The Types of Brain Injuries Caused By Automobile Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents may cause serious bodily injury or death. Many victims who survive motor vehicle accidents suffer temporary or permanent disabilities. Every automobile accident is unique, and no two collisions will produce the same injuries. Many victims may experience multiple injuries, including fractured bones, lacerations, open wounds, and traumatic brain injuries.
Traumatic brain injuries may be categorized as open or closed, but all brain injuries cause serious consequences for the victims. The human brain is a sensitive organ, and any injury to the physical structure of the brain can have a profound effect on behavior, cognition, and emotional regulation. Motor vehicle injury victims who suffer traumatic brain injuries experience long-term consequences that alter their lives forever.
Many victims suffer head injuries during motor vehicle collisions. A severe head injury may produce symptoms that remain with a person for the remainder of their life. The victims who suffer these injuries can collect damages for their injuries. Our reliable automobile accident attorneys can offer victims free consultations to assist them with understanding the options available to them under the law.
Our California vehicle accidents attorneys are trained litigators who can help victims recover the monetary compensation they deserve. Our reputable car accident attorneys at our reputable law firm have decades of experience serving clients in San Francisco, Riverside, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sherman Oaks.
Our brain injury attorneys have collected over $500 million for their clients throughout the state of California. The following paragraphs contain a brief explanation of the various brain injuries that can arise due to automobile accidents.
How Do We Define Brain Injuries?
Traumatic brain injuries are characterized by any sudden physical damage to the brain itself that is caused by any kind of force to the head. The most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are physical attacks, sports-related injuries, slip and fall accidents, and motor vehicle accidents. Traumatic brain injuries can range in severity from a mild concussion to a severe head injury that causes irreversible brain damage as well as permanent disability or even paralysis.
Victims living with a traumatic brain injury never fully recover. A large majority of victims who suffer severe traumatic brain injuries will experience physical, behavioral, and cognitive changes. Emotional regulation may be impaired due to damage to the limbic system. Fine motor skills may also be lost forever.
Some victims may experience long-term and disabling memory loss that can make it difficult for them to function in everyday life. The victims who enter comas or live in minimally responsive conditions must depend on the care of others for their most basic needs. Family members or medical professionals may have to perform these duties for the remainder of the victim’s life.
Traumatic Brain Injury Statistics
Approximately 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries occur every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. These injuries happen either alone or together with other serious injuries. Motor vehicle collisions are a primary cause of traumatic brain injuries.
Automobile accidents cause approximately 17 percent of annual traumatic brain injuries in the United States. Falls account for more than thirty-five percent of all traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries cause thirty percent of all accident-related deaths in the United States. Automobile accidents cause more than fourteen percent of this total.
For individuals ranging in age from five to twenty-four, traumatic brain injuries caused by motor vehicle collisions are the greatest cause of death. For individuals ranging in age from fifteen to twenty-four, non-deadly traumatic brain injuries are the primary source of hospitalization. The traumatic brain injury attorneys at Arash Law managed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq. have experience representing clients who have suffered serious brain injuries.
With decades of experience and over $500 million recovered for their clients, the attorneys at our award winning injury law firm have every resource they need to handle all aspects of your personal injury case. We serve clients in San Francisco, Riverside, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sherman Oaks, and throughout California. We have collected over $500 million dollars for clients throughout the state of California.
Approximately 2.5 million citizens of the United States suffer traumatic brain injuries annually. From 2006 to 2014, hospitalizations related to traumatic brain injuries increased approximately fifty percent. Also, department visits and fatalities caused by traumatic brain injuries increased during this time.
Each day in the United States, one hundred and fifty people die due to traumatic brain injuries suffered during motor vehicle collisions. Approximately fifty-five thousand individuals die in the United States every year due to complications caused by traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries are a primary cause of disability in the United States.
If you add up all the disabilities caused each year in the United States by spinal cord injuries, breast cancer, HIV, and multiple sclerosis combined, traumatic brain injuries still disable six times as many people. Approximately 5 million United States citizens currently receive lifetime assistance with daily tasks because traumatic brain injuries deprived them of the ability to care for themselves.
