Columbus Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) reports that approximately 1.7 million cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) occur in the U.S. every year. It’s further estimated that 5.3 million people live with a disability caused by a traumatic brain injury in the U.S. alone.
There are about 235,000 hospitalizations for traumatic brain injuries every year, which is more than 20 times the number of hospitalizations for spinal cord injuries.
What are Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Brain injuries are typically caused by three things:
- A blow to the head
- A penetrating head injury that interferes with brain functioning
- A jolt that causes the brain to hit the inside of the skull, causing bruising.
Traumatic brain injuries are often caused by someone’s negligence, typically during motor vehicle accidents, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
- ATV accidents
If you or a loved one sustained a brain injury in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation. The traumatic brain injury lawyers at GB Law, a personal injury law firm in Columbus, Ohio, can help you recover the compensation you deserve.
Contact GB Law now for a free case review with Columbus brain injury lawyers.
Why Hire a Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney in Columbus?
GB Law has over 35 years of experience settling and litigating Columbus brain injury cases.
In traumatic brain injury lawsuits and cases, we work with a team of top legal, medical, and vocational experts to determine the cause of an accident, the severity of injuries, and how those injuries will affect a person over the course of a lifetime to get our clients the fair compensation they deserve.
How Do You Prove Brain Damage?
Those who suffer skull fractures, loss of consciousness, and/or coma typically are diagnosed with severe injuries, with obvious physical impairments that are easily verified.
Because they have suffered objective physical injuries, their resulting impairments are readily accepted as having been caused by the initial impact.
Closed head injuries present unique challenges in litigation since they often demonstrate no obvious external symptoms of injury, even though the damage to the brain can be just as severe.
Despite this challenge, our experienced team of Columbus traumatic brain injury attorneys can help prove brain damage by pointing out other effects associated with TBIs as well as compiling evidence to strengthen your case.
How are Traumatic Brain Injuries Diagnosed?
An official diagnosis can be used as strong evidence for brain and head injuries.
The diagnosis of a brain injury is usually made based on psychological testing, imaging scans (such as CT scans and MRIs), and observations. In some cases, victims of brain injury may not notice effects, signs, or symptoms until days after the accident.
That is why it is important to seek medical attention right away after an accident. Insurance companies will use any gaps in medical care and treatment to deny compensation.
What are the Effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury?
One significant hurdle after traumatic brain injury is memory loss. The mind’s capacity to receive, store, and retrieve information is affected.
Loss of short-term memory is more common than loss of recall for older information.
One may remember a birthday or childhood event, but can’t remember what happened in a TV show that they have been watching or what happened a few pages earlier in a book they are reading.
This can have devastating effects on one’s ability to function in daily life.
Beyond memory loss, some of the effects that may result due to a TBI include:
- Decreased muscle control, paralysis, or weakness
- Seizures, occurring immediately after impact or that are latent for months or even years after the initial trauma
- Sensory losses
- Difficulty speaking or swallowing
- Loss of motor control or weakness of one arm or leg
- Loss of functioning on one side of the body (hemiparesis)
- Loss of ability to plan movements of arms or legs and poor coordination
- Changes in intellectual functioning
- Personality changes
- Mood swings and emotions
- Decreased balance and endurance
- Poor or little sleep
- Depression
- Difficulty paying attention
How Do Hospitals Treat Traumatic Brain Injuries in Columbus?
Medications for brain injury treatment may include:
- Anti-anxiety medications
- Antidepressants
- Muscle relaxants
- Stimulants
- Anticonvulsants
- Anticoagulants
Therapies often needed for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation and treatment include:
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Cognitive therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Vestibular therapy
- Psychological counseling
- Vocational therapy
What Damages Can You Claim for a TBI in Columbus, Ohio?
Brain injuries are expensive injuries, causing not just medical bills but also the loss of earning capacity due to hospitalization and, in severe cases of serious brain injury, permanent disability.
The lifetime cost of treating a traumatic brain injury can be millions of dollars.
For those adults who suffer a traumatic brain injury, the unemployment rate two years after diagnosis is 60 percent.
Many people who had productive, successful jobs are simply no longer able to work. For their spouses and children, the financial impact of the loss of income may be devastating.
Brain injury lawsuits seek to recover all accident-related medical expenses and future care, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation with a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer in Columbus
GB Law offers a free consultation for brain injury victims and their family members to review a potential case for legal options and applicable time limits for filing claims (also known as the statute of limitations).