The area around Crescent City, CA, in Del Norte County, is beautiful and conducive to outdoor sports and motoring. Trails and roads winding through the countryside are excellent, yet driving too fast or encountering a negligent motorist happens all too frequently, resulting in accidents and injuries.

A car accident on Highway 101 or a slip and fall at a commercial business can happen instantly, changing your life considerably. When that happens, you might suffer a severe brain injury and be unable to work. Today’s medical bills are astronomical; time spent in the hospital is costly, and most brain injuries require lengthy stays. The only way to stay financially solvent for many individuals is to file a personal injury lawsuit with a Crescent City brain injury attorney at your side.

AutoAccident.com’s staff and legal team are here for you after a brain injury accident. Don’t think you and your family must go through this challenging time alone. We will investigate your accident, answer your questions, and give you options at the free, no-obligation case review in person, on the phone, or virtually. Once you retain us, we will talk to the insurance company for you, investigate the accident, and do everything we can to resolve your case successfully. In addition, you won’t pay a thing until you win. Call us at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400. If it is easier for you, contact us online.

Brain injuries are more common than most people think. Yearly, 1.5 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury. Of these, 232,000 individuals survive after being hospitalized, and 50,000 die. In addition, approximately 80,000 to 90,000 people become disabled long-term due to the TBI.

While anyone can suffer a traumatic brain injury, the highest incidence is among teens, young adults, and those over 75, with males having the greatest TBIs. There is no way to predict the outcome of a TBI. However, the impact intensity, the age of the individual, and the type of accident are helpful in this assessment.

Traumatic brain injuries happen for various reasons, ranging from a blow to the head while playing sports to tripping on an uneven mat at the grocery store or a car accident. The top three categories are:

• Motor vehicle collisions: This type of accident leads to the greatest hospitalizations.
• Falls: This category results in numerous TBIs, especially among the elderly.
• Assaults: Injuries related to an assault, especially with a firearm, are the most common reason for a TBI.

TBIs’ economic cost is astronomical, estimated to be $48.3 billion a year in the United States. Out of this amount, $31.7 billion pays for hospitalization, and $16.6 billion covers the expenses of fatal incidents.

Many individuals can no longer work due to a traumatic brain injury and lose their health coverage due to escalating premiums and caps. Because of lost income, they may find it challenging to maintain household finances and lose their savings. That is why a personal injury lawsuit is essential after suffering a TBI. Getting legal advice from your traumatic brain injury attorney in Crescent City is invaluable.

The type of traumatic brain injury you suffer influences the outcome and the need for hospitalization, treatment, and level of disability. They include:

• Concussions: This type of TBI ranges in terms of severity. For instance, a mild concussion usually responds to rest and analgesics. At the same time, a more severe one can be symptomatic for a more extended period and result in more significant disability. Symptoms include headache, loss of cognitive function, memory loss, and others.
• A hematoma is a blood collection between one of the three protective membranes covering the brain and itself. The name of the hematoma changes depending on which protective membrane is involved and the blood collection location. Usually, blood collection needs to be surgically removed, but under certain circumstances, it may resolve on its own.
• Intracerebral hemorrhage: This is a bleed inside the brain. The outcome depends on the extent of the bleed and where it is located, and surgical intervention is usually warranted.
• Diffuse axonal injury: This type of TBI is often the most damaging. It occurs when the axons that facilitate communication between nerve cells are heard, and nerve impulses flow is curtailed. Depending on the extent of the injury, severe and often life-threatening disabilities result.

If negligence caused a head injury, the injured party can file a personal injury lawsuit. This is a way to recover all financial damages associated with the TBI and protect the person’s financial well-being. In addition, the cost of traumatic brain injury treatment is high, and the average Californian does not have auto insurance coverage that will pay for it. The following are the damages that a personal injury lawsuit can recover:

• Medical expenses include ambulance transportation, emergency room costs, and physician billing. It also includes medications, X-rays, surgery, and various tests, and the cost of hospital rooms and nursing care. In addition, out-of-pocket costs such as transportation to and from the doctor’s office are covered.
• Lost wages: When the injured individual cannot return to work, whether for a limited time or a prolonged period, the wages they would have earned are recoverable. In addition, if the TBI makes it impossible for the person to do the same job and requires a lower-paying position, the difference in salary is recoverable.
• Benefits: Various benefits and job perks lost due to a brain injury are recoverable.
• Loss of consortium: A spouse can file a concurrent claim for loss of the joy and physical comfort ordinarily provided by the injured party.
• Pain and suffering: The TBI patient’s emotional and psychological anguish is recoverable.
• Punitive damages: If the accident was caused by extraordinary negligence or an egregious act, the plaintiff (injured party) could request punitive damages. These damages are usually more significant than others and are meant to punish the at-fault party.

Selecting an injury lawyer is not always easy. Please take a moment to watch the following video about choosing a personal injury lawyer presented by attorney Ed Smith:

Your Crescent City brain injury lawyer can review your claim during a free case review, answer all your questions, and give you your options going forward. We investigate the accident to determine fault and liability using various investigative techniques to interview witnesses. Gathering evidence is an essential phase of the legal process, and it is used to build a strong case against the at-fault party.

Your injury attorney in Crescent City will work on a contingency basis throughout the lawsuit, which means you won’t be charged until you win. This helps clients already suffering from the financial trauma associated with the accident.

If you or a family member has suffered a traumatic brain injury, you have the right to be compensated for the financial drain it brought about. Call us at  (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 to set up a free case review in person or virtually.

We have helped Crescent City residents since 1982 with motorcycle accidents and wrongful death cases, as well as other traumatic events, obtain the compensation they deserve.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 10.6.23] Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels cd [1288] bw}