A serious head injury can change an accident victim’s life. They may need a lifetime of care that imposes enormous financial burdens on them and their loved ones.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often occur from hard blows or jolts to the head. They can include concussions, skull fractures, contusions, and hematomas (ruptured blood vessels).
Car accidents, falls, workplace accidents, and sports injuries often cause TBIs. Medical malpractice, birthing complications, and prescription drug errors can also result in them.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Severe traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, can cause a variety of symptoms. Some of these symptoms include a lack of oxygen in the brain (hypoxic traumatic brain injury or anoxic traumatic brain injury), skull fractures, hematomas, and contusions.
Accident victims suffering from a traumatic brain injury often incur substantial medical bills. In addition to costly hospital and dedicated nursing costs, a TBI victim may also suffer from loss of income because he or she cannot return to work.
The monetary compensation awarded to TBI claimants is intended to address all of these expenses and damages. Experienced attorney handling brain injury cases in St. Louis might help injured families recover maximum compensation from liable insurers. A TBI lawsuit could lead to six or seven figure settlements or jury verdicts. Attorneys’ fees and reimbursements for client-incurred costs are typically deducted from applicable award amounts. However, an experienced TBI lawyer might help a family reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
A subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding in the space surrounding the brain. It usually occurs when a weak area in a blood vessel (aneurysm) on the surface of the brain bursts or ruptures. As the blood clots, it builds up inside the skull and increases pressure on the brain. It can cause life-long complications and disabilities.
Bleeding from a ruptured aneurysm can also affect the cerebrospinal fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord. This can cause a sudden, severe headache and a brief loss of consciousness.
Doctors can diagnose the condition by examining a patient’s symptoms and doing a computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging. Often, a lumbar puncture is done to confirm the diagnosis. Doctors treat patients by controlling the bleeding and preventing vasospasm. Vasospasm is contraction of the blood vessels and limits blood flow to the brain, which causes further damage. This is the major cause of morbidity (complications) and death in patients who survive a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Contusions
The next level of severity from a concussion, contusions occur when the brain hits against the skull so hard that blood vessels in the affected area actually swell and bleed. This can have catastrophic effects, especially if it occurs in a high-functioning area of the brain.
Coup-contrecoup injuries are also dangerous, resulting when a hard blow to the head causes the brain to hit the opposite side of the skull. This can damage brain tissues in both areas and break blood vessels that connect them.
Accidents that can cause traumatic brain injuries include car crashes, construction accidents, falling objects, and medical malpractice. The latter can result in birthing complications, prescription drug errors, and surgery errors that lead to open traumatic brain injuries or skull fractures.
TBI victims may need to file a lawsuit against negligent parties. They can request compensation for their past and future economic losses, as well as non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when an artery is blocked or bursts. This is often the result of a clot in the blood vessel that stops the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain (ischemic stroke). Strokes can also occur when blood vessels in the brain rupture or leak, as happens with hemorrhagic stroke.
A person who suffers a stroke may experience issues that affect speech, movement, balance and muscle control. He or she might have difficulty thinking clearly, experience mood swings or exhibit memory problems that did not exist before the injury.
Severe traumatic brain injuries can have devastating consequences for victims and their families. If a loved one has suffered such an injury due to another person’s negligent actions, our St. Louis brain injury lawyers might be able to help obtain fair compensation. We can work with the at-fault person’s insurance company to negotiate a settlement or litigate in court to achieve justice. Our attorneys can also assist surviving family members in dealing with harassing collection agents and other legal matters.