Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can have far-reaching effects, impacting every aspect of a person’s life. It is essential to recognize that not all brain injuries are immediately apparent, and their impact can be profound. When a loved one experiences a TBI, it not only affects their own life but also significantly impacts their family and support network.

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident in or near Vallejo, seeking legal guidance and support is crucial. Contact our experienced brain injury attorneys at (707) 564-1900 to schedule a free consultation. During this consultation, we will listen to the details of your case, assess the circumstances of the accident, and provide you with valuable advice and guidance.

Our compassionate team understands the complexities of brain injury cases and their unique challenges. We are dedicated to helping you understand your rights and pursuing the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Our expertise and experience allow us to navigate the legal process on your behalf, advocating for your best interests.

Time is of the essence in such cases, as there may be deadlines for filing a claim. By contacting our law firm, you are taking a proactive step towards seeking justice and obtaining the support you need. We are here to provide you with the guidance, resources, and legal representation necessary to navigate the complexities of a traumatic brain injury case.

Some of the most common symptoms of a head injury include:

• Reduced mobility: Unable to stand, require the use of a walker.
• Loss of strength: Unable to use arms, hands, or legs.
• Decreased cognitive function: Forgetful changes to short and long-term memory.
• Amplified or diminished sensations: Unable to feel, taste, hear, or ring in ears.

To make things worse, the physical symptoms of a traumatic brain injury are rarely the same from one TBI patient to another. The realization of physical and emotional symptoms varies greatly, as will the current and ongoing costs of providing care.

Traumatic Brain Injuries that result from someone else’s negligence often provide legal circumstances that allow victims to receive cash awards that help to pay for the care required in the wake of a TBI. It does not matter if the negligent person is a civilian, a government employee, or a business. When innocent people are hurt due to negligent actions, they become responsible for current and future medical care costs. It also does not matter what the mechanism of injury was:

• Car Accident
• Construction site accident
• A crash involving a tractor-trailer
• An injury from a slip-and-fall incident

The negligent action of another has significantly changed the quality of a victim’s life. It does not matter if the injury was accidental or resulted from purposeful action. What does matter is that an individual with a traumatic brain injury has more difficulty with:

• Making money or working at a job
• Providing for their family
• Enjoying life
• Participating in healthy relationships

A person with a traumatic brain injury is not the only victim in their family; their entire family is the victim.

While it is easy to see why a person with a TBI is entitled to compensation from those who caused the injury, receiving compensation is not easy. Because the impact of a TBI is difficult to prove, and nobody is sure what exactly the effects of a TBI are or how long they will last, victims need a qualified, experienced, and tenacious attorney to represent their case.

This is a process that requires the aggressive pursuit of your financial future. It is not about making you rich. It is about funding your future so that lost income is replaced, current and future medical expenses are covered, and the pain, suffering, endless frustration, and mental shock of dealing with physical and emotional limitations are offset by a financial recovery.

Traumatic Brain Injury is a medical term that means that some form of brain damage has occurred due to a head injury. In its most simplistic form, TBI falls into one of two categories. Those are:

• Open Head Injury: Sometimes referred to as a penetrating head injury, it occurs when the skull’s bones are compromised, and an object penetrates the bone and damages the brain. Statistically, this is the most frequent type of brain injury. Examples might include bullets, glass from a vehicle accident, and even the bones of your skull because of the force of impact from a motor vehicle accident or injuries sustained during a fall.
• Closed Head Injury: The skull remains intact, and no foreign object enters the brain. This type of brain injury occurs when our body stops suddenly, and inertia causes our brain to slam inside our skull. An example is vehicle accidents, especially rear-end accidents, where the body is thrown forward, stopped by the seatbelt or windshield, and thrown backward. The brain first slams into the front of the skull when the body’s forward motion stops and then slams into the back when the backward movement is halted by the seat. Closed head injuries are either termed focal or diffused. A focal brain injury is located at just one spot on the brain, and a diffused brain injury affects tissue and brain cells in more than one area.

• Tearing: physical tears in the brain’s tissue. They range from microscopic to barely visible, even with an MRI.
• Bruising: Bruising is bleeding between layers of tissues, such as a hematoma or pooled blood that leaks outside the brain and causes excess pressure on the brain’s soft tissue.
• Swelling: This is a healing reaction from the body’s attempt to heal the brain. Extra blood is sent to the brain to deliver additional oxygen and provide the tools needed for mending, building new cells, and healing. Swelling is dangerous because the brain is in a closed case, and too much swelling of the brain results in permanent damage and even death.

Any accident, negligent event, or violent crime can lead to a TBI. The mechanism of injury may be a simple fall or as complex as a motor vehicle accident. Even repetitive injuries can lead to TBI, and examples include sports injuries. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the highest TBI cause – 40.5 percent – is from falls. Ten percent of TBIs result from violence, and 19 percent are caused by unknown factors. Motor Vehicle accidents surprisingly cause only 14.3 percent of TBI, while 15.5 percent of TBI is caused when our head is struck against or by an object.

Negligent actions such as the following can cause a brain injury:

• Texting or talking on the phone while driving
• Impaired driving due to alcohol or drug use
• Unsafe driving or breaking traffic laws
• Construction work accidents or when debris from a construction site falls onto a pedestrian
• Lack of protection such as a helmet by a bicyclist or those who ride motorcycles as directed by the law
• Medical accidents and malpractice, including events that lead to cerebral palsy
• Unsafe sports events, failure of refs to create a safe sporting environment
• Anesthesiology malpractice due to errors
• Violence or violent crimes that are linked to poor safety standards
• Semi-truck accidents that involve unsafe driving, fatigue, or falling asleep while driving, rollovers
• Ejection from a vehicle, not wearing a seatbelt, malfunctioning vehicle safety equipment
• Patient abuse and nursing home violations
• Injuries from defective products

The list of potential causes of negligence is long. The responsible party could be another person, a business, a civic employee, or even a business or governmental agency.

The CDC considers TBI the cause of 30 percent of deaths following an accident, breaking into nearly 140 TBI daily. About 300,000 people are admitted to a hospital each year because of a TBI, while 50,000 people lose their lives because of a TBI.

Sadly, it is not getting any safer. In the last decade, there was a 70 percent increase in ER visits due to TBI and an 11 percent increase in hospital admissions because of TBI.

Watch the video below for more information on the new technology and treatments for a TBI-related injury.

If you have experienced a traumatic brain injury in Vallejo, we are here to support you. Contact our law firm today at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 to discuss the details of your accident. Our compassionate team of personal injury attorneys understands the challenges you may be facing and is ready to evaluate your TBI case. We are dedicated to providing free and friendly advice to help you navigate your situation and determine the best course of action. Your well-being is our priority, and we are committed to assisting you in seeking the justice and compensation you deserve for your traumatic brain injury. See our past case results on our Verdicts and Settlement page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 6.13.23] Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay [cs 1509]}

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