stroke
- Tumors
- Strangulation, drowning, or choking
- Aneurysms
- Neurological illnesses
Whether a victim’s brain injury is traumatic or non-traumatic, all of these injuries can have devastating consequences for victims, both physically and emotionally. In addition, the costs of managing and treating a brain injury can be excessive, placing a substantial financial burden on a brain trauma victim and his or her family.
Liability For Brain Injuries
If another party’s negligence or intentional wrongdoing caused brain injuries, the victim might be able to recover compensation. Generally, negligence occurs when one party fails to act with reasonable care to prevent harm to others and causes damage or injury to another party. Negligence can be traumatic brain injury accidents that occur under a variety of circumstances. The factors that can cause brain injury include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Car Accidents: A driver acting negligently often causes car accidents. This negligence may come in the form of texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, changing the radio, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or any other activity that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road. If a driver causes an accident because of their negligence, they may be liable for any damages that result.
- Medical Malpractice: While doctors generally do their best to make their patients well, they fail and cause more injuries or illnesses to their patients more frequently than you would think. Suppose a doctor fails to exercise reasonable care or deviates from the standard of care prescribed for similarly situated patients. In that case, they may have been negligent and could be liable for medical malpractice.
- Slips and Falls: Whether a person is at work, at a store, at a friend’s home, or on some other piece of property, property owners must make sure their property is safe for others. If they fail in their duty, and a person suffers a brain injury due to a slip and fall, the property owner may be liable.
Negligence and Intent in Brain Injuries
Furthermore, in any other situation where a party acts negligently and causes injuries to another, the negligent party may be liable for injuries. Negligence and personal injury claims often can be highly complex and contentious, depending on the parties involved. That’s why they are best left to experienced attorneys like those at Goings Law Firm, LLC.
If a party intentionally committed a wrongful act and caused a brain injury, they may also be liable for the medical care for resulting damage. Some instances in which a party may act with wrongful intent and cause brain injuries include the following:
- Exceeding the scope of consent for physical contact during sporting activities
- Striking someone with fists or an object
- Suffocating or strangling another person
- Any other intentional act that causes brain damage
If someone you love has suffered a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional actions, you have the right to take legal action. Contact an experienced brain injury lawyer to discuss your legal options immediately.
Why You Should Hire a Columbia Brain Injury Attorney from Goings Law Firm, LLC
In addition to brain injury victims’ need for ongoing medical treatment and visits to specialists and therapists, they may also need help at home doing chores, such as doing laundry, preparing meals, bathing, and using the bathroom. Tragically, numerous brain injury accidents could have been prevented. Accidents often cause brain injuries for various reasons, but many times, they result from another party’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional wrongdoing. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury caused by a car accident or by another party, contact an experienced Columbia brain injury lawyer at Goings Law Firm, LLC today by calling (803) 350-9230.
A brain injury occurs as a result of a trucking accident, medical malpractice, or any other situation in which others were at fault. Injury victims often have the right to seek compensation for their undue losses, pain, and suffering. For the many victims of brain injuries in Columbia, we at the Goings Law Firm, LLC know that this compensation can be critical to their overall well-being and recovery. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury caused by someone else’s actions, contact the compassionate Columbia personal injury attorneys and premises liability attorneys at [firm=name] by calling (803) 350-9230, filling out a contact form, or chatting with a brain injury lawyer in Columbia live.
Talk to a Columbia Brain Injury Lawyer
As a brain injury victim, our team of brain injury attorneys at Goings Law Firm, LLC believes that you are entitled to justice and compensation for what you and your family have suffered. With the many consequences you are likely dealing with as a result of your brain injury, this compensation may be critical to recovering and moving on with your life. Call (803) 350-9230 today to discuss your situation and learn more about how we may be able to fight for you against the person who caused you to suffer a serious brain injury yourself.
