Brain damage can have life-altering consequences for victims and their families. Too often, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by the negligence of someone other than the victim, as in a motor vehicle accident or a fall from heights caused by improperly constructed scaffolding.
If you or your loved one has suffered brain injury through the fault of another, our Longview personal injury lawyers at Sorey, Gilliland & Hull, LLP want to help.
What Are Some Causes of Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injury is caused by a blow or shaking to the head or body. The severity of the injury can depend on several factors, including the force of impact and how it was inflicted. The following are common causes of traumatic brain injury:
- Falls: Overall, falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury, particularly among children and older adults. Brain injury can be sustained in falls from ladders, from scaffolding, down the stairs, or in slip-and-fall accidents on wet floors or icy sidewalks.
- Traffic crashes: Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents are common causes of traumatic brain injury. Motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to head injury, as they lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle.
- Violence: Domestic violence, child abuse, gunshot wounds, and other types of assault are common causes of traumatic brain injury.
- Sports injuries: Brain injuries can occur in a number of high-impact or extreme sports, such as boxing, soccer, football, baseball, hockey, skateboarding, and lacrosse.
- Explosive blasts and combat injuries: Active-duty military personnel may suffer traumatic brain injury from explosive blasts, penetrating wounds, blows to the head with shrapnel or debris, falls, and bodily collisions with objects following an explosion.
What Are the Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury?
Most traumatic brain injury is mild and commonly called a concussion. Although most people recover, for others, symptoms can last for days, weeks, or even longer, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recovery may be slower in young children, teens, and older adults, and for people who have suffered traumatic brain injury previously. The CDC classifies symptoms of TBI into four categories:
- Physical symptoms: Headache, blurry or fuzzy vision, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, tiredness, lack of energy, balance problems, sensitivity to light or noise.
- Emotional symptoms: Sadness, anxiety or nervousness, irritability, more emotional than usual.
- Cognitive symptoms: Difficulty thinking clearly and concentrating, trouble remembering new information, feeling slowed down.
- Sleep symptoms: Sleeping more than usual or less than usual, difficulty falling asleep.
Some symptoms of traumatic brain injury may appear immediately, while others may not be noticed for days or months after the injury. People with a TBI may look fine, although they are feeling and acting differently. See a doctor after any blow to the head.
Who Is Liable for a Brain Injury in Longview?
Traumatic brain injury has many different causes. If the negligence of someone other than the victim caused the accident, that party might be liable for the resulting injuries. For example:
- Slip-and-fall accidents: When a fall is caused by a hazardous condition on someone else’s property, the owner or occupier of the property may be responsible for the victim’s medical bills and other expenses.
- Traffic crashes: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents are often caused by driver negligence. When a traffic crash causes traumatic brain injury, the at-fault driver may be liable.
- Scaffolding collapse: Construction workers wear hard hats for a reason – the construction industry has a high number of head injuries. When scaffolding collapses, workers who fall may suffer TBIs. A negligent contractor or subcontractor who constructed or maintained the defective scaffolding may be liable.
Why You Need a Lawyer
Traumatic brain injury can have both short- and long-term consequences for victims. These consequences may include:
- Impairment of cognitive function
- Emotional side effects, such as anxiety, depression, and personality changes
- Physical problems, such as headaches, dizziness, difficulty with speech or mobility, and impairment of sensory perceptions, such as vision and hearing
The financial consequences of a TBI often include extensive medical bills and loss of income due to disability. If someone else caused your accident, it is essential to seek compensation to cover all your losses, now and in the future. Call Sorey, Gilliland & Hull, LLP at (903) 230-5600 for the dedicated representation you need. We are tough advocates for Longview brain injury victims.
