Brain injury is a traumatic, debilitating, and often life-threatening consequence of a traffic accident. It can involve a pedestrian thrown to the ground after impact, a bicyclist, a motorcycle rider, or a motorist. Until proven otherwise, no brain injury is trivial or should be managed without a thorough medical examination. Since over 2.9 million Americans suffer a brain injury accident annually, it is essential to consult a brain injury attorney in Red Bluff who is experienced and has the resources to provide successful representation.

At AutoAccident.com, we have been working with brain injury accident clients since 1982 to help them receive the compensation they deserve. Traumatic brain injury is a complex area, and only an experienced brain injury attorney with in-depth knowledge and the ability to consult with medical experts can give their clients what they need.

No one goes through a traumatic brain injury by themselves. Family members suffer along with their loved ones in this type of trauma. We welcome family members to provide input, and we strive to give them practical ways to help the brain-injured person during their recovery.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from an unexpected, sudden blow to the head or the body. Since the human brain is fragile, this can cause dangerous consequences. For the most part, traumatic brain injuries do not penetrate the skull, although some do. This can be caused by a sharp fragment, including a part of the skull shattered in an accident.

Brain injuries can also happen when the head is jolted or bumped. Depending on the severity of the impact, the TBI may range from a mild concussion to hemorrhage into the brain. A traumatic brain injury can result in disturbing but non-disruptive symptoms to those that cause significant disability.

Each area of the brain controls certain bodily functions. The areas are referred to as lobes. A TBI’s symptoms depend on the damaged portion of the brain. For instance:

• Frontal lobes: As expected, this is the area behind the forehead. It is directly behind the skull. The problem is that the skull’s interior has many hard edges that can damage the brain when it ricochets into it. This portion of the brain controls problem-solving, planning, and organizational skills. It also helps us maintain our emotions. After an injury, these skills can be lost or altered.
• Parietal lobes: This area is located behind the frontal lobes and toward the top of the brain. This portion of the brain controls sensations and our ability to discern them from various body parts. It helps orient us and allows us to walk without hitting objects. After an injury, an individual may be unable to find different body areas.
• Temporal lobes: This is in the area above the ears and runs the same path as the earpieces on a pair of glasses. These lobes control certain types of memory and recognition of various sounds. It also lets us produce and understand speech. After an injury, a person finds facial recognition difficult and may have hearing and language problems.
• Occipital lobe: This lobe is located at the back of the head. It involves receiving and understanding visual images, colors, and shapes. After an injury, people experience visual field defects and distorted shapes, colors, and sizes.

There are different types of brain injury. Some of the most common are:

• Concussion: The blow that causes a concussion makes the brain move back and forth within the skull. This twisting and bouncing can cause the brain tissue to be stretched and damaged. It is mild compared to some of the other types of brain injuries. However, it is still severe. Some symptoms are headache, loss of consciousness, nausea, slurred speech, impaired balance, confusion, and mood changes.
• Epidural hematoma: This is a blood collection between the brain and the membrane covering it. It often occurs in young adults. The trauma is followed by unconsciousness, alertness, and a period of deterioration, leading to the second period of unconsciousness. The person is often drowsy, and on a physical exam, one pupil is bigger than the other. They have a severe headache and vomiting accompanied by nausea.
• Subdural hematoma: Here, the blood accumulates between two layers of the meninges or layers covering the brain. It is caused when the blood vessels bleed after a trauma. Some cases will resolve over two weeks, while others will require surgical treatment since the accumulating blood puts pressure on the brain.
• Intracerebral bleeding: This is caused by bleeding into the brain due to a ruptured blood vessel. Symptoms include headache, vomiting and nausea, tingling of the face, arm and leg, and paralysis.

Watch the video below to learn more about traumatic brain injury symptoms and treatments.

The cost of a traumatic brain injury depends on the type and how long an individual must remain in the hospital. Long-term hospitalization is often followed by months of rehabilitation. For some, the TBI will require life-long care at home or in a facility.

Brain injuries are costly due to the high expense of medical care and lost wages. This is a devastating event for most families. If the TBI was caused by negligence, it is possible to recoup the cost of such treatment and the pain and suffering the person experiences.

Most families are unable or are ill-equipped to deal with insurance companies during this period. Your attorney will fight for your right to receive financial compensation. By doing this, the at-fault party will have to pay financially for their reckless behavior, drunkenness, or the effects of drugs in an auto accident.

In many cases, the insurance company will refuse to do the right thing. Instead, they offer a meager sum shortly after the accident, assuming the injured party is too ill and the family too overwhelmed to see what they are doing. Your attorney will see it and use his or her skill to make them reconsider. If they don’t, the case will proceed to a civil court.

Our investigators are sent to determine how and why the accident happened. If it was a car accident, one of the most common causes of TBI, they would start at the crash scene.

They will interview witnesses, obtain crash videos, and review police reports for mistakes. Using accident reconstruction techniques, they will determine liability. Medical experts are brought in to elaborate on the injured party’s prognosis, making it possible to decide on the needed compensation.

The investigators will release the compiled data to our lawyers. The attorneys will then use it to build a strong case for our client.

You need a lawyer if you or a family member has suffered a brain injury. Contact us at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400. We will give you free and friendly advice without any obligation on your part. We guarantee you will not be charged unless your case is won.

We’ve helped Red Bluff residents and others in Northern California since 1982 in all types of car accidents, motorcycle injuries, and other traumatic events.

See our Settlements and Verdicts.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 9.8.23] Photo by: Sebastian023 / CC BY-SA cd cha [cs 1244]}