Head or Brain Injuries
Head and Brain Injury Cases
Head or brain injury cases are a unique injury that poses a variety of challenges. Brain injuries are one of the hardest to deal with for victims because an unhealthy mind is something you cannot escape. On top of that, at least in a lawsuit, insurance companies and defendants are always questioning the legitimacy of symptoms, because no one can see inside your head. Even if the initial incident caused visible trauma to the head, the visible injuries often heal but the brain injury does not. People often suffer permanent problems from even mild head injuries.
There are a wide variety of head injuries. Some are subtle and difficult to diagnose, and others are apparent and devastating. It is critical that you obtain medical attention as quickly as possible. Brain injuries can come in all shapes and sizes. Call us for help with your brain injury claim.
Tramatic Brain Injury
The most common brain injury we see is traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI’s typically come in the form of a direct physical blow to the head, though research has shown that a significant jostling, even without a direct blow to the head, can cause concussions and TBI’s.
Some TBI’s are obvious and include actual bleeding and bruising of the head. Others however are more subtle and include many concussions that often get overlooked. People with a mild TBI often seem confused, dazed, nauseous, or tired, and sometimes concussions even get missed by the initial health care providers.
TBI’s can be devastating, even in mild cases. We have represented clients with mild TBI who have cognitive symptoms years after the initial injury, which cause significant problems in personal and professional life.
TBI’s are classified as mild, moderate, or severe depending on a few factors: length of loss of consciousness, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), post-traumatic amnesia, and imaging. However, the classification is somewhat misleading as people with “mild” TBI’s can have problems for years. This phenomenon is perhaps most evident with retired NFL players, nearly all with “mild” TBI’s, who are having major problems later in life including Alzheimer’s, dementia, ALS, and many other cognitive symptoms due to overlooked concussions earlier in life.
Anoxic or Hypoxic Brain Injury
Anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is completely deprived of oxygen for some amount of time. Hypoxic brain injury occurs when the flow of oxygen to the brain is restricted.
Both hypoxic and anoxic injuries can cause severe and permanent brain damage. These injuries are devastating and can cause lifelong mental incapacity. Oftentimes this type of injury is associated with a stroke, but we see cases involving birth injury deprivation of oxygen, medical malpractice, severe physical injury causing loss of oxygen, and others.
Diagnosing Head Injuries
One of the most important things, particularly in subtle brain injury cases, is getting to the right medical provider who has the experience to diagnose and treat your injury. This often requires a specific brain injury specialist and a multidisciplinary approach. There is also some cutting-edge imaging used to diagnose head injuries such as SPECT scans.
Because of the subtle nature of head injuries, and difficulties with diagnosis, insurance companies, and defendants question legitimate head injuries with incredible scrutiny. You will likely find yourself in a difficult legal battle, but we can help.
Call us about your traumatic brain injury. We handle serious brain injury cases in Polson, Ronan, Lake County, Flathead County Missoula County, Western Montana, the Flathead Reservation, and more.
Contact Us About Your Case
The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Nothing on this website is intended to create an attorney-client relationship. You should consult with an attorney regarding your individual case.