Traumatic brain injuries are some of the most serious injuries a person can sustain from an accident. A traumatic brain injury can cause issues ranging from short-term to lifelong, and these problems can manifest in extremely debilitating ways, both physically and mentally. For this reason, traumatic brain injuries represent some of the most high-profile cases and largest legal awards in the field of personal injury law.

Defining Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries are typically caused by a high-impact blow to the head. This covers a wide category of specific injuries, which can be quite different from case to case depending on exactly how the injury was sustained, the particular area of the head that was struck, and the victim’s other health circumstances.

Even “traumatic brain injury” itself is not necessarily a universal phrase. Other phrases you might hear used to describe traumatic brain injuries include:

  • Head trauma
  • Brain damage
  • Concussion (or CTE)

Traumatic brain injuries are typically categorized as one of two types:

  • Closed Head Injury: A closed head injury is one in which the head is struck hard, but the skull remains intact. Although this is the most common type of traumatic brain injury, it does not make it any less serious. When a severe blow causes the brain to impact against the skull, this can cause bleeding and swelling inside the head. In these situations, the fully intact skull makes it difficult or impossible for the pressure of the internal injury to be released safely, which can potentially make a closed head injury even more deadly than one in which the skull has been fractured.
  • Penetrating Head Injury: A penetrating head injury is one in which the skull is breached (broken open) during the injury.

How Do Traumatic Brain Injuries Occur?

Traumatic brain injury, to put it bluntly, is a risk to any human being with a head on their shoulders. There are countless potential situations where your head might be struck by another object in an injurious manner, so it would be impossible to list them exhaustively. Some of the most common causes that show up in legally actionable court cases include:

  • Car crashes: In extreme cases where traumatic brain injuries lead to death, automobile accidents are to blame over 25% of the time.
  • Slip-and-fall accidents: A common slip and fall can result in serious head injuries, especially on hard, slippery surfaces like wet ice or oily concrete.
  • Assault: Traumatic brain injuries may be sustained when someone is attacked by an assailant wielding a blunt weapon like a bat or club.
  • Unintentional blunt trauma: Blunt trauma to the head which occurs through accidental means (i.e., not through assault) can be just as devastating as a planned attack. Debris falling at a high-rise construction site would be an example of how blunt trauma can be caused in a way that is completely unintentional but still the responsibility of a negligent party.
  • Medical malpractice: When a brain injury is related to a medical malpractice claim, it is often not the result of a single, traumatic blow but instead a failure to properly monitor a patient’s oxygen levels, leading to a different—but equally dangerous and harmful—type of brain damage.

Traumatic brain injuries represent some of the most devastating injuries a person can sustain. A single accident can leave someone with serious long-term challenges in their day-to-day life. Some of the possible results of sustaining a traumatic brain injury include:

  • Loss of motor function (up to and including paralysis)
  • Changes in personality (anger issues, etc.)
  • Lethargy/low energy levels
  • Reduction in mental faculty
  • Trouble forming speech
  • Memory loss
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Chronic headache
  • Disrupted sleep patterns

Lamar Law Office, LLC – Your Trusted Legal Partner in Seeking Compensation for Traumatic Brain Injuries in Georgia

If you or a loved one has had your life irreparably changed by a traumatic brain injury, you may be entitled to compensation. If your debilitating injuries have been sustained due to someone else’s negligence, carelessness, malice, or illegal behavior, you have the legal right to sue the responsible party for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. Lamar Law Office, LLC can help. Contact us today.