> A traumatic brain injury occurs when trauma to the head causes brain damage. Traumatic brain injury is usually caused by blunt force during an accident, such as a car crash, a fall, a sports injury, or a bicycle or motorcycle accident. The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be anywhere from mild to severe, depending on the injury. If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in the Oakland – San Francisco Bay area, seek medical help. If the injury occurred in an accident, you should also contact an experienced personal injury attorney.
There can be a lot of medical issues associated with traumatic brain injuries. In some severe brain injury cases, the patient will die from the injury. About half of patients with severe traumatic brain injuries require surgery to remove or fix hematomas or contusions. In some situations, the patient will suffer from problems with sensory processing, communication, cognition, and mental health. Those problems can be temporary or permanent depending on the degree of injury. In other cases, the patient will enter into a coma, a persistent vegetative state, or another type of unresponsive state.
After an accident occurs in which a person takes a blow to the head, the individual may experience a range of symptoms. For mild traumatic brain injuries, a person may lose consciousness very briefly, become confused, experience headaches, feel sleepy, experience nausea or vomiting, become sensitive to lights or sounds, or become dizzy. For more severe traumatic brain injuries, the symptoms can include a longer period of lost consciousness, severe confusion, repeated vomiting, seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, unusual behavior, slurred speech, and dilation of one or both pupils. If a young child suffers a serious head injury, it may be difficult for them to tell you what symptoms they are experiencing – instead, look for a change in eating or sleeping habits, persistent crying, unusual irritability, or a depressed mood.
Fortunately, medical advances in recent decades have resulted in more treatments for traumatic brain injuries. Common treatments include medications, surgery, and rehabilitation. Serious brain injuries can often result in lifelong injuries and may require frequent visits to a health care provider, at home medical care, or in the worst cases, nursing care from a full-time live-in facility.
There are some steps you can take to reduce the odds of a traumatic brain injury. Some steps include buckling up and securing children in appropriate car seats, avoiding dangerous behaviors while driving, and wearing bicycle and motorcycle helmets. You should also take steps to help prevent falls for older adults, who are particularly at risk for traumatic brain injuries, including installing handrails, placing nonslip mats in the bathroom, keeping pathways clear from obstruction and improving lighting in the home.
If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident, you may have a legal right to compensation. It’s important to seek that compensation in order to help you cope with the often lifelong problems associated with a traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries can result in very high medical bills and associated costs, as well as lost wages and other out of pocket expenses. It’s important that if you’ve been injured in an accident you seek the money to which you are legally entitled before the time limits expire.
If you are in the Oakland-San Francisco Bay area, including Hayward, Fairfield, Tracy, Fremont, Concord or San Jose, and you have suffered a traumatic brain injury, call Micha Star Liberty, Oakland traumatic brain injury attorney, at 415-896-1000 or 510-645-1000. She will help you figure out the best way to seek compensation for your injuries.
Sources: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, The Mayo Clinic
