Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Attorneys in Mobile, AL

The human brain is the body’s most unique and remarkable organ. To be sure, the brain is responsible for thinking, learning, reading, speaking, understanding, hearing, vision, planned muscle movements, balance, coordination, memory, emotion, creativity, and more. The body is designed in a way to protect the brain; as one of the body’s most vital organs, it is smartly protected by the skull.

While the human skull is extremely strong, it is not invincible. When a serious accident occurs, a severe blow to the head could result in a traumatic brain injury.

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can have a severe impact on a person’s life. If you have suffered a TBI as a result of an accident caused by the negligence of another party, you may have a cause for legal action. Please reach out to our Alabama personal injury lawyers to learn more.

What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a traumatic brain injury as “a disruption in the normal function of the brain,” and further explains that the disruption can be the result of a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or as the result of the penetration of the skull and brain. It is also possible for a person to suffer a traumatic brain injury as a result of oxygen deprivation, referred to as an anoxic or hypoxic brain injury.

There are multiple different types of traumatic brain injuries, and classifications are based on the cause of the TBI. These types and classifications include:

Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Our personal injury lawyers have helped brain injury victims who have suffered harm as a result of involvement in various accident types. Some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries include:

Severity of TBIs and Complications

A traumatic brain injury is typically classified in one of three ways; mild, moderate, or severe. A mild TBI will only result in a brief loss of consciousness (or perhaps no loss of consciousness at all) and will result in normal brain imaging results. A moderate TBI, on the other hand, can result in a prolonged loss of consciousness (between one and 24 hours) and abnormal brain imaging results. A severe TBI can have tragic consequences, resulting in a coma for at least 24 hours.

Moderate and severe TBIs may have long-term effects, including cognitive and communicative effects, psychosocial and emotional effects, and physical effects. Some of these effects include, but are not limited to, hearing or vision problems, loss of bowel or bladder control, balance and coordination issues, irritability, behavioral issues, depression, memory problems, confusion, and attention and concentration issues.

When a traumatic brain injury is serious, an affected person may suffer a number of forced lifestyle changes as a result. For example, relationships may suffer dramatically, as the affected person may no longer be able to maintain a relationship due to emotional and psychosocial complications. Or, the individual may lose their job, being prevented from returning to work due to cognitive or physical limitations.

Caregiving for a Loved One With a TBI

When a loved one suffers a traumatic brain injury, you may suddenly find yourself in a caregiving role. Caregivers are incredibly important for TBI patients, as they provide a sense of routine, ensure that physical and mental health needs are met, and assist with the healing process.

Spend Some Time Learning about TBIs

There’s a lot to learn about traumatic brain injuries, and it’s hard to take it all in when you’re in the middle of adjusting to your new normal.

Facilitate Physical and Mental Healing

It’s likely that your family member will be doing physical therapy, so make sure you help them with exercises as prescribed.

Avoid Limiting Their Independence

When you see someone you love struggling, it’s easy to step in and want to fix everything. This may cause you to provide more help than they need or even do everything for them. In reality, this isn’t helping. People want independence, especially when it has been taken from them forcefully, as is the case with a TBI. Instead of taking over every task, encourage your loved one to push their limits as they try to live as independently as possible.

Maximize Opportunities for Communication

Communication can be extraordinarily difficult for someone with a traumatic brain injury.

You Deserve Compensation After a TBI

There is no doubt that a serious traumatic brain injury can change your life, and the lives of those who love you. If you have suffered a TBI as a result of another party’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for the full extent of your losses. Our lawyers will aggressively advocate for you, working hard to ensure that you recover compensation for your medical expenses, costs associated with lifestyle adjustments related to your injury, lost wages and earning capacity, any property damage costs incurred, and the value of your pain, suffering, and other noneconomic losses.

We improve your chances of recovering your full settlement amount by thoroughly investigating your claim to identify the at-fault party, working with experts who can develop your case and help substantiate to your claim, calculating the full extent of the damages you have suffered, negotiating your settlement, and aggressively pursuing full damages at trial (if necessary).

Types and Levels of Brain Injuries

A wide range of injuries are considered traumatic brain injuries, and your specific diagnosis is a big part in determining your potential outcomes. Some common types of TBIs include:

• Concussions are relatively common after car accidents, falls, and other incidents. Compared to other types of traumatic brain injuries, concussions are generally fairly mild. However, more serious concussions can have lasting effects. On top of that, sustaining one concussion puts you at risk of further concussions.
• This injury refers to a bruise on the brain. This often happens when the brain hits the side of the skull as the result of a direct blow. It often results in brain swelling and bleeding. This type of injury can become severe or fatal very quickly, so it requires prompt medical attention and possibly surgical intervention.
• Coup-contrecoup. Many traumatic brain injuries only impact one side of the brain. A coup-contrecoup injury affects both sides. This puts more areas of the brain at risk of permanent damage. This type of injury may lead to swelling, bleeding, and permanent loss of function of some areas of the brain.
• Diffuse axonal. In most TBIs, damage is limited to a specific area impacted by the blunt force trauma. A diffuse axonal injury is one that causes widespread brain damage. It may occur when the brain experiences intense shaking, rotation, or jolts. The continued movement of the head causes the brain to hit the inside fo the skull over and over, leaving many parts of the brain damaged. This type of injury often occurs in car accidents.
• Penetrating injury. The other injuries described above are blunt injuries. Penetrating injuries occur when something breaks through the skull and damages brain tissue directly. These TBIs are extremely severe and require immediate medical intervention.

Call Our Alabama Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers Today

You may be entitled to compensation for the harm you’ve suffered as a result of a traumatic brain injury. To preserve your right to compensation, please call us as soon as possible; the statute of limitations for most Alabama personal injury cases is two years, and once this deadline passes, you may lose your right to file a lawsuit for damages. When you call our firm, we will immediately schedule your free consultation, where we will review your case and inform you of your legal rights and options.

Please reach us today by calling 800-574-4332. You can also send us a message telling us more about your case or visit our law office in Mobile in person.