Special Issues in Brain Injury Matters

Motor vehicle collisions and assaults are the most common traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes in the United States. Each year, these injuries kill over 50,000 Americans, mostly after a brain injury-induced suicide. One reason the fatality count is so high is that these injuries are difficult to diagnose and treat. More on that below.

Driver error, usually operator impairment or aggressive driving, causes about 98 percent of the car crashes in Texas. All assaults are intentional. The tortfeasor (negligent actor) may not intend to hurt the victim, but the tortfeasor intends to assault the victim.

A Sugar Land personal injury lawyer connects TBI victims with doctors who know how to diagnose and treat these injuries. Their experience greatly reduces the TBI fatality rate among victims who have lawyers. Generally, these medical professionals charge nothing upfront for their services.

Diagnosis

TBI victims often have no physical head injury symptoms. They usually don’t sustain a blow to the head. Furthermore, the initial illness symptoms are very generic.

Contrary to popular myth, the brain doesn’t fit snugly in the skull, like a hand in a glove. Instead, the skull is basically a water tank that suspends the brain, which isn’t much larger than a coffee mug, in a pool of cerebrospinal fluid. When a person falls and lands, the brain slams against the inside of the skull.

We feel this effect on a very low level when we pace back and forth and then feel more alert. Imagine the effect that a traumatic fall has on the brain. Instead of stimulation, this motion usually causes brain bleeding and swelling.

Many doctors look for physical signs of a blow to the head, such as a surface bruise or bleeding, to diagnose a TBI. But they won’t find such evidence, at least in most cases. Therefore, doctors often believe that vague TBI symptoms, such as confusion and neck soreness, are related to accident shock. This temporary condition goes away by itself. So, many victims go home with undiagnosed TBIs, and their injuries become progressively worse.

Treatment

TBI treatment usually includes a combination of surgery and therapy. Both treatment components are very complex, to say the least.

Only a few surgeons in Greater Houston can perform emergency brain surgery. Therefore, the medical bills in these cases are generally sky high. These doctors can basically charge whatever they want. A Missouri City personal injury lawyer obtains compensation for these medical bills, as outlined above.

The physical therapy timeline is on the other end of the scale. Brain injury physical therapy is a long and difficult process, mostly because dead brain cells don’t regenerate. Thus, a physical therapist must painstakingly teach uninjured parts of the brain to assume lost functions.

This process is long, and progress is usually uneven. Patients often experience a breakthrough after weeks or months of little or no progress. Insurance companies usually try to cut off funding when progress apparently stops, arguing that the victim has reached MMI (maximum medical improvement). An attorney advocates for victims and helps ensure that funding continues unabated.

Count on a Dedicated Harris County Attorney

Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Missouri City, contact the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.

Source:

cdc.gov/traumatic-brain-injury/data-research/index.html