Traumatic Brain Injury
Battle-Tested Advocacy for the Injured
South Louisiana Attorneys for Brain Injury Victims
Any injury to the brain can have detrimental effects on a person’s physical and cognitive abilities. It can even cause personality and mood changes. In some cases, the effects of brain injuries can happen immediately after an accident, but a brain injury can also take time to develop and cause impairment issues weeks after the initial accident.
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury and subsequent brain damage caused by someone else’s negligent acts, you have every right to pursue financial compensation for the losses you have experienced. At Joubert Law Firm, our legal team is highly experienced in personal injury law and we are ready to help whenever you decide to seek legal advice. We know the cost of a brain injury is more than just medical bills, and we are ready to fight for the maximum compensation for you.
Our team of skilled Louisiana personal injury lawyers has been representing Baton Rouge clients for over two decades. Give us a call at (225) 777-8853 or reach us through our online contact form to schedule your free consultation today.
What is a Brain Injury?
Our brain is a complex organ that controls everything–memories, thoughts, emotions, movements, and more. It interprets what we see, hear, touch, and taste into something that we can understand and cognitively process. As such, a brain injury is an incredibly serious matter.
A brain injury happens when an injury, typically one stemming from blunt force, affects the way the brain functions. Common brain injuries include skull fractures, concussions, and contusions. Contusions are bruises on the brain itself and usually cause bleeding and swelling inside the brain.
What is a TBI?
A TBI is a traumatic brain injury. This is a brain injury that was caused by some type of trauma happening to the head/brain, like a blow to the head or a serious fall. A traumatic brain injury can also happen as a result of an auto accident.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 170 people in the United States died every day in 2020 due to TBIs. If you or someone you love has sustained a TBI due to another person’s negligence, contact a Baton Rouge brain injury lawyer to file a personal injury lawsuit today.
Types of Brain Injury
Brain injuries fall into two different categories: non-traumatic brain injury and traumatic brain injury. Both of these injuries result in changes in brain function.
Non-Traumatic Brain Injury
A non-traumatic brain injury is often called an acquired brain injury (ABI) and can happen due to a variety of reasons. Diseases like meningitis can affect the brain and can cause ABI. A lack of oxygen to the brain due to drowning, stroke, and heart attacks can also cause a serious non-traumatic brain injury. Tumors and exposure to poison are some other common causes of acquired brain injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A TBI happens after an outside force causes the brain to move inside the skull. The trauma can even be non-contact. If you are in a car accident and secured with a seat belt, a TBI can develop by the forces that jerk you around inside the car. These injuries have physical and psychological symptoms.
A TBI may be classified as either mild or moderate to severe.
Mild TBI or Concussion
A mild TBI is often called a concussion. Some of the issues concussions cause are:
Confusion
Blurry vision
Memory issues
Problems with speech
Balance issues
Dizziness
Changes in mood
Concussions also have physical symptoms, like nausea or vomiting, fatigue, and headache. Most of these issues are temporary and often have a complete recovery, but they still make a major impact on your life. You should always seek medical care if you have received trauma to the head. A mild TBI is still a serious injury, and you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
Moderate and Severe TBI
Moderate to severe injuries require immediate medical attention. Moderate and severe TBI have a lot of overlap with mild TBI, so you often don’t know the extent until you see medical experts. Symptoms of a serious brain injury like this can appear immediately or progress over the course of the days following the accident. Additional symptoms include:
Seizures
Loss of consciousness
Loss of vision
Headache that doesn’t go away
Numbness in extremities
Sudden emotional and behavioral changes
Extreme confusion
Sensory issues, like loss of taste or smell
Memory loss
Coma
With moderate to severe TBI, the symptoms can be temporary or the changes in brain function can be permanent and cause long-term cognitive impairment. If you or someone you love is experiencing any of the symptoms above after an accident, you may have sustained a TBI. Contact a Baton Rouge brain injury attorney for a free consultation of your case. Our team of personal injury lawyers is ready to pursue your injury claim and fight for the compensation you deserve.
What Causes Brain Injuries?