The Categories of Brain Injuries
Hematoma – Ruptured blood vessels produce blood clots. If blood leaks from the bloodstream, it becomes thick and begins clotting. Clotting is a spontaneous mechanism used by the human body to stop bleeding. Hematomas may range from small to large.
Extremely large hematomas may increase pressure in the brain. Specific areas of coagulation will produce different symptoms. Epidural hematomas are clots occurring between the dura lining in the brain and the skull. The human body reabsorbs the clot. Medical professionals may opt to use surgical procedures to remove large hematomas.
Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage – Traumatic Subarachnoid hemorrhages occur in the area surrounding the brain. This area contains cerebrospinal fluid that protects the brain. When a head injury occurs, tiny arteries rupture and cause traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Released blood moves across the surface of the brain and produces various symptoms.
Penetration Injuries – Penetration injuries occur when any type of object punctures the skull and enters the brain.
Axonal Diffuse Injuries – Any sudden and violent motion of the neck and head may cause structures inside the brain to tear. Axonal diffuse injuries are seen in severe and mild concussions.
Coup-Contrecoup Injuries – An object penetrating one side of the brain and exiting the brain at the opposite side of the entrance wound is known as a coup-contrecoup injury.
Contusions – A contusion is an injury that involves the bruising of the brain. Contusions may become more severe over time and require removal through surgery.
Concussions – Many drivers and passengers who suffer a bodily injury during motor vehicle accidents experience the symptoms caused by concussions. Concussions are common brain injuries that occur during any type of collision or abrupt movement that affects the skull and brain. These brain injuries are often suffered by drivers and passengers who are injured during motor vehicle accidents.
A brain injury can affect every aspect of an individual’s life. Severe brain injuries can damage an individual’s ability to function in everyday life. Memory loss, cognitive decline, and emotional dysregulation are some of the consequences that can arise after an individual suffers a concussion.
Traumatic brain injuries are categorized as either severe, moderate, or mild.
Mild traumatic brain injuries affect an individual’s ability to coordinate their bodily movements. Memory, attention, and overall cognition can rapidly deteriorate after an individual suffers a concussion. However, mild concussions rarely cause these severe symptoms unless they repeatedly occur within a short period of time. The majority of patients who suffer mild concussions will recover in a matter of days with adequate rest and hydration.
Two of the most prevalent symptoms associated with moderate traumatic brain injuries are sadness and anxiety. After the injury, an individual may experience drowsiness. Most individuals lose consciousness for a period of time that can range from twenty minutes to several hours. An individual may experience an increase in brain volume and bleeding that can cause fatigue.
However, the individual can still awaken with smelling salts and other stimuli. Severe traumatic brain injuries happen when the brain itself moves inside the skull and is physically damaged. Any type of traumatic brain injury during which an object punctures the skull is a serious injury that will produce severe symptoms.
During these types of traumatic brain injuries, the individual will become unconscious and experience debilitating symptoms. During a severe traumatic brain injury, the individual loses consciousness and does not wake up when exposed to an external stimulus. The eyes remain closed. In some extreme cases, the individual will lose consciousness for more than six hours.
How Are Traumatic Brain Injuries Diagnosed?
An injured victim who suffers a head injury during a motor vehicle collision will be sent to the emergency room. A medical professional will assess the patient, observe any symptoms, and learn how the individual was injured. A physician can often determine how severe a traumatic brain injury is by observing the condition of the patient.
A traumatic brain injury patient may be assessed according to the Glasgow Coma Score, a fifteen-point range that quantifies a patient’s level of consciousness. Physicians often assess the patient by asking the patient to open their eyes. The doctor will then request that the patient reply in a specific manner to orienting inquiries that are generic and straightforward. Next, the medical professional will determine if the patient can obey simple directions.
A patient may be unconscious or incapable of responding to simple commands. A physician may then determine if the patient can respond to painful stimuli. The Glasgow Coma Score comprises several numbers from different categories that are added up to a score from three to fifteen. This scale is used to categorize traumatic brain injuries as either mild, moderate, or severe.
Mild traumatic brain injuries range between thirteen and fifteen on the Glasgow Coma Score. Moderate traumatic brain injuries range between nine and twelve. Severe traumatic brain injuries range between eight and zero.
