If you’ve suffered a brain injury, it’s important to contact a Bakersfield traumatic brain injury lawyer. The brain is a unique and highly sophisticated organ, and even mild injuries can be complex and life-changing. At Kuzyk Law, our experienced personal injury lawyers deliver expert advice and legal support to help you move forward with your life.
Our dedicated team of brain injury lawyers works with knowledge and compassion, presenting you with legal options and helping you to find the best pathway forward. We work in the Bakersfield area, and our traumatic brain injury attorneys have extensive knowledge of brain injury law in California.
A traumatic brain injury has the potential to affect every part of your life, so it’s vital to get the compensation that you deserve.
What is a traumatic brain injury?
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is an injury to the brain caused by external force. Also known as an intracranial injury or head injury, these incidents vary in severity, from mild events to severe trauma. Brain injuries can be caused by numerous things, including concussion, whiplash, and direct force to the head. From car crashes and falls to workplace accidents and sporting injuries, brain injuries can happen to anyone at anytime.
Depending on the nature of the incident, serious brain injuries can result in a variety of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Potential outcomes for TBI also vary widely, from complete recovery to serious complications and permanent disability. A traumatic brain injury occurs for two reasons: either the brain moves within the skull or the impact penetrates the skull and damages the soft tissue inside.
Whatever type of brain injury you’ve experienced, it’s important to protect your rights and contact a specialized brain injury lawyer. Please read our FAQs or contact our team to learn more.
Types of traumatic brain injuries
Medical professionals classify brain injuries based on severity, along with how they were caused and the nature of the symptoms. In terms of severity, doctors classify brain injuries as mild, moderate, or severe after testing verbal, motor, and eye-opening reactions to various stimuli.
Along with severity, a TBI diagnosis is based on the anatomical features of the injury and its causative forces. While diagnostic tests like CAT scans and MRIs present a valid picture, they don’t necessarily reflect the seriousness of the injury or its long-term impact. Even small movements to the brain can cause physical damage, triggering chemical changes that affect physiological function and long-term mental health.
Concussions are brain injuries too
When we consider traumatic brain injuries, we often think of serious long-term conditions. There are also mild injuries, however, including common concussions. Sometimes called a silent epidemic, concussions often exhibit no immediate or visible symptoms. While a mild headache may be present from the outset, the potential seriousness of these injuries is often hidden from view.
Over time, people can experience a range of changed behaviors, including reduced mental clarity, memory issues, and depression. The personality of a person may even change over time, which can cause issues with relationships and employment. If you’ve suffered a concussion due to potential negligence, it’s important to contact a traumatic brain injury lawyer as soon as possible.
Symptoms of a traumatic brain injury
The brain is a vital organ central to human identity, ability, and survival. Brain injury symptoms depend on the part of the brain affected, along with the overall impact of the force. The brain is a highly complex organ, and injuries can affect different parts of the brain in a variety of ways. To safeguard your future, you need to contact the best brain and spine injury lawyer in Bakersfield, California.
Bleeding, bruising, and swelling in different parts of the brain can affect sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. Symptoms can be experienced on a short or medium-term basis, or for the rest of your life. While many of the signs associated with a brain injury are present right away, others may not be noticed for days, weeks, or even years. At Kuzyk Law, our trusted brain injury attorneys will protect your interests so you can move on with your life.
Typical brain injury symptoms include:
- Persistent headaches
- Concentration and memory problems
- Cognition and confusion issues
- Lack of energy or motivation
- Nausea, dizziness, and balance issues
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Loss of smell or taste
- Changes in personality
Common causes of traumatic brain injury
TBI has numerous causes, from isolated acts of violence to everyday recreation and sporting events. In the United States, falls are the most common cause of TBI, representing nearly half of all hospitalizations. Other common causes of TBI include firearm-related suicide, motor vehicle accidents, and violent assaults.
The following causes of TBI are the most common. All statistics come from the Surveillance Report on Fatal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which was produced by the Division of Injury Prevention (DIP), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Unintentional falls
Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury in the United States, accounting for 49% of all TBI-related hospitalizations. While anyone can suffer from a fall, elderly people are particularly susceptible. People aged 75 years and over represented 320.8 per 100,000 population, and those aged 65-74 represented 102.7 per 100,000 population. Falls represented a significant proportion of these cases.
Vehicle accidents
Vehicle accidents are another common cause of traumatic brain injury in the United States. According to the CDC, vehicle crashes were responsible for 24.5% of all TBI-related hospitalizations in the latest study period. Certain types of car accidents are more likely to cause severe brain injuries, including head-on crashes, high-speed impacts, and multi-car accidents. Males are twice as likely to experience TBI-related hospitalization from a vehicle accident than females, at 23.3% compared to 11.4%.
