A brain injury is one of the gravest results of any accident. The brain is perhaps the most crucial and delicate part of the human body. If the brain is injured, an accident victim may never be the same again.
In any incident where a brain injury is involved, there may be serious effects and costs. If someone else was to blame for you or your loved one’s head injury, the Jacksonville brain injury lawyers at Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys can vigorously represent you in the legal process, seeking the compensation that you need and deserve.
Examples of Brain Injuries
Any type of brain injury may be severe. The brain is extremely delicate, and it is often unable to heal itself. There will always be some impact to your life from a brain injury, whether it is temporary or permanent.
Types of brain injuries include:
- A concussion is when a jolt or bump to the brain causes the stretching of brain cells, altering the chemical composition of the brain and its function. Concussions can heal with time, or they may lead to permanent symptoms.
- Coup-contrecoup injuries are when there are contusions on opposite sides of the brain from jolting or sudden movement. These contusions can permanently damage the affected area of the brain.
- A diffuse axonal injury is damage to the brain’s white matter. Rotational forces can cause damage to the axons that carry messages in the brain. These injuries can interrupt communication in the brain.
- Penetrating brain injuries are when an object enters the brain and causes severe damage.
Any type of brain injury can lead to lasting effects because brain tissue does not heal or regenerate once it dies.
How Is a Brain Injury Diagnosed?
The most common way to diagnose a brain injury is through a CT scan. This is a computerized topography that presents a two-dimensional view of the brain and shows areas of swelling and damage.
Patients may also undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test. The MRI produces detailed images of body tissue. The MRI is a more comprehensive and thorough test that provides a closer look at certain areas of the brain after the CT has already revealed that there is some damage. MRIs have grown increasingly complex and are able to provide doctors with a very close analysis of the brain.
Patients may also be given specific cognitive tasks to test how they can function once doctors understand the area of the brain that may be affected.
Treatment of Brain Injuries
Doctors may prescribe various courses of treatment for a brain injury. In the immediate short-term, the patient may need surgery to relieve pressure on the affected area of the brain.
Doctors may also need to perform surgery to remove damaged brain tissue.
Once the patient is stabilized, they will need to undergo a long-term course of treatment.
Oftentimes, the patient would need extensive physical and occupational rehabilitation. While the brain injury may never heal, the patient could work to regain some function or learn how to perform these tasks with their brain injury.
Can Brain Injury Victims Recover?
Brain injury patients hope for the best result possible. In some cases, the best result is a full recovery. If that happens at all, it is often after the passage of time and extensive rehabilitation.
Some brain injury patients may make strides, but they are still left with lasting injuries.
Obviously, whether the brain injury patient can recover depends on the severity of the injury.
One study showed that slightly more than half of patients who suffered a severe brain injury were able to obtain a favorable outcome within one year of the injury. The number rises to around 75% when patients suffer a moderate injury.
A favorable outcome depends on the circumstances and the type of injury. In this case, the favorable outcome was the patient being able to function independently at home for at least 8 hours per day.
Most people who suffer a moderate to severe brain injury will still suffer at least some effects permanently. They may lose valuable functions that they would never fully regain. These patients would suffer damages from their brain injury for the rest of their lives. Even those who are able to fully recover have gone through a difficult period where they may have lost function and endured a difficult rehabilitation.
Compensation for a Brain Injury
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury in an accident, you may be eligible for a large settlement check. However, you’ll need an injury attorney to calculate just how much your TBI claim could be worth.
The range of your settlement would vary based on:
- The nature and extent of your injuries
- The level of aggressiveness of your brain injury lawyer
- How much insurance coverage is available to pay for your injuries
In general, the party responsible for your injuries must compensate you for your actual financial losses and the non-economic effects of your injuries. It is difficult to estimate an average brain injury settlement because the range of outcomes can vary so widely.
Brain injury compensation can include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Embarrassment and humiliation
For serious brain injuries, medical costs alone can be millions of dollars. This is before you even receive another dollar to compensate you for money that you could not earn or the ordeal that you are experiencing. An experienced brain injury lawyer in Jacksonville can help maximize your financial compensation.
Contact a Jacksonville Brain Injury Lawyer Today
The team at Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys has a successful track record of representing personal injury victims in large cases with large dollar values. As far as you are concerned, the stakes could not be higher because your case is your one chance to obtain the compensation that you will need for the rest of your life.
You and your family can speak with one of our Jacksonville injury attorneys during a free initial consultation. To schedule a time to discuss your case, you can message us through our website, or you can call us today at 910-405-7751.
