Did you or someone you love recently suffer a traumatic brain injury? Are you unsure what you should do next? It’s worth it to reach out to an experienced traumatic brain injury lawyer, one who has handled many of these cases before. Traumatic brain injuries, or “TBIs,” are all too common, often resulting in serious injuries, as well as temporary or even permanent disability.
At Belal Hamideh Law, our goal is always to provide expert and aggressive legal representation to help you to receive all of the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
Over the years, our award-winning traumatic brain injury lawyer has helped so many who were going through exactly what you are now. Unfortunately, these injuries don’t just affect the victims, they also affect their families and loved ones as well. We’ve helped them to receive settlements in the tens of millions of dollars for their injuries and can work to do the same for you. For a free consultation, contact us today.
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury and What Can Cause It?
Essentially, a traumatic brain injury is any injury to the brain that’s a result of trauma. For the most part, these are physical injuries that happen suddenly. A majority of them are severe enough that immediate medical attention from an experienced professional is required. Frequently, they’re a result of collisions, jolts, and sudden impact to the head or, alternatively, to the body that directly impacts the brain.
A traumatic brain injury is not the same as an “acquired brain injury” or “ABI.” Those are a result of a pre-existing condition, an illness, or something similar. Examples of ABIs include tumors, strokes, an infection in the brain, inflammation, brain cancer, and the like. While there is overlap between the two, TBIs tend to be a direct result of head trauma.
The most common causes of TBIs are slip and fall injuries. Roughly 600,000 of those occur annually. Traffic collisions are another common cause of TBIs, at a number of basically 300,000 every year. However, TBIs are also all too commonly caused by other vehicular accidents (such as those involving trucks, motorcycles, and the like), in addition to falling objects, debris, and so forth.
Violent crimes, such as assault and battery, shootings, and similar are all common causes of TBIs. No matter how your TBI occurred, if it was a result of someone else’s recklessness or negligence, we can help you to get the compensation you deserve.
The 3 Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
TBIs can occur in any number of ways, but no matter how they occur, there are three specific types. We’ve successfully represented so many clients who have suffered each kind of brain injury and can do the same for you, regardless of which type you have.
Brain Contusion
In this context, “brain contusion” just means that there’s a bruise of the brain tissue. However, unfortunately, a brain contusion can be significantly worse than a bruise you may have gotten on your skin. Bruises, no matter where they are, are a result of small blood vessels breaking open and leaking. That’s why, for example, bruises on your skin are blue. On your brain, these contusions can build unsustainable pressure.
These can happen any time your brain sustains a significant impact: an accident, a slip and fall, something hits your head – anything. Hopefully, a brain contusion is minor, but it can be unfortunately severe as well. They could make you feel everything from tired to confused, to emotionally distressed, to agitated, or even cause you to lose consciousness or be unable to achieve oxygenation.
Concussion
Concussions occur when there’s a significant impact to your head. They could be a result of shaking, a rapid, unexpected change (such as whiplash). Even a “small” concussion (or one that can’t be seen in an imaging test) can have serious consequences. They could cause memory loss, leaving you disoriented, or even leave you unable to concentrate. The more concussions you‘ve sustained, the worse they can be.
Penetration
Simply put, these are injuries where something pierces and/or breaks through your skull. They could potentially cause hair, skin, skull fragments, or even an object to make contact with the brain. These are very serious injuries, which could result from a vehicular accident, an unfortunate slip and fall, or even a sports-related injury. The leading cause of death by TBI is a gunshot wound to the head.
Symptoms Associated with Traumatic Brain Injuries
It’s important to note that not all traumatic brain injuries leave visible signs. There may not be a cut, a bruise, or anything similar on the head. However, there are certain symptoms that can be obvious and apparent. Remember: if you believe that there is any chance whatsoever that you may have suffered a traumatic brain injury, get medical attention. The sooner the better. Sometimes, the symptoms don’t reveal themselves for a few days.
The physical symptoms of a TBI can include a headache that’s persistent, that won’t go away. Your speech may slur, you may notice changes in vision, or even that your pupils have different sizes. A clear fluid could leak from your ears or nose and you may feel dizzy, uncoordinated, tired, or drowsy. You may be hypersensitive to sound or lose your hearing. Seizures, numbness in your extremities, convulsions, nausea, and vomiting are all clear signs that you need medical help.
