A Chico traumatic brain injury lawyer is someone who is well-acquainted with the legal procedure involved in a traumatic brain injury case. Since brain injuries are some of the most severe injuries that a person can suffer, every victim needs strong representation to attain the compensation that they deserve. If you live in Chico and know someone in Chico who has had a traumatic injury to their brain, you need to immediately talk to a Chico personal injury lawyer.
Chico Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
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What is a traumatic brain injury?
Traumatic brain injury is any blow or impact to the head which damages tissues in the brain. Such injuries vary from very mild ones, also known as concussions, to more severe ones that can have long-term physiological effects. Many injuries happen because of a violent blow which the head suffers which can affect the brain in three different ways:
- First, there could be direct injury to the brain which causes the brain to affect the internal part of the skull, leading to bruises and damages to the brain tissue.
- Second, some parts of the skull could disintegrate and penetrate inside the brain
- Third, no injury may be immediately observed, but a break in blood vessels could cause blood to coagulate inside the skills. This could build pressure in a region of the brain causing brain injury.
Types of traumatic brain injury
There are seven kinds of traumatic brain injury:
- Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) – commonly caused by falls, blows to the head, and contact sports
- Coup-contrecoup brain injury – happens from assault, motor vehicle accidents, and falls
- Contusion of the brain – usually a mild form of bleeding in the brain. If it does not stop naturally, then it may have to be operated upon
- Second impact syndrome – condition in which an individual experiences a head trauma when an initial brain injury has not fully healed yet
- Shaken baby syndrome – happens from forcefully shaking a toddler
- Diffuse axonal injury – tearing of the brain’s interconnected nerve fibers
- Penetrating injuries – happen when any object penetrates the skull
What are the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury?
The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be physical, emotional, and psychological. Since the number of traumatic brain injury cases is rising at the moment, both federal and state laws have been put in place to prevent such injuries. Several traumatic brain injury symptoms could appear immediately while others might take a longer time to appear.
Mild traumatic brain injury symptoms
A range of symptoms may come to the surface when there is mild trauma to the brain. Physical symptoms are constant headaches, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness and fatigue, speech problems, poor balance, and issues with sleeping. Cognitive symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury are anxiety, depression, mood swings, and trouble with focusing. Other sensory symptoms might include sensitivity to light and sound, blurred vision, ringing in ears, changes in taste/smell.
Moderate and severe traumatic brain injury symptoms
Injuries that are moderate and more severe in nature show another set of symptoms. If you or someone you know has been experiencing any of these symptoms, it is best to seek medical care immediately.
Cognitively, a person might experience confusion, slurred speech, agitation, combativeness and other behaviors. Physical symptoms could be persistent nausea and vomiting, convulsions, seizures, loss of coordination and balance, inability to wake up from sleep, numbness. Other symptoms include loss of consciousness, persistent headaches, dilation of pupils, and weakness in toes.
Other effects of traumatic brain injury in a person might present itself in the following ways:
- Communication issues affecting a person’s ability to hear, speak, read, or write.
- Emotional trauma
- Cognitive challenges affecting someone’s thinking and decision-making capabilities.
- Physical impairments including trouble breathing, exercising, eating, and sleeping.
Steps to take in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury
Some cases involving injuries to the head do not need hospitalization or immediate treatment. On the other hand, minor injuries could also aggravate symptoms which are reflective of traumatic brain injury. Seeking medical care as early as possible is the right option for such cases.
The following are some steps that you should take if you or someone you know is suffering from brain trauma:
- Reduce movement: Prevent any excess movement by lying down with your head and shoulders slightly elevated. Avoid moving your neck and any part of your body.
- Prevent bleeding: Use a clean cloth or sterile gauze to clean the wound and put firm pressure to it. Do not put any direct pressure to the area if you suspect that there might be a fracture.
- Measure breathing: Start CPR immediately if the injured person is not breathing, coughing, or moving.
- Avoid choking: If the injured person begins to vomit, make them turn sideways. This would also protect their spine.
Filing a claim for a brain injury
If someone’s negligence caused your brain injury, then you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party. Brain injury lawsuits usually of two kinds: negligence and defective products.
According to law, negligence is when a person fails to act in a reasonable way when they were legally bound to do so. It is a wrongful act committed by a group or an individual which brought harm to another person. In order to be successful in a traumatic brain injury lawsuit, the victim has to prove that the defendant:
- Owed the victim a duty of care
- Failed to comply with the duty of care
- Caused losses to the victim because of their failure to comply with the duty of care
California is a comparative negligence state where a brain injury victim might be able to recover some of their losses even if they were partially responsible for their injuries. Damages available to such a victim will be reduced by their degree of fault.
In addition, in cases involving defective products, usually it is a company that manufactures a product which results in brain injuries in a person. Product liability law states that the company and any person involved in the distribution chain can be held liable for the injuries.
If you would like more information about your traumatic brain injury case, speak to an experienced accident attorney at the Law Office of Steve Gimblin.