Violent acts
Violent acts are another common cause of brain injury. Firearm-related suicide is the leading cause of TBI-related deaths in the United States, and violent assaults are a common cause of both deaths and hospitalizations. While Bakersfield, California is not a particularly violent place to live, isolated acts of violence can lead to horrific injuries. Gunshot wounds are the obvious example, along with blunt force trauma and falls that result from violent strikes.
Sports and recreation
Sporting accidents can lead to traumatic brain injuries, and even concussions can be life-changing. While sporting directors, coaches, and parents understand the potential harm associated with head collisions, accidental impacts and dangerous falls still occur on a regular basis. Contact sports like ice hockey, football, and boxing are more likely to cause these injuries, but no recreational activity or sport is immune. Concussion during sport remains a big problem, and the symptoms are not always clear.
Traumatic brain injury legal claims
A traumatic brain injury can impact every part of your life. Whether you notice the effects immediately or several months down the track, these injuries should never be swept under the rug. TBI can affect how you think, feel, and act, impacting your friends and family and affecting your employment prospects and finances. Depending on the nature of the impact and where it occurred, you may be able to receive compensation for your injury.
Like all personal injury claims, compensation for a brain injury is based on proof of negligence. If you want to take legal action against an individual, business, or organization, you need to prove they were negligent at the time of the incident. If a third party is found to be legally responsible, they may be obliged to pay financial compensation. In California, negligence is established when someone has breached their duty of care, and that breach has resulted in harm or damage.
If you want to seek compensation, it’s vital to speak with a dedicated brain injury attorney. Making a claim can be complicated and difficult to manage, and you need a legal expert fighting in your corner. Like all personal injury cases, you need to back up your claim with relevant evidence. From details of the incident to medical expenses and rehabilitation, there are lots of issues to consider.
The following evidence is likely:
- How, why, and when the injury occurred
- The medical treatment provided
- Long-term impacts of the injury
- Medical costs and rehabilitation
- Lost income and potential earnings
- The amount of pain and suffering
What can you receive compensation for?
Regardless of your age, gender, or occupation, TBI can have a huge affect on how you function and who you are as a person. To receive maximum compensation, it’s important to connect with a dedicated traumatic brain injury attorney.
From a legal standpoint, various forms of compensation are available to assist with treatment and help you live your best possible life. A range of tangible and intangible events are covered, from medical expenses and lost wages to pain, suffering, and emotional distress. Whether you’ve suffered a mild concussion or a severe head impact, compensation can make a huge difference to the quality of your life.
A brain injuries lawyer can help you get compensation for:
- Past medical expenses
- Lost wages during recovery
- Future medical expenses
- Loss of future earnings
- Institutional care
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
At Kuzyk Law, we will review the details of your case and tailor the right solution for you and your family. We have existing relationships with medical professionals, vocational experts, and billing teams to help you get fair and adequate compensation. If you want to connect with the best brain and spine injury attorney in Bakersfield, California, we are here to help.
Please call the personal injury experts at Kuzyk Law today to get maximum compensation for your traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury FAQs for Bakersfield Residents
How long does it take to settle a traumatic brain injury case?
Each brain injury and legal claim has a unique timeline. Along with the severity of the injury itself, your case will also be affected by the party involved and their insurance company. The financial recovery process is likely to take months, and longer timelines are likely if the courts get involved. At Kuzyk Law, our experienced personal injury lawyers will do everything they can to streamline the process and maximize the compensation amount.
Should I talk to the liable party’s insurance company?
Personal injury claims involving a traumatic brain injury can be very complex. When you’re seeking compensation, the liable party will often fight your claim or try to limit the compensation amount. Whenever possible, it’s best to avoid talking to third parties and their insurance companies. While they might approach you with a settlement offer, it’s likely to be much lower than you deserve. The best advice is to hire a lawyer and let them do the hard work for you.
Do I have to go to court to receive compensation?
As mentioned above, each personal injury claim is unique. In many situations, you can receive an adequate payout from the liable party’s insurance company without needing to attend a single court hearing. This is not always possible, however, with some parties fighting the claim and others offering an insubstantial settlement. If you have a strong case and want to ensure maximum compensation, going to court can be the best thing to do. Working with a TBI attorney is the best way to move your case forward with clarity and confidence.
What kind of experience do you have?
At Kuzyk Law, our personal injury lawyers have vast experience working in Bakersfield, California. We have represented over 100,000 clients for more than four decades, protecting the rights and welfare of our clients with every single case. Our team has achieved many great settlements, and over 80% of our clients come from referrals. If you’re looking for a proven head injury lawyer, you can trust the team at Kuzyk Law.
Do you offer a free consultation?Whether it happened to you or a loved one, going through a brain injury is a traumatic experience for everyone involved. At Kuzyk Law, we do everything we can to make the legal process as friendly and simple as possible. We’re always here to answer your calls, and we usually have someone available 24 hours a day. Please contact our team for a free consultation, and get the legal advice that you deserve without any obligation whatsoever.