Imaging Tests
CT scans are X-ray procedures that enable physicians to obtain pictures of the different regions in the brain. A medical professional will often order a CT scan of the brain to identify skull fractures, hemorrhaging, blood clots, and the injury’s severity. CT scans can be used to determine if the injury is progressing during the healing stage.
Physicians often use CT scans to determine which type of treatment the patient should undergo. Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses radiofrequency waves and the magnetic field to produce images of the soft tissue inside the brain. Oftentimes a physician injects the patient’s bloodstream with a dye.
These images detect minute alterations in the brain that may not be detected by a CT scan. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy produces data on brain metabolism. A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy result can help physicians determine how long it will take for a patient to recover from their traumatic brain injury.
Which Treatment Options Are Available?
Patients who suffer mild traumatic brain injuries need to rest and take medication. Intense medical treatment and hospitalization are required for those who suffer moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. If the brain enlarges and hemorrhages to an excessive degree, then surgery may be the only way to save the patient’s life. Some patients may not require surgery even after suffering a severe traumatic brain injury.
Nurses and assistants in the neurological critical care unit may monitor these patients to make sure their conditions do not deteriorate. Individuals who suffer traumatic brain injuries may become extremely sick. Physicians and other medical professionals attempt to reduce any subsequent brain damage. Once the patient transfers to a recovery setting, then holistic healing can begin.
What Is Neurocritical Care?
Neurocritical care is a specialized method of treatment for individuals who have suffered serious brain damage that may prove to be fatal. Unfortunately, many individuals who suffer severe traumatic brain injuries are paralyzed or unconscious. These patients may also have injuries involving other parts of their bodies. Neurointensivists are trained medical professionals who organize and coordinate treatment plans for patients who need neurological and medical treatment.
These patients are often physically connected to screens, monitors, and tubes. These mechanical systems provide a medical team with detailed information regarding bodily functions such as blood pressure and oxygen levels. Machines may assist patients with breathing, feeding, and urinating.
It can be disturbing and unsettling to observe a patient who has suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. A family member may no longer have the same face due to facial lacerations or large equipment used to monitor the patient’s physical condition. Tubes, wires, and other types of equipment may be connected to the patient to monitor blood pressure and heart rate.
Severe traumatic brain injuries affect not only the injured victim but their family members as well. These relatives will be pushed to their limits physically, emotionally, and mentally. Family members may have to care for a patient in a coma for the remainder of the patient’s life.
Medication
Medical professionals will often use specific medication to sedate the injured patient. Patients receive pain medicine to help them cope with the pain caused by other injuries that accompany their traumatic brain injury. Our reputable injury law firm understands how devastating it can be to deal with a loved one who suffers a severe traumatic brain injury.
If you or a loved one is suffering from a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another party, contact the attorneys at Arash Law led by Arash Khorsandi, Esq. today to schedule a free consultation. Call our firm at (888) 488-1391 to learn more about the legal services we offer. We has recovered over $500 million dollars for our clients. We serve clients in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sherman Oaks, and throughout the state of California.
DO I NEED AN ATTORNEY AFTER SUSTAINING A TBI?
In case you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, you want someone who can stand up for you, protect your rights and fight for what’s fair. Based on the type and location of the injury, the person’s symptoms might include:
- Reduction of consciousness
- Confusion and disorientation
- Memory loss / amnesia
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Visual problems
- Poor focus / concentration
- Sleep disturbances
- Dizziness/loss of balance
- Irritability / psychological disturbances
- Feelings of depression
- Seizures
- Vomiting
You will want to contact an award-winning brain injury attorney with the expertise you and your family need. An experienced TBI lawyer will have the ability to help in determining if you’re entitled to compensatory damages for your injuries from those accountable as a result of at-fault, negligent, reckless, or aggressive drivers or by other means like faulty parts, defective or recalled automobile,s or automotive design flaws.
These include the price of medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Victims may also be entitled to punitive damages, which are intended to punish the defendant for their reckless behavior in the event of automotive negligence/ liability claims. Meet TBI Tina, Our firm’s lead attorney in brain injury accidents.
