The brain serves as the control center for the rest of your body. Despite how important the brain is, it is very fragile. A brain injury can impact your responses to certain sensations and affect your ability to move. Brain injuries can also be very expensive to treat. Brain injuries resulting in lifelong disabilities can cost millions of dollars in medical expenses.
In some cases, people suffer brain injuries in accidents caused by someone else. If another person caused your brain injury, they might be liable for your medical expenses and financial losses. A San Luis Obispo brain injury attorney can help you file a personal injury claim to hold the at-fault party responsible for their negligence.
Contact Frederick Law Firm today to take the first steps toward hiring a San Luis Obispo brain injury lawyer.
Statistics for Brain Injuries
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 223,135 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2019. Additionally, there were approximately 64,362 TBI-related deaths in 2020. That means about 176 Americans died from a TBI-related injury every day in 2020. Men are more than three times more likely to die from a TBI-related injury than women and almost twice as likely to be hospitalized for a TBI-related injury. Falls are a leading cause of TBI-related hospitalizations, especially among Americans aged 75 or older. Other common causes of brain injuries include the following:
- Gunshot wounds,
- Sports and recreational activities,
- Automobile accidents, and
- Physical assaults.
Brain injuries can affect children more severely than adults because brain development does not finish until adulthood, and a brain injury can permanently affect brain development.
If you or a loved one suffered brain trauma because of someone else’s actions, contact a brain injury attorney in San Luis Obispo, CA, today.
What Is a Brain Injury?
There are two categories of brain injuries: open injuries and closed injuries. A brain injury that involves an object penetrating the brain is referred to as a penetrating or open brain injury. A brain injury that occurs when a sudden impact makes the brain collide with the skull is referred to as a non-penetrating or closed brain injury. Brain injuries range in severity from minor injuries that heal over time to life-threatening injuries.
In most cases, mild brain injuries will heal on their own with time. A common type of minor brain injury is a mild concussion. Symptoms of brain injuries include:
- Brief loss of consciousness,
- Nausea,
- Dizziness,
- Confusion,
- Inability to balance,
- Slurred speech, and
- Spotted vision.
More serious brain injuries present a higher risk of lifelong issues. A moderate or severe brain injury will often cause symptoms such as:
- Extended loss of consciousness;
- Inability to wake up after falling asleep;
- Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes;
- Dilation of pupils;
- Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears;
- Persistent headache or headache that worsens;
- Convulsions or seizures;
- Profound confusion; and
- Aggressiveness, combativeness, or other unusual behavior.
Some symptoms may present themselves immediately, while others might develop or worsen over time. That’s why it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible if you suffer a head injury.
Aftermath of a Brain Injury
The brain is one of the worst places to suffer an injury because it controls so many other functions necessary for everyday life. Even if you don’t experience symptoms of a brain injury right away, you should seek immediate medical attention if you’ve suffered a head injury.
According to the CDC, 30% of brain injury victims stated their injuries got worse over a five-year span. Long-term effects of a brain injury may include:
- Sensory processing issues,
- Lack of motor skills,
- Loss of vision,
- Inability to communicate,
- Behavioral changes,
- Depression or anxiety,
- Lack of cognitive capacity,
- Unexplained aggression, and
- Brain death.
If you are suffering consequences like these in the aftermath of your brain injury, contact a brain injury attorney in San Luis Obispo today to discuss your case.
What Damages Can I Recover in a Brain Injury Lawsuit?
If you’ve suffered a brain injury because of someone else’s negligent or intentional conduct, you can seek compensation for economic and noneconomic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages include quantifiable losses you suffered due to your brain injury. Some common examples of economic damages include:
- Costs of medical equipment,
- Rehabilitation costs,
- Lost wages,
- Future medical bills,
- Past medical bills,
- Loss of future earning capacity, and
- Vehicle repair costs.
Economic damages are designed to compensate you for monetary losses caused by your injury. They are the kind of damages that are calculated by looking at receipts and creating projections of future medical expenses. Keeping an accurate record of the expenses you incur due to your injury can help a San Luis Obispo brain injury attorney determine the value of your claim.
Noneconomic Damages
Noneconomic damages include non-monetary losses sustained because of your brain injury. Common noneconomic damages include:
- Pain and suffering,
- Emotional distress,
- Mental anguish, and
- Loss of companionship.
Because noneconomic damages compensate you for the emotional and psychological harm caused by your injury, calculating them is often much more difficult than calculating economic damages. A San Luis Obispo catastrophic brain injury lawyer at Frederick Law Firm can consult with various financial and medical experts to help accurately calculate the value of your claim.
Reach Out to Frederick Law Firm Today to Talk to a San Luis Obispo Brain Injury Lawyer
Suffering a brain injury can change your life forever. Depending on the severity of your injury, your symptoms may worsen over time and leave you unable to work or care for yourself. When someone else’s negligence causes these injuries, you can hold them accountable for their actions through a personal injury claim. Our team of experienced brain injury attorneys can handle the details of your lawsuit while you focus on recovering from your injuries.
The Frederick Law Firm team has over forty years of combined experience advocating for injured clients. We will sit down with you to listen to the facts of your case and create a strategy that is tailored to your needs and circumstances. We are confident in our ability to aggressively and effectively protect your rights and fight for your best interests. If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury in San Luis Obispo, contact Frederick Law Firm today to learn more about how we can help you.