Assisting Victims Of Traumatic Brain Injuries In The Greater Houston Area
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can leave victims unable to work, unable to participate in activities they previously enjoyed, and even unable to perform basic personal tasks. An injury of this severity can also be financially crippling.
Table of Contents:
- Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
- What Are the Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury?
- Treatment for a Head Injury
- Compensation for Brain Injury Victims
- How a Houston Brain Injury Attorney Can Help You
- Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
If a person’s brain injury was caused by an accident or otherwise due to someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions, the victim deserves to be fully compensated for the losses they have suffered.
The Houston brain injury lawyers of Goldenzweig Law Group, PLLC have extensive experience handling these complex cases. Our team works closely with top-notch medical specialists to ensure our clients get the treatment and rehabilitative support they need. We take the time to do everything we can to give our clients the resources to move forward after debilitating brain injuries.
Call our firm today at (713) 609-1930 for a free case review. We can answer all your questions and explain your legal options for pursuing the financial compensation you need.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are classified into one of two categories: penetrating injuries and closed-head injuries. Penetrating injuries involve a puncture of the tissues surrounding the brain, such as from a bullet, knife, or shrapnel. Closed-head injuries do not involve any penetration of the surrounding tissues.
Damage that occurs to the brain may also be classified as a primary injury, which is suffered at the time the injury occurs, or a secondary injury, which involves changes to the brain that can last for hours, days, or longer.
Examples of primary injuries include:
- Hematomas, or bleeding and clotting resulting from a tear or rupture of a blood vessel
- Skull fractures
- Contusion, or bruising of the brain tissue
- Diffuse axonal injury, or shearing and tearing of the connections between nerve cells in the brain
Secondary injuries can include:
- Hypoxia or anoxia, or reduced or lack of oxygen being delivered to the brain
- Ischemia, or inadequate blood supply to the brain
- Edema, which results in increased pressure on the brain
- Hydrocephalus, or a dangerous accumulation of fluid around the brain
Common Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can result in a wide variety of symptoms, largely depending on the severity of the injury.
Signs and symptoms of mild TBIs can include:
- Brief loss of consciousness
- Feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused
- Dizziness
- Balance issues
- Headaches
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Speech problems
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Sleeping more than usual
- Problems falling asleep
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Sensory changes, including ringing sounds, blurred vision, changes to smell, or a bad taste in the mouth
- The onset of feelings of anxiety or depression
- Mood changes or swings
- Memory or concentration issues
Moderate to severe TBIs can result in symptoms including:
- Extended loss of consciousness up to several hours
- Coma
- Persistent or worsening headaches
- Persistent vomiting and nausea
- Seizures or convulsions
- Loss of coordination
- Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes
- Difficulties in being awoken from sleep
- Clear fluids running from the nose or ears
- Pupil dilation
- Profound confusion
- Slurred speech
- Unusual behaviors, such as agitation or combativeness
Head Injury Treatment Options
The proper treatment for a head or brain injury depends on the severity of the injury. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries usually require intensive treatment. Initial treatment begins with ensuring the brain has a sufficient blood oxygen supply and preventing additional injury to the brain, head, or neck.
Treatment options may include:
- Medications, including diuretics to reduce fluids in tissues and relieve pressure on the brain, coma-inducing drugs to reduce the brain’s need for oxygen while it heals from an injury, or anti-seizure medication
- Surgery, including procedures to remove blood clots, repair skull fractures, stop brain bleeds, or open a window in the skull to relieve pressure on the brain
Once a patient’s condition has stabilized, treatment focuses on rehabilitation to help them relearn lost physical and cognitive abilities, as well as develop adaptive techniques to cope with reduced capabilities.
Rehabilitation may include:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Recreational therapy
- Neuropsychology
- Mental health therapy
Even someone who has suffered a mild brain injury must still be monitored for signs of persistent or worsening symptoms, which may indicate a more severe injury than initially thought or a worsening injury.
Compensation for Brain Injury Victims
If your brain injury was caused by someone else’s actions or inaction, you may be entitled to significant compensation.
The losses and expenses you might be eligible to recoup include:
- Medical expenses, including future projected medical costs
- Physical, occupational, and/or speech rehabilitation
- Modifications to your home and/or vehicle to accommodate disabilities and physical difficulties caused by your brain injury
- Lost wages for the time you miss from work while recovering from your injury
- Lost earning capacity if your injury prevents you from returning to work or earning the same wage you made prior to your injury
- Pain and suffering, both emotional and physical, caused by your injury
- Loss of enjoyment of life due to inability to participate in hobbies and activities you previously enjoyed
In certain cases, it may also be possible to recover punitive, or “exemplary,” damages. Rather than compensate you for specific losses, punitive damages are awarded as a method of punishing the defendant for egregious negligence, gross misconduct, or intentional infliction of injury.
When Can You File a Personal Injury Claim After a Brain Injury?
You may be entitled to file a personal injury claim for a brain injury if it was caused by someone else’s actions or failure to act. This includes intentional and wrongful acts, like assault; recklessness, like driving drunk or speeding; or carelessness, like failing to address known hazards on private or commercial property.
If you believe someone else is at fault for your injury, you should consult with an experienced brain injury lawyer as soon as possible. Texas law limits the amount of time you have to file a brain injury lawsuit, so the sooner you speak with an attorney the better.
How Long Do You Have to File a Brain Injury Lawsuit?
The statute of limitations on most personal injury lawsuits in Texas, including brain injury cases, is two years. This means that you typically have just two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit against the liable party. If you do not file your lawsuit before the two-year statute of limitations expires, the court will most likely dismiss your case.
Sometimes, the statute of limitations may be deferred to two years from the date of discovery, or the date on which the injury was discovered or reasonably could have been discovered. This may be the case if you or your loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury but did not receive a diagnosis until a later date.
In any case, we encourage you to reach out to our Houston brain injury lawyers as soon as possible. The longer you wait to take legal action, the harder it can be to obtain important evidence critical to proving your case. When you contact Goldenzweig Law Group, PLLC, we will immediately schedule a consultation with you to discuss the specifics of your situation and get to work investigating your claim.
Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Any traumatic or violent force can result in a severe brain injury.
Some of the common causes of brain damage that we handle involve:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Work accidents
- Construction accidents
- Premises liability incidents
Many TBIs are the result of someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful conduct. When this is the case, victims and/or their families have the right to take legal action and seek financial compensation for their economic and non-economic damages.