A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can alter your life and cause tremendous stress for your family. It may cause a temporary disability or leave permanent brain damage. Traffic accidents account for a significant portion of traumatic brain injuries. If you have sustained a TBI, you deserve the compassion and help of our dedicated Huntsville injury attorneys who understand what you and your family are going through. You need a knowledgeable lawyer who can offer trusted legal advice based on experience. Our attorneys have the skills and resources needed for your case to be successful.
If you or a loved one has sustained a traumatic brain injury, and your financial future depends on obtaining full compensation for your medical bills and other losses, then you need the experienced attorneys of Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., standing up for you. In choosing Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., you will be selecting a law firm that other attorneys and legal publications have recognized for exceptional legal service. We are understandably proud of our achievements in helping families in Alabama when they most needed help —after a severe injury. Our record of verdicts and settlements speaks for itself.
Let an experienced Huntsville traumatic brain injury attorney who understands Alabama law review the circumstances of your injury during a courtesy consultation. We will answer your questions and explain your legal options. If your case is the type that we handle, we will offer to represent you on a contingency fee basis so that you have no upfront costs. You will not owe a legal fee unless we are successful in obtaining money for you. We want to help you. Call us today to schedule a free consultation or complete our quick contact web form.
Types of Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury causes temporary or permanent disruption of brain function. It is a broad term that encompasses various types of injuries that occur to the brain. A TBI may affect one area of the brain, or it may extend throughout the brain. An individual with a TBI may have an open head injury, in which the skull is pierced or shattered, or a closed head injury, in which the injury is internal. Severe brain injuries result in an extended loss of consciousness or coma for days, weeks or longer.
Concussion
A mild traumatic brain injury is known as a concussion. It is the most common form of brain injury, accounting for about 75 percent according to the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation. A person who receives any hard knock to the head or strikes his or her head against a hard surface may sustain a concussion. The individual may remain conscious or lose consciousness briefly. A person with a concussion may have symptoms such as confusion, slurred speech, blurry vision, loss of balance, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. A patient’s specific symptoms dictate whether the doctor diagnoses the concussion as mild, moderate, or severe.
Contusion
Any hard knock to the head or violent shaking of the head may cause the brain to bang against the inside of the skull and be bruised. Bruises to brain tissue are a type of brain injury known as a cerebral contusion. Contusions involve bleeding in the area of the brain that received the impact. A contusion may expand in the days after the initial injury and cause pressure on the brain, affecting brain function. Larger contusions may require surgery.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
Diffuse axonal injury is a widespread injury to nerve fibers throughout the brain. Rapid acceleration and deceleration of the head may cause widespread shearing or tear of the nerve fibers known as axons that relay nerve signals. A diffuse axonal injury disrupts the brain’s communications network. Car crashes, falls, and shaken baby syndrome are common causes of diffuse axonal injury. A brain injury victim who sustains a diffuse axonal injury typically loses consciousness for six hours or longer and may suffer brain damage. Brain swelling may increase pressure inside the skull, reducing the blood supply to the brain and increasing the injury.
Coup-Contrecoup Injury
In some accidents involving higher velocity or blunt force, the force of the impact may cause the brain to strike the inside of the skull, then strike the opposite side of the skull. An individual may sustain bruises on opposite sides of the brain. This type of brain injury is referred to as coup-contrecoup injury.
Penetrating Head Trauma
Penetrating head injuries occur when an object such as a bullet, a knife, a screwdriver, a nail, or any other blunt object pierces the skull. Gunshot wounds are a leading cause of penetrating head injuries.
Effects of Brain Injuries
More than 10,000 Alabamians sustain brain injuries each year, according to the Alabama Head Injury Foundation.
The common causes of brain injuries include:
- Sports injuries
- Assaults
- Near drowning
- Lack of oxygen to the brain.
Serious brain injuries have long-lasting effects. More than 100,000 Alabamians are living with the effects of a brain injury.
The effects of a brain injury include possible cognitive changes, physical challenges, and emotional impacts. Specific areas of the brain control certain functions. The effects of a brain injury vary depending on the part of the brain that is injured. They include:
- Short-term or long-term memory loss
- Thinking ability
- Difficulty concentrating and paying attention
- Trouble summoning words and articulating thoughts
- Impaired judgment
- Fatigue
- Dizziness and loss of balance
- Trouble tasting or smelling
- Weakness on one side of the body
- Sexual dysfunction
- Blurred vision
- Depression and grief
- Mood swings
- Flattened emotions
Many brain injury survivors and their families experience financial struggles after a serious injury and feel overwhelmed by the expenses of the medical expenses they are facing. When a brain injury is caused by another’s negligence, you may have a right to seek compensation for your losses.
How an Alabama TBI Attorney Can Help
If you have sustained a serious traumatic brain injury, your health must be your top priority. As you focus on your recovery, our knowledgeable attorneys will conduct an evaluation of your traumatic brain injury claim and identify all the potentially responsible parties. We will perform a full investigation of the accident that caused your TBI, interview any witnesses, and gather evidence to support your claim.
We will calculate the cost of your present losses such as medical bills and lost income and estimate the future losses related to brain injury. That will allow us to prepare and submit a claim for compensation reflecting the full extent of your losses.
Our lawyers will identify all the potentially liable parties and possible sources of compensation for your brain injury and notify the appropriate insurance companies on your behalf. If two or more parties are jointly liable, it may increase the insurance compensation available to you. While our attorney will seek to reach a fair brain injury settlement before filing a lawsuit, we will not hesitate to go to court if needed to stand up for your rights. Our dedicated Huntsville personal injury lawyers will vigorously pursue a just resolution to your case through brain injury litigation if necessary.
Compensation Victims May Receive
Serious traumatic brain injuries typically demand many weeks of acute hospital care followed by a period of rehabilitation. A brain injury may force you to be out of work for months or cause permanent disability and leave you unable to return to work.
If another’s negligence caused your brain injury, you may be able to seek compensation for:
- Medical bills, rehabilitation, and physical therapy;
- Pain, suffering, and mental anguish;
- Lost wages;
- Punitive damages if the wrongdoer acted with malice in causing your brain injury.
Contact a Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney in Huntsville Today
Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., represents victims of traumatic brain injuries in counties and cities throughout North Alabama. If you think that we can help you or a loved one as we have helped many other Alabamians, please call us for a free consultation about your accident. You may be entitled to benefits of which you are unaware of. To schedule a free case review, please call us at (256) 677-4376 or 888-445-3654, or complete our quick contact web form. The brain injury lawyers at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., can help you or a loved one move forward after a serious accident caused by the negligence of others.
If you are looking for a traumatic brain injury lawyer in Alabama, contact us today!