That said, there are other, non-physical signs that you may have suffered a TBI as well. They include behavior that’s unusual, that’s “not like you.” You could feel agitated, restless, confused, and just have difficulty concentrating. One we’ve seen too often: a difficulty in recognizing places or even people that they know. Again, if you believe there’s any chance you’ve suffered a TBI, get medical help as quickly as possible.
How Can I Prove a Traumatic Brain Injury?
To receive compensation, you have to prove that you have one of these injuries and you also have to prove that another party caused it. We can help with both. In terms of the former, we can provide access to an independent, experienced doctor that you can trust. They’ll be able to give you a thorough examination, corroborating your injuries definitively.
The doctor can prove you were injured and we can prove that the other party was responsible. Our experienced investigators can provide a thorough, comprehensive investigation to determine what really happened. Reconstructing crash sites, gathering witness testimony, acquiring police reports, medical reports, and more – we have many different ways of proving that your injuries are someone else’s fault. Armed with all of that, we can represent you aggressively, getting you the compensation you deserve.
How Much is a Traumatic Brain Injury Worth?
You can receive compensation for a TBI in the state of California through either a settlement or a verdict. A strong majority of our cases are settled before they go to court. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that we have a reputation. Insurance companies and their lawyers understand that they have to deal with us fairly for fear of what could happen in court.
It’s difficult to give a set “average” TBI injury settlement because any injury settlements made outside of court are private. That said, the average California brain injury verdict was, last year, around $1.6 million, which is higher than the national average of $1.4 million. Now, that number may be skewed by some of the higher verdicts. But, here at Belal Hamideh Law, we have a proven track record of helping our TBI clients to recover large settlements for everything they’ve had to go through.
There are two kinds of compensation that you may receive: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include compensation for your medical expenses as a result of the injury, any medications, therapy, treatment, even assisted living expenses, and the like. These economic damages can also include any wages you may have lost on account of being unable to work your job due to the injury. Property damage to your vehicle, home, or the like, can be covered by this as well.
Non-economic damages can provide you with compensation for your pain and suffering as well as any mental anguish that you may have gone through. If you’ve suffered any loss of enjoyment of life or loss of consortium, then you can receive compensation for that as well.
Unfortunately, some die as a result of their traumatic brain injuries. In such cases, we can recover compensation for wrongful death as well. In some cases, in certain circumstances, punitive damages can come into play as well. Here at Belal Hamideh Law, we can help you to recover all of the compensation you deserve.
How Much is the Payout for California’s Workers Comp?
With so many variables going into a TBI that’s suffered on the job, it’s not easy to determine an average or median payout. That said, workers comp claims that involve head and brain injuries can be some of the most costly. The range can be, for the most part, anywhere from $75,000 to $205,000. It’s important to note that you may also receive far more than that as well.
In these cases, workers’ comp could cover the medical treatment you may need, counseling, rehabilitation, occupational disability, and more. If your injury leads to you being unable to return to your job (or return in the same capacity) your workers’ comp may include training for a new job that you can do.
Beyond workers’ comp, it’s important to note that, should you have suffered a head injury at work, you may also qualify for Social Security Disability, short-term or long-term disability, or you may also be best served by filing a personal injury lawsuit as well against your employer or some other third-party. We can help you to determine the best course of action.
Book a Free Consultation with a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
Traumatic brain injuries are some of the most challenging, difficult injuries that a person can ever suffer. Even a mild or seemingly minor injury can lead to serious, long-term symptoms and problems. If you or someone you love suffered such an injury due to another person’s actions, you deserve to be represented by an experienced Long Beach traumatic brain injury lawyer who has won these kinds of cases before.
Here at Belal Hamideh Law, we’ve helped so many to receive the compensation they deserve. Most of our cases do settle out of court but, if that’s the best way to help you receive what you should, we’re always glad to stand up for our clients in court. If you believe you may have a case, it’s worth it to reach out to a traumatic brain injury lawyer. To make it easier, we offer free consultations. Se Habla Español. For a free consultation, contact us today.