A brain injury can put both your personal and professional life on hold, impacting your ability to enjoy hobbies and to work. When you have experienced a brain injury caused by someone or something else, you are entitled to compensation for your associated costs and damages.
Determining fault requires that the unique facts of your injuries by considered through the lens of local law and case outcomes, and an attorney is especially helpful in this regard.
An experienced personal injury lawyer from Tiano O’Dell PLLC is standing by to consult on your case, and read on to learn more about brain injuries and the damages that they may entitle you to.
Brain Injuries Impact Your Brain’s Chemistry and Ability to Function
When you have experienced a brain injury, your entire life can change in an instant. Brain injuries are generally referred to as traumatic brain injuries, or TBI. TBI is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, with some 223,000 hospitalizations due to TBI-related injuries having happened in 2019 alone. Some 176 Americans die each day due to TBI-related injuries.
When you experience a TBI, the way that your brain works is affected. These
chemical changes in your brain can lead to significant changes in your level of irritability, your personality, and your ability to concentrate. Each of these symptoms can alter your life significantly, and also limit your ability to enjoy things you used to before the injury, and limit your ability to work.
chemical changes in your brain can lead to significant changes in your level of irritability, your personality, and your ability to concentrate. Each of these symptoms can alter your life significantly, and also limit your ability to enjoy things you used to before the injury, and limit your ability to work.
Brain Injuries are Often Caused by Car Accidents and Slip-and-Falls
Some of the most common causes of brain injury are motor vehicle collisions and slip-and-falls. A brain injury happens when your brain experiences a bruise to some form of trauma experienced by your head or body. This can happen when your car comes to a sudden halt and you experience whiplash, or when your head strikes the steering wheel after a collision. Falling from a ladder can cause a TBI in the same way that a hard tackle in a football game
can. A brain injury happens when you experience:
can. A brain injury happens when you experience:
- A bump to the head
- A blow to the head
- A penetrating wound to the head
When your head experiences a bump, blow, or penetrating wound, the soft tissue of your brain inside your skull can be damaged. Damage to your brain can lead to permanent and substantial changes in your brain chemistry. As your brain chemistry changes, so do you, alongside your ability to work and enjoy life as you had before the injury.
The Symptoms of Brain Injuries Can be Long-Term and Affect Your Ability to Work
Traumatic brain injuries range in severity from mild, moderate, to severe. Mild brain injuries are often referred to as concussions, which you might have heard of in relation to the NFL, where traumatic brain injuries are increasingly common. Even a mild brain injury like a concussion can lead to substantial changes in your brain chemistry. These changes in your brain chemistry can in turn alter your ability to concentrate, and your ability to
cope with stress.
When your brain chemistry is changed, your ability to live your life as you knew it before your injury also changes. Brain injuries can increase your level of irritability, while decreasing your ability to concentrate, which can significantly impact your ability to work. When your injuries make it so that you cannot work, or cannot return to work that pays as well as before your accident, you are entitled to compensation. Your compensation should cover the change in your earnings ability from the time of your injury through your
working life.
working life.
Accurately calculating your damages requires a thorough medical assessment to measure any and all future costs linked to your injuries, as well as an understanding of the future value of money. To collect what you deserve, your damages must be proven and calculated with evidence, then submitted and successfully negotiated with the insurance company.
Accepting a Settlement Without Speaking with an Attorney Can Leave you Paying Bills
When you have experienced a TBI, you will generally be trying to collect compensation from the insurance company of the party that caused the accident. While it would be great if the benefits you were entitled to happened automatically after your injury, this is not the case. You can only collect damages that you claim, and prove with evidence.
The process of claiming your damages requires that you collect evidence from medical and occupational experts to measure the long-term costs associated with your symptoms. From there, you’ll need to draft a claim and submit it to the insurance company. They do not work for you, they work for profit, and make more by denying your claim if they cay, or by offering you a
settlement that is less than what you deserve.
settlement that is less than what you deserve.
Once you accept a settlement, you are no longer able to pursue additional damages linked to your injury. This means that if your symptoms worsen in the future and prevent you from working, those costs will have to be covered by your and your family. Protecting your physical and financial health by putting together a complete and accurate claim is supported by working with an experienced Morgantown brain injury lawyer who knows how to make the most of your injury.
Connect with a Morgantown Brain Injury Lawyer to Help on Your Case
If you or a loved one has experienced a brain injury, you could be entitled to compensation. When a loved one experiences a fatal injury, or one that makes them unable to bring a claim on their own behalf, their family can do so for them. Brain injuries are very serious, and can have life-changing implications for your entire family, so pursuing the compensation you are
entitled to is important.
To schedule a risk-free, cost-free consultation to discuss your brain injury and options to recover compensation, schedule a consultation or call (304) 915-0823 to connect with Tiano O’Dell PLLC now.