Van Dyke Law, LLC’s Connecticut and Massachusetts traumatic brain injury lawyer has handled numerous matters involving injury claims arising from brain damage and the life altering changes caused by a traumatic brain injury.
The brain is the command center of our body, although unfortunately it is one part of the body which can sustain extreme injuries. More studies are emerging which indicate the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries after continuous blows to the head, most likely found in extreme sports. However, severe accidents can also produce similar effects to the brain and nervous system.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that around 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur each year. Most traumatic brain injuries are due to a bump on the head, jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury, caused by the following:
- Car accidents
- Work accidents
- Sports accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Medical malpractice
While traumatic brain injuries can range from mild to severe, around 30% of traumatic brain injuries lead to death.
Unfortunately, most traumatic brain injuries begin as a concussion. Concussions are unfortunately not recognized right away as a serious health condition, but can often lead to a traumatic brain injury within a matter of hours without medical care. Severe concussions can occur in simple friendly soccer matches, or in fender benders and seem to only daze the person initially, slowly developing into a severe headache over a few hours in extreme situations. While not every concussion turns into a traumatic brain injury, it is important to check on any type of medical brain injury as soon as it happens.
Children under the age of 4, teenagers between the age of 15 and 19, and older adults aged 65 and older are the most likely age groups to receive a traumatic brain injury. Many of these situations are unavoidable to the victim and involve an outside party acting in a negligent or reckless manner to cause an accident.
Traumatic brain injuries often impact the following mental functions:
- Attention, memory, or other cognitive functions
- Motor functions such as balance
- Sensation
- Altered emotions
Emotional outbursts are unfortunately some of the worst by-products of a traumatic brain injury. The brain itself may function in an ordinary way after the injury, but alter the person’s psyche in such a way that they become a completely different person. This type of traumatic brain injury can drastically impact the family dynamic, as well as any ability to hold a full-time job or return to society, despite all other functioning motor skills.
Traumatic brain injuries often involve costly medical procedures and can require ongoing medical care. According to the CDC, medical costs and other indirect costs from traumatic brain injuries totaled $76.5 billion in 2000 throughout the United States. The victim of a traumatic brain injury should not be forced to pay these costs on their own.
Van Dyke Law, LLC’s Connecticut and Massachusetts Personal Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one have received a traumatic brain injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Van Dyke Law, LLC’s Connecticut and Massachusetts traumatic brain injury lawyer is well experienced in assisting clients who have been the victims of traumatic brain injuries. Contact our West Hartford, Glastonbury, or Enfield office today for your initial free consultation.