Any trauma to the head can lead to a life altering, and sometimes permanent, brain injury. A person may experience head trauma due to involvement in a motor vehicle crash, an assault, a construction accident, an athletic injury, or a slip and fall on ice.
In addition, brain injury can be the result of a complete lack of oxygen to the brain (anoxic brain injury) or insufficient oxygen to the brain (hypoxic brain injury). These types of brain injuries can be caused by any incident that impacts oxygen intake by a person including swimming accidents, athletic injuries, injuries caused at birth, and during administration of anesthesia.
Many traumatic brain injuries result from serious trauma to the head that also includes other injuries such as a fractured skull, head lacerations, severe bruising or swelling. As a result, the symptoms of the head injury may not be immediately apparent to you.
In other accidents that involve less severe trauma to the head, the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can initially be subtle and equally difficult to diagnose. Moreover, symptoms may be clouded by more apparent symptoms such as those caused by a concussion. A traumatic brain injury can have wide-ranging physical and psychological effects.
Although not immediately noticed, some signs or symptoms may appear immediately after the traumatic event, while others may appear days or weeks later.
Brain Injuries from Minor Motor Vehicle Accidents
Brain injuries can occur in even minor motor vehicles accidents. The symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury can manifest themselves in different ways. Physical symptoms include loss of consciousness, feeling dazed, confused, or disoriented, headache, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, drowsiness, speech problems, insomnia, dizziness or balance issues.
Symptoms may also include sensory problems such as blurred vision, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), or problems with taste and smell. Symptoms can also present as cognitive issues such as memory loss, concentration issues, mood changes or mood swings, depression or anxiety. Sometimes these are the side-effects of a concussion or post-concussive syndrome and may linger for months to years after a motor vehicle accident.
A personal injury attorney with experience representing clients with concussions and other brain trauma can help prove to insurance carriers how disabling such trauma can be. Oftentimes, insurance companies and adjusters don’t fully understand the mechanisms and lasting effects of even a mild concussion.
Our personal injury attorneys work with some of the best experts in Hartford to provide thorough evaluation and care for our clients with even minor brain injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
In the case of a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury someone may experience any of the symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury in addition to loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours, headache that does not subside or worsens, repeated vomiting, seizures, dilation of one or both pupils, clear fluid draining from the nose or ears, inability to wake from sleep, weakness or numbness in the fingers and toes, and loss of coordination. In addition, symptoms may include slurred speech, agitation, combativeness, severe confusion, or coma.
Research suggests that repeated or severe trauma to the brain may increase the risk of developing a degenerative brain disease. The risk associated with repeated trauma cannot be predicted and researchers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the relationship between traumatic brain injuries and degenerative brain diseases. Degenerative brain diseases cause gradual loss of brain function and include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.
For these reasons, moderate to severe brain trauma should be properly evaluated and care should be taken to make sure you fully understand the long-term effects of head trauma.
Lawsuits to Recover for Brain Injuries and Trauma
Due to the sometimes-subtle symptoms and the parallel symptoms of other injuries, a brain injury can be difficult to diagnose. Moreover, even when diagnosed, the impact of a brain injury can be difficult to quantify. An individual that has suffered a brain injury must get an experienced personal injury attorney involved to advocate on his or her behalf.
Most cases will require expert analysis from various medical professionals. This analysis can require baseline testing that will likely be necessary to establish diminished function or ability. Because of these time sensitive issues early intervention is imperative.
Presenting a brain injury case can involve both complex legal and medical issues. The complex issues go beyond the intricate causes and medical diagnoses involved and extend to the actual damages caused. Any brain injury is a serious injury. Although many symptoms are prevalent and noticeable, others do not always arise as significant deficiencies.
The experienced attorneys at Injured CT have a thorough understanding of the issues involved in these types of cases in addition to the aftermath of a brain injury.
Contact an Personal Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury in Hartford call our experienced personal injury attorneys. We are happy to provide a free consultation to help you better understand your rights and possible remedies.