Griffin Law Firm is a metro Atlanta personal injury law firm that specializes in handling personal injury claims involving brain injuries.  Traumatic brain injuries occur quite frequently in the United States and around the world.  The most common cause of traumatic brain injuries is from motor vehicle accidents (car wrecks, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, falls, etc.).  Traumatic brain injuries often are not diagnosed immediately because they often are not immediately evident in the brain MRI scans and CT scans.  However, if you or someone you know has suffered from a traumatic brain injury, then you know that these injuries destroy lives in a horrible way.  Victims of traumatic brain injuries often can no longer care for themselves.  Family members and medical professionals often must teach people who have suffered severe traumatic brain injuries how to walk, talk, take baths, eat, think, problem solve, and other daily activities we all take for granted.

Griffin Law Firm has had great success in handling claims involving traumatic brain injuries.  Call us today at 866-847-6545 for a free consultation regarding your personal injury claim.  You can also use the “What Is My Case Worth?” form to submit your case to us for a free settlement evaluation.

HOW MANY TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES HAPPEN EVERY YEAR?  The answer is astonishing. Every year 1,500,000 Americans suffer from traumatic brain injury every year. This means that someone has a traumatic brain injury every fifteen seconds. Since the number of traumatic brain injuries is so high, it is not surprising that traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death for people who are younger than forty-five years of age. Since you only get “one bite of the apple” meaning your settlement or jury verdict is final, it is very important that you call the personal injury lawyers at the Griffin Law Firm for a free consultation. Injured victims of motor vehicle accidents, on-the- job accidents, slip and fall accidents are at the adjuster’s mercy if they do not have the protection of a trained and experienced personal injury lawyer.

HOW OFTEN DO TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES OCCUR?  The Brain Injury Association Of America found that Traumatic Brain Injuries occurred far, far more frequently than multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, HIV/AIDS, or breast cancer in 2002. It is critical for people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury that they seek medical treatment as soon as possible to avoid additional brain injury from swelling and fluid on the brain. Many people who are injured in accidents do not have their brain injury documented because they do not seek the treatment and evaluation of neurologists, neuro-surgens, psychiatrists, and other trained professionals.

1. Sixty-one percent of all traumatic brain injuries result from Motor vehicle accidents (car wrecks, car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents). The personal injury attorneys at Griffin Law Firm specialize in handling personal injury claims involving brain injuries and other serious injuries.
   
   
2. Eight percent of all traumatic brain injuries occur from on-the-job accidents. On the job accidents often lead to valid worker’s compensation claims.
   
   
3. Six percent of the yearly traumatic brain injures result for falls.
   
   
4. Three percent of traumatic brain injuries occur in bicycle accidents.
   
   
5. Two percent of all traumatic brain injuries are caused by anoxic events. Anoxic means the person suffered a brain injury due to lack of oxygen.
   
   
6. Seven percent of all traumatic brain injuries are caused by illness.
   
   
7. Three percent of all traumatic brain injuries are caused by a physical assault or attack.
   
   
8. One percent of all traumatic brain injuries are caused by sports related accidents.
   
   
9. Nine percent of traumatic brain injuries are caused by “Other traumatic events not outlined above.

WHAT IS A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?  Traumatic brain injuries are injuries or illnesses that damage the brain’s ability to fully function. Our brains are protected by our skull. There can be brain damage from direct blows to the head against a hard surface. This direct impact is called “coup”. Serious motor vehicle collisions can cause hard objects to strike the people inside their vehicle. Another kind of brain injury is when the head suddenly accelerates and then decelerates which can cause the brain to slam into the skull. This type of brain injury is called “contrecoup” which is from the secondary impact.

Coup - Contrecoup Injury
Two image illustration showing coup caused by the primary impact
and the secondary impact or contrecoup injury.

Lateral views showing motion of head and neck during whiplash injury.

TYPES OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES:

(1) CONCUSSIONS:  Common traumatic brain injuries involve concussions. The symptoms for a concussion include difficulty concentrating, confusion, headaches, loss of consciousness, dizziness, vomiting, disorientation, mood swings, insomnia, reduced sex drive. Concussions can range from short term discomfort to permanent limitations. Severe concussions can lead to a coma state, seizures, and even death. Permanent brain injuries which cause people to struggle to perform their daily activities shatter lives. Like a stone thrown into a peaceful lake, the ripple effect of a traumatic brain injury not only changes the lives of the injured person, but also the lives of the family, friends, and co-workers around them. Often people suffering from traumatic brain injuries must learn how to walk, talk, eat, groom, problem solve, and other activities that we all take for granted that we will be able to do.

(2) DIFFUSE AXONAL BRAIN INJURY:  Diffuse Axonal Brain Injury is another common brain injury caused from automobile collisions, on-the-job accidents, falls, etc. Direct blows to the head can damage or bruise the cerebral cortex. Additional brain injuries can occur when the brain is thrown into the skull due to the head accelerating and decelerated quickly. This is most commonly caused from head on collisions, t-bone collisions, and roll over accidents. In diffused axonal injury the nerve fibers in the damaged area of the brain stop functioning properly. Treatment and rehabilitation helps other brain cells and nerves to take over for the damaged brain cells and nerves. Every case is different with some injured people making full recoveries and some injured people never regaining the brain function needed to care for themselves and to make a living. Diffuse axonal injury occurs in about fifty percent of all severe traumatic brain injures.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES:  Traumatic brain injuries are normally diagnosed with the use of CT scans and MRI scans. Often times it is hard for doctors to see the diffuse axonal brain injuries initially and can often become more apparent later after the impact or accident. This is why when symptoms continue without much improvement it is critical to seek another opinion for a specialist. Early treatment for traumatic brain injuries are usually focused on stabilizing the patient and making sure there is not too much fluid on the brain. Medications are often used to help with headaches, concentration, difficulty sleeping, etc.

SECONDARY TYPES OF BRAIN INJURY:  Secondary brain injuries include edema (swelling of the brain), hematoma (collection of blood in the brain), and hydrocephalus and hygroma (collection of fluid around the brain).

SYMPTOMS OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES:  Symptoms can include loss of consciousness (dazed or knocked out), post traumatic amnesia (memory loss), concussion (dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, disorientation, forgetfulness, irritability, depression, mood swings, insomnia, and loss of libido), encephalopathy (disturbance in brain function), seizure, and unequal pupils or pupils that do not respond to light.

Resources Used for the above discussions of Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries:
[Center For Neuro Skills - http://www.neuroskills.com/tbi/hdi/gld.shtm]
[Iwata A., Stys P.K., Wolf J.A., Chen X.H., Taylor, A.G., Meaney D.F., and Smith D.H. (2004).
Traumatic axonal injury induces proteolytic cleavage of the voltage-gated sodium channels modulated by tetrodotoxin and protease inhibitors. The Journal of Neuroscience. 24 (19): 4605—4613.]

Traumatic brain injuries are very serious conditions that can permanently alter the way of life of the injured victim. If you or someone you knows has been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, then give us a call. Our trained personal injury attorneys will explain your rights, will let you know if you have a case, and will let you know how we can help you be fully compensated for your personal injury or worker’s compensation claim. You can call us toll fee at 866-847-6545 or use our “Contact Us” or “What is my case worth” forms that are throughout our website.