It has been estimated that each year in America over one million people receive medical treatment as a result of a head injury. Many of these injuries are caused by car accidents as to get a head injury you do not have to be traveling at a very high rate of speed or even to actually hit your head to injure your brain.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can, and do, occur even at moderate speeds and without the head striking an object. Brain injuries can also occur due to falls on stairs, or off of a scaffold or ladder or even slipping on ice or another slippery surface.
The brain can suffer serious injury due to bruising, tearing, or swelling. For example, in a car accident a person’s brain may go from 45 miles per hour to zero in an instant and the soft tissue of the brain is propelled backwards and forwards against the very hard bone of the skull. This is called a coup and contra coup injury. The brain tissue is “squished" against the skull and blood vessels may tear and release blood into areas of the brain. As the skull is hard and does not expand there is no room for this extra blood so that the blood then begins to press on the very delicate brain tissue. With enough bleeding the brain stops working.
The unfortunate truth is that a person may suffer a head injury in a car accident and then seem fine soon after. But with any signs of a head injury, you must go to a hospital following a car accident as symptoms may be delayed and head injuries may require immediate care to avoid serious irreversible brain damage.
The important signs and symptoms to be aware of in any accident where the head was propelled backwards and forwards possible causing a brain injury are: headaches: pain in temples, forehead or back of the head: memory problems: forgetfulness: difficulty finding the right words: fatigue and get tired easily: emotional changes: depression: changes in sleep habits: difficulty sleeping: acting impulsively: difficulty concentrating: and visual disturbances.
Neuropsychological testing is also used for diagnosing a head injury. A neuropsychologist is a psychologist with advanced training in how brain injuries can affect a person’s behavior and intellect. The neuropsychologist’s testing will locate areas of the brain that may have been damaged and assist in planning treatment strategies to improve thinking in the damaged areas of the brain.
Other medical experts that help people deal with brain injuries are occupational therapists that can help with returning to work, and with everyday activities; a neuro-ophthalmologist has more advanced training in vision problems caused by a brain injury: a psychiatrist who is a physician who works with people who have emotional or behavioral problems who may prescribe medication or a psychologist who is not a physician and does not prescribe medications: a radiologist who is a physician who specializes in looking at X-rays, CT Scans or MRI’s.
Many brain injuries are on a microscopic level so that the injury may not show up on typical medical tests or even on a CT scan or an MRI which create pictures of the brain the good news ia that recently more specialized scans have become available that can often pinpoint the area of the brain that was injured which helps with getting the right diagnosis and treatment.
Since brain injuries are so serious, and can affect your entire life, it is not only important to look for the right doctors for the right treatment but the same is true for selecting an attorney to help you to obtain the compensation you are entitled to.
If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall, a fall from a ladder or on stairs, or suffered any head injury as a result of someone’s negligence and think you may have a case it is important for you to retain a law firm that has the experience in the field as well as the financial ability to retain the proper experts to both consult with and to testify on your behalf should your case proceed to trial.
With a brain injury in particular you may need many experts to explain your injury to a Court or jury, these may include, a neurologist, psychiatrist, radiologist, and a neuropsychologist, to explain your traumatic brain injury and how it has affected you, as well as an economist to compute your loss of earnings and future expenses, as well as a life care plan to figure out what assistance and treatment you will require for the rest of your life. You, therefore, should hire a law firm that has the experience as well as the financial resources to successfully handle your case so that they can hire the right experts to assist you in proving your case.
As long ago as 1984 the firm of Jaroslawicz & Jaros represented a lady who struck her head while a passenger in a taxi and then, almost a year later, developed Parkinson’s. With the assistance of qualified experts, we were able to successfully prove to a jury that she was suffering from traumatic Parkinson’s as a result of the car accident, even though the symptoms did not appear until a year later, and obtained a large verdict to compensate her. We believe that this was the first verdict in New York State to prove that Parkinson’s could be caused by the trauma suffered during a car accident.
Since then, we have handled many cases involving brain injuries suffered in car accidents, bicycle accidents, trips and falls, slips and falls, falls from ladders and scaffolds, falling ceilings in apartments, medical malpractice and many other causes.
If you or a family member have been seriously injured and suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, contact the experienced attorneys of Jaroslawicz & Jaros. For over 40 years, the lawyers at Jaroslawicz & Jaros have successfully represented many people who have suffered from brain injuries.
