What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injuries are sustained when the sudden force of external impact damages the brain during any kind of accident. Traumatic brain injuries can have severe and (sometimes permanent) consequences and can cause serious physical and cognitive medical conditions from which victims may never recover.

If another party caused you or a loved one to sustain a traumatic brain injury because of their negligence, you need a Houston brain injury lawyer to help you get the compensation that you deserve. You cannot trust that you and your family will be provided for but you can unfortunately expect the insurance companies to nickel and dime you no matter how severe your injuries are.

The only way to make sure that you and your family receive what you need is to call up the best brain and spine injury lawyer that you can find and ask them to fight for you. The Houston personal injury attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta have successfully fought and won for families for years. Call Grimes & Fertitta today at (713) 224-7644 for a free consultation.

What classifies a traumatic brain injury?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a broad term used to describe any severe head injury that leads to damage to the brain. There are two main types of traumatic brain injury:

• Closed brain injuries occur when an injury affects the brain but does not break the skull. Closed brain injuries are usually the result of a rapid movement that causes the brain to shake inside the skull and sustain the bruising or tearing of brain tissue.
• Penetrating brain injuries occur when there is a break in the skull and a projectile pierces the brain tissue.

Closed brain injuries are often caused by car accidents while penetrating brain injuries are more often caused by high-velocity projectiles like bullets or skull fragments from impact.

A few other terms related to TBIs that should be defined here include:

• Diffuse axonal injuries (DAI) occur when long connective nerve fibers (or axons) in the brain are torn due to rapid rotation or shifting of the brain. DAIs often cause damage in many places on the brain and can often result in comas.
• Primary brain injuries are injuries to the brain that occur upon impact.
• Secondary brain injuries are injuries to the brain that worsen or develop after the initial impact.

How long after head injury can symptoms occur?

Those experiencing less severe TBIs should see most symptoms appearing right away, with symptoms generally improving over the first handful of days and weeks following the injury. But more severe TBIs that cause secondary brain injuries might not present their full symptoms for hours, days, or even weeks after the initial impact.

Traumatic brain injuries and the effects of brain damage

What happens to the brain after a traumatic brain injury? TBIs can cause both short- and long-term side effects, as well as both physical and cognitive effects. Some of the more common physical, or motor-skills-related, side effects include:

• Muscle paralysis
• Weakness of muscles
• Uncontrollable spasms
• Problems with equilibrium and hand-eye coordination
• Wrongful death (Read more about the Texas wrongful death statute of limitations)

Some of the psychological effects of brain injury, or cognitive side effects of a TBI, can include:

• Coma
• Confusion
• Amnesia
• Problems with attention, understanding, judgment, and problem-solving
• Changes in the ability to hear, see, taste, smell, and feel
• Difficulty speaking, writing, and understanding speaking and writing

This list is far from exhaustive and does not capture the full picture of what it is like to suffer a brain injury, which often causes untold social, personal, and financial calamity.

Can a brain fully recover from a traumatic head injury?

This is one of the reasons why TBIs are considered so serious. Most studies suggest that once brain cells are damaged they do not recover. This does not mean that rehabilitation is impossible, but it does mean that the process of recovering from a TBI, even when it is possible, can take a very long time.

Common causes for TBIs

TBIs can be caused by any traumatic impact to the head, but the more common scenarios for which victims seek damages in a lawsuit include:

• Car and truck accidents. Car crashes, motorcycle accidents, and pedestrian collisions are the most common causes of lawsuits for TBIs.
• Slip and fall accidents. Slip and fall accidents are another leading cause of TBI lawsuits, especially for the elderly.
• Work accidents. All manner of work accidents, including but not limited to forklift accidents, industrial accidents, oil rig accidents and offshore accidents, plant explosions, and construction accidents are common causes of traumatic brain injuries.

Whether you need a work injury attorney or a Houston 18-wheeler accident lawyer, it is absolutely vital to make sure you have the best personal injury lawyer Houston has to offer if you’re looking to get what you truly deserve. Insurance companies like to waive paltry settlements in the face of desperate victims — settlements that may help in the short term but will make it impossible to get what you truly deserve.

Call the traumatic brain injury lawyers at Grimes & Fertitta

Victims of traumatic brain injuries need the assistance of trusted and experienced attorneys if they hope to recover what they deserve. Your suffering does not mean that the insurance companies, the courts, the police, or the person responsible for your accident will do the right thing.

Level the playing field with attorneys who know exactly how the game works. The personal injury attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta used to work for the large teams of lawyers employed by insurance companies. They know just how the big corporations attempt to nickel and dime victims in their time of suffering. Don’t let them — hire Grimes & Fertitta for representation.

Whether you need a Houston wrongful death lawyer or suffered a TBI because of a work accident, the attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta are here to help. Call Grimes & Fertitta at (713) 224-7644 or contact us online today to begin getting what you deserve.

More Helpful Articles by Grimes & Fertitta:

• What To Do After a Slip and Fall Accident
• Should I File a Police Report for a Car Accident?
• Camp Lejeune and Parkinson’s Disease Claims
• What To Do After Suffering Lifting Injuries at Work
• Can I Sue My Insurance Company for Emotional Distress?