A significant amount of attention has recently been brought to head and brain injuries. These have become a focus of the healthcare community due to their severe nature and ability to impact patients and their families. Anyone with a traumatic brain injury understands the significant impacts on a patient’s quality of life. For this reason, everyone needs to understand the basics of traumatic brain injuries.

There are many ways that someone might suffer one of the numerous brain injuries. Examples include:

• Hypoxia: Hypoxia is an often overlooked cause of a traumatic brain injury. Someone without oxygen for even a few minutes could suffer severe brain damage. This could result from poor brain circulation or a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, such as drowning.
• Motor Vehicle Accidents: People can suffer a direct blow to the head in an auto accident. Whether it’s a motorcyclist falling from their bike or a truck accident where someone’s head strikes the dashboard, motor vehicle accidents can cause significant neurological trauma.
• Bicycle Accidents: Of course, bicyclists can suffer accidents as well. Sometimes, they must swerve out of a vehicle that came too close. Other times, they might get struck by a car and land on the pavement. Even though most cyclists know to wear a helmet, the extreme force could still lead to severe symptoms of traumatic brain injuries.

If there is a suspicion of a traumatic brain injury, the physician will rely on imaging scans for more information. A CT or MRI scan can reveal critical pieces of evidence, such as:

• Bleeding: Imaging scans are needed to check for bleeding in the patient’s brain. If bleeding is present, it fills the enclosed space of the skull. This could lead to increased levels of intracranial pressure, possibly causing herniation. Intervention must be performed immediately before this happens.
• Swelling: As with most injured tissues, the brain will swell in response to severe injuries. This results from cells flowing through the vessels to the injury location as they start the repair process. Unfortunately, the swelling also raises intracranial pressure, just as bleeding does.
• Nerve Damage: Imaging can also be used to grade diffuse axonal injury. This injury results from strong rotational forces that can cause the nerves to sheer. This type of damage lights up uniquely on scans and can help the physician localize the area of injury.

Even for a family with health insurance, there are still numerous bills that have to be covered, including:

• Surgical Costs: If a patient requires surgery, the family could still be on the hook for the deductible or coinsurance.
• Rehabilitation Costs: Because of the chronic nature of brain injuries, most patients require significant rehab upon discharge. Some insurance companies do not cover this.
• Lost Income: If patients cannot return to work after suffering a head injury, the lack of income could place a family under significant financial pressure.

If a patient has been injured due to the negligence of another party, they should be held accountable for their actions. An experienced Rio Linda brain injury lawyer can negotiate with insurance companies to receive a beneficial payout and ensure the other party is held accountable. They will even take the case to court if necessary. Rely on the experience of a professional to bring about a just outcome.

Watch the Youtube video below for an overview of a traumatic brain injury.

If you or someone you care about has suffered neurological trauma, please contact our Rio Linda brain injury lawyers today at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for friendly, free advice.

See our Verdicts and Settlements page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 7.5.23] dr bw [cs 642] Image by VSRao from Pixabay}