Sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a life-changing event. Adapting to a TBI is challenging and stressful, whether the effects are temporary or permanent. TBIs also come with significant medical expenses, lost income, and other financial losses for brain injury victims.
If you sustained a TBI in an accident in Florence, Alabama, and someone else was at fault, you may be considering your legal options. Our Florence brain injury lawyers want to help you understand your legal rights for seeking compensation to relieve the considerable financial burden of treating your injury.
The brain injury attorneys at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., have over 55 years of experience fighting for the rights of injured individuals in Florence and throughout Alabama. We’re committed to representing clients in situations like yours with all the skills and resources at our disposal. We won’t back down. Our personal injury lawyers regularly secure compensation that enables our clients to find closure and move forward.
Contact us today for a free claim review with a traumatic brain injury lawyer and discover how we can help you recover compensation and rebuild your life after a brain injury.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury occurs when an outside force causes an injury to the brain. Some of the most common causes of TBIs are vehicle crashes, falls, assaults, sports injuries, and oxygen deprivation. While causes vary, the long-term consequences include cognitive, physical, and emotional effects that make life more challenging for victims and their loved ones.
One of the cruelest aspects of traumatic brain injuries is that victims may not realize they’ve been injured. Often, family members notice a difference in an individual’s behavior or personality following an accident. That is why it’s so important to seek medical treatment following any accident that could potentially cause a TBI.
What Are Common Types of Brain Injuries?
The TBI category covers a range of injuries, including both open and closed injuries:
- Concussion — Concussions are the most common TBIs and result when the head makes contact with a hard surface, such as during a sports injury or a car accident.
- Contusion — A contusion is a bruise caused by the brain hitting the inside of the skull and bleeding due to a violent impact or shaking. The bruising can spread following the injury.
- Diffuse axonal injury — This type of injury occurs in vehicle crashes and falls and is caused by a rapid head movement that tears the nerve fibers. Victims often lose consciousness and can experience brain damage as a result.
- Coup-contrecoup injury — In these injuries, the brain hits one side of the skull and then the other, leading to bruising on both sides.
- Penetrating head injury — A penetrating head injury occurs when an object enters the skull. Bullet wounds are a common example, but knives, nails, and other objects can also cause them.
Traumatic brain injuries do not necessarily affect the entire brain but may be restricted to one area of the organ. The best way to determine what type of brain injury you’re dealing with is by seeking immediate medical treatment.
What Are the Long-Term Consequences of Brain Injuries?
TBIs are catastrophic injuries that affect a victim’s brain, body, and personality.
Some of the serious effects of TBIs include:
- Memory loss
- Impaired judgment
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Loss of balance
- Reduced cognitive abilities
- Reduced ability to concentrate
- Changes to senses of sight, smell, and taste
While it’s possible to fully heal from some TBIs, these are serious injuries, and they often have effects that an injury victim will deal with for the rest of their life. Additionally, because they affect so many areas of bodily function, TBIs negatively impact life expectancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a TBI reduces a person’s life expectancy by nine years.
Addressing these long-term consequences can put a severe strain on a family’s finances. Our Florence traumatic brain injury lawyers can help you seek compensation for a TBI someone else caused.
What Are the Signs of a TBI?
If you’re unsure whether you or a loved one may have experienced a traumatic brain injury, there are some immediate and short-term signs to watch for:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- Loss of consciousness
- Light sensitivity
- Trouble with vision or hearing
- Trouble with balance
- Fluid leaking from the nose or ears
- Mood swings
- Problems with concentration
Some of these signs may not show up right away, and some may never appear. It’s essential that you seek medical treatment right away following any injury involving the head. A lack of symptoms should not be interpreted as a sign that everything is okay.
Compensation Victims May Receive for Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries often require significant hospital stays, ongoing rehabilitation, and specialized treatment. But the expenses associated with a TBI are not limited to medical costs. You may also miss substantial time at work or be limited in what you can do for employment after the accident.
Our Florence brain injury lawyers are ready to review your case and determine all possible compensation you may be able to seek through a traumatic brain injury claim. Short- and long-term medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering are all taken into account when determining how much compensation is appropriate.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Brain Injury Claims in Florence, AL?
Alabama law has a two-year statute of limitations on filing a traumatic brain injury lawsuit. In other words, you have two years from when the injury occurred to file a personal injury case seeking compensation.
Do not wait until the last minute to contact our Florence TBI attorneys. Crucial evidence could disappear, and eyewitnesses’ memories could fade with time. It’s best to start building your brain injury case as soon as possible.
Why Do I Need a Brain Injury Lawyer?
Bringing a brain injury claim against the party who caused your injury is a time-consuming and complex process. Our experienced brain damage lawyers understand the law and can properly represent your case in insurance company negotiations and at trial. We’re ready to serve as your main point of contact throughout the legal process.
Having a lawyer you trust and who communicates with you has other benefits beyond the legal. You deserve to be able to focus on your physical recovery, which is the most important thing following a TBI. Entrusting your personal injury case to our attorneys makes it easier to put your energy into your rehabilitation process.
Contact Us Now to Discuss Your Case with Our Florence TBI Attorneys
If you suffered a traumatic brain injury, a TBI lawyer with Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., can help you seek the compensation you deserve from the at-fault party. When you contact us for a free consultation, we’ll review your accident and explain your legal options. If you decide to have us represent you, we’ll build a compelling case on your behalf and pursue fair and full compensation from all liable parties.
Reach out today to learn more about how we can fight for justice in your TBI case. We handle TBI claims on a contingency fee basis, so you owe us nothing upfront and pay us only if and when we secure compensation for you.
