How a Brain Injury Law Firm Can Help Accident Victims
Brain injuries can happen in any kind of accident. You could slip on a freshly waxed floor in a Las Vegas casino and hit your head. Your doctor could administer the wrong amount of anesthetic, starving your brain of oxygen. You could bang your head on the side window when someone runs a red light and collides with your car in one of Las Vegas’s many busy intersections. Regardless of how a brain injury happens, it could change your life forever. The brain controls the entire nervous system. A brain injury could lead to physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that may require years of physical therapy and psychological counseling. Here are things that you should know about brain injuries and the ways that brain injury lawyers can help accident victims recover fair compensation.What Constitutes a Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when trauma disrupts brain functions. An experienced head injury attorney will need to understand how the brain was injured. This information could help to establish causation for the traumatic brain injury. It could also help the lawyer to understand your prognosis. TBIs can happen in a few ways. Let’s examine some of the most common types.Blunt Trauma
A blow to the head can cause the brain to move inside of the skull. A concussion happens when the brain sloshes in the fluid surrounding the brain. The pressure of the sloshing fluid causes widespread, but shallow bruising and swelling of the brain. A contusion happens when the brain strikes the inside of the skull. The resulting bruise can result in bleeding and swelling of the brain. If the bleeding is severe, pressure can build up inside of the skull, leading to even more brain damage.Penetrating Trauma
When an object penetrates the skull, it can physically destroy brain tissue. This could happen when a foreign object, like a metal rod, penetrates the skull. It can also happen when an accident causes a skull fracture and the pieces of bone penetrate the brain. Neurons in the brain communicate with electrical signals. When an object destroys brain tissue, the neurons cannot communicate with each other. The object can also lacerate blood vessels. As a result, the brain will begin to bleed and swell.Shaking Trauma
A diffuse axonal injury (DAI) can result from trauma that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Axons are long neurons in the brain. A whipping or shaking motion can cause the axons to tear. This tearing will disrupt the ability of the neurons to transmit signals. Other names for DAIs include whiplash, shaken baby syndrome, and coup-contrecoup injuries.Anoxic Trauma
The brain needs oxygen to survive. If the brain is deprived of oxygen, brain tissue will die. Anoxic trauma can occur due to many reasons, including:- Disrupted breathing
- Severe bleeding
- Pressure on the brain
- Blood clots
Effects of a Brain Injury
Brain injuries can have many unexpected effects. The brain controls the body’s voluntary and involuntary functions. A TBI can cause paralysis and loss of coordination when it disrupts voluntary functions. It can also cause loss of bowel or bladder control and high blood pressure when it disrupts involuntary functions.
The brain regulates thoughts and emotions. TBIs can cause personality changes and emotional outbursts.
Some common effects of TBIs include:
- Loss of balance
- Tinnitus
- Blurred vision
- Loss of coordination
- Nausea or dizziness
- Vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Confusion
- Memory problems
- Irritability
- Personality changes
- Headache
- Sleep disorders
What If My Brain Injury Is From a Car Accident?
Nevada uses an at-fault insurance system. This means that liability falls on the driver who caused the car accident and the at-fault driver’s insurer. When it comes to brain injuries, auto insurance can provide both good news and bad news.
Auto insurance can provide you with a good start for paying for the damages that arise from a TBI. Nevada requires vehicle owners to carry bodily injury liability insurance with policy limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
But the damages arising from TBIs could exceed the minimum policy limits in Nevada. Damages for injuries include past and future medical expenses, past and future lost income, and pain and suffering. Even a mild brain injury could leave you with much more than $25,000 in medical bills, lost income, and other damages. The good news is that many drivers carry more than the minimum limits and may have additional coverages available. In addition, you may have your own insurance that can compensate you for your injury. Identifying all policies of insurance is an important step for your head injury attorney.