If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury from an accident or other blow to the head, contact Kuzyk Law to have your case reviewed by an Antelope Valley brain injury lawyer at Kuzyk Law. All brain injuries, also called traumatic brain injuries or TBI, are serious, and they can have a lasting impact on your ability to work, earn a living, and enjoy a good quality of life.
TBIs might be mild, moderate, or severe. A mild brain injury might cause temporary confusion, headache, blurred vision, and changes in behavior. Symptoms of a moderate brain injury tend to last longer, and they include slurred speech, repeated nausea or vomiting, weakness in the arms or legs, and problem thinking.
Loss of consciousness occurs with moderate to severe brain injuries. A loss of consciousness that lasts from 20 minutes to six hours is considered moderate, while those that last longer are considered severe. Their Glasgow Coma Scale reading also helps doctors score the severity of the injury. It rates a patient’s response to various stimuli. The Glasgow Coma Scale is used by first responders, emergency care staff, and intensive care units to diagnose the severity of a brain injury and to determine the best course of treatment.
Even serious brain injuries aren’t always easy to spot at the time they happen. Some TBIs result from internal wounds that you can’t see from the outside. Despite having only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, there might be bleeding inside your head. The only way to know whether you have a head injury is from a thorough medical examination.
Sometimes a condition called anoxia occurs following a TBI. When the brain is deprived of oxygen for an extended period, it can result in severe damage. Heart attacks and near-drownings are the most common causes of anoxic, but they can also occur in infants and newborns.
What Are The Common Causes Of Head Injuries?
Include car accidents and fall-related accidents. Other common causes include acts of violence, sporting accidents, and workplace accidents. Determining the cause of the injury is an important part of the claim process.
If you or a loved one has suffered a head injury because of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you and or your loved one may be entitled to significant financial compensation.
Victims of head injuries may suffer from impairments of their muscles, speech, vision, taste or hearing depending on the area of their brain or head that is injured and the extent of those injuries. It is also common for victims to experience long-or short-term changes in their memory, behavior, and personality. Brain injury can cause extreme mood swings, a physical impairment that leaves the victim unable to work and support his family, and terrible headaches and emotional suffering. Injured head injury victims can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, lost future income, loss of livelihood, hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
How Common Are Brain Injuries in the AV?
Nearly three million TBI-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths occur in this country every year. Even more startling is that more than 800,000 of these injuries are to children. One reason for this statistic is the participation of children in contact sports.
Increasingly, the issue of TBI in young athletes is a growing concern. Current data shows that contact sports contribute to nearly half of sports-related TBIs among children, and that number is growing. Young adults between 15 and 24 are most often affected, but anyone at any age can get a sports-related brain injury while participating in any sport. The sports with the highest number of brain injuries include football, basketball, soccer, bicycling, and playground activities.
School officials have legal outlines about what to do when an athlete suffers a brain injury. If they fail to comply, they may be liable if the child’s condition worsens. If your child gets injured during a game, make sure the coach removes them immediately. Continuing to play puts them at risk of further harm. Have them evaluated for a brain injury right away. After you get them the medical attention they need, call an attorney. An Antelope Valley brain injury lawyer understands Southern California laws. Let Kuzyk help you understand your options.
Child abuse is another cause of TBIs in children that is all too common. This type of injury can happen from a direct blow to the child’s head or from violent shaking. Children of any age are vulnerable to brain injuries from abuse. Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs when a parent or caregiver gets frustrated and shakes a baby or small child. The motion is similar to that of whiplash that occurs during car accidents.
The CDC lists fall as the leading cause of brain injury. Children and seniors are especially vulnerable. Areas that aren’t well cared for, where there are objects or liquids on the ground, or safety features like handrails aren’t in place can result in falls. Public places such as stores or businesses have an obligation to maintain their property safely.
What Are Some Causes Of Brain Injuries In California?
Car accidents are a normal part of life in Southern California. They are also a common cause of brain injuries. While most people are familiar with the association of whiplash to car accidents, many don’t realize that whiplash can also cause traumatic brain injury. You can also suffer a brain injury from striking your head against any hard surface during the accident.
Another common cause of brain injury is being struck by objects. This type of injury can occur during sports play, at the workplace, or inside a business. Any time objects are stacked up above your head level, there is a risk of their falling and striking someone. You might reach to get a box down from a shelf at work, or a poorly stacked display in a store might fall on its own.
Not all causes of TBI are from blows or force. Penetrating wounds and extremely loud sounds can also lead to TBIs. Gunshot wounds and explosive blasts are common causes of traumatic brain injury in active-duty military personnel. TBIs that occur from loud sounds aren’t well-understood. Some experts believe the pressure wave from the sound disrupts brain function.
When to Call An Antelope Valley Brain Injury Lawyer
A brain injury has the potential to change every aspect of your life. Mood swings, an inability to perceive sights and sounds, the loss of your memories, or changes to your personality that alter who you are can turn your entire life around.
For many victims of TBI, the changes to their financial life are nearly as debilitating. They can longer earn a living, and they often face high costs for their ongoing medical care.
If another person’s negligence or an intentional act resulted in your brain injury, Kuzyk Law can help. We’ve helped many of our clients get the compensation they need to live their lives as normally as possible after a brain injury.
If you or a loved one is suffering from the effects of a brain injury or you have lost someone to wrongful death, contact us today. We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Schedule a free consultation and pay nothing unless we win.