Brain injuries can happen anywhere and to anyone. These injuries can be caused by anything from sports injuries to medication errors to motor vehicle accidents. A TBI can lead to severe impairment of physical abilities and cognitive function. While most accidents that result in a TBI involve something striking the head, that is not necessary in all cases. We have detailed some of the most common causes of brain injuries below.
Medical Malpractice
According to the CDC, older adults are at the most risk to be hospitalized and pass away from a TBI. This is because the symptoms may be overlooked by medical professionals. Many symptoms of a brain injury are similar to symptoms of dementia, which is common in older people. Medical malpractice can result in a severe loss of cognitive function and even death.
If you have a loved one who died as a result of a TBI or medical malpractice, you can pursue a wrongful death claim. At Joubert Law Firm, we have represented many clients in Louisiana wrongful death cases, so we know the financial and emotional impact that losing a loved one can have on a family. We will fight to make sure the at-fault party is held liable for their mistakes and that you’re appropriately compensated for this tragic act of negligence.
Workplace Accidents
Knowledge and precaution can only do so much when it comes to workplace safety. A workers’ compensation claim may be filed for employees who have sustained injuries while on the job, but the compensation is often only a percentage of lost income and medical expenses. Workplace accidents can often prevent you from working and even cause a decrease in future earning potential because of the injury.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
The risk of a brain injury is always there following any kind of motor vehicle accident. Motorcycle accidents, for example, have an extreme risk of brain injuries, especially if the rider is not wearing a helmet. Unlike cars and trucks, motorcycles don’t have the luxury of modern safety equipment like seat belts and airbags, which places them at higher risk of serious injury.
Other common causes of traumatic brain injury include slip and falls (premises liability), physical assault, and sports-related injuries. Regardless of how the injury occurred, personal injury victims can have their lives completely changed by the negligence of another person. If you have been involved in a vehicle accident that resulted in a brain injury, contact a Baton Rouge brain injury lawyer as soon as possible. The brain injury attorneys at Joubert Law Firm can help you recover compensation for your personal injuries and make sure the negligent party is held responsible.
A brain injury doesn’t always develop immediately. Brain injuries can have delayed symptoms and cause issues days or weeks after the initial accident. That’s why it’s always important for accident victims to get a complete medical exam as soon as possible following any type of head trauma or symptoms of TBI.
Remember, however, that the cost of a brain injury is more than just the initial hospital bills. Many injured victims will need ongoing medical care and therapy to regain abilities lost during the accident. It also likely affect your income, including lost wages and lost future earning capacity. Your personal injury attorney will account for all of this when calculating the appropriate amount of damages for your claim.
Medical expenses are billed and have a set cost, and things like lost wages and income are easily measured. But what about things that aren’t so easy to measure?
A TBI can cause severe cognitive or physical impairment that can prevent you from working for the rest of your life. Things that you used to enjoy, like sports, walking without assistance, and driving can all be affected by a brain injury. Victims of a TBI often experience severe personality changes and mood disorders. This can cause a loss of enjoyment in life. Our Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers at Joubert Law Firm will make sure that all of your non-economic losses, including mental distress and pain and suffering, are also factored into your settlement amount.
What Can I Get From My Brain Injury Settlement?
If you are filing a personal injury claim after sustaining a brain injury, you may be entitled to some or all of the types of financial compensation listed below:
Lost wages
Medical costs
Hospital and ambulance costs
Physical therapy
Ongoing medical care
Pain and suffering
Mental anguish
Lost future income potential
Loss of enjoyment of life
It’s not easy to put an exact price on a claim without knowing every detail. A personal injury lawyer at Joubert Law Firm can answer any questions you have about your specific case. We offer a free consultation to go over the details of your case to see if you have a pursuable claim.
Let Joubert Law Firm Help You Receive Compensation for Your Brain Injury Case
If you or a loved one has sustained a brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, it’s time to contact a team of Louisiana brain injury lawyers. Personal injury cases can get tricky, but law firms experienced in cases of traumatic brain injuries can provide the legal services you need to get fair compensation for your injury.
At Joubert Law Firm, we understand the true extent of what can happen after an accident that results in brain damage. From motorcycle accidents to product liability to boating accidents and everything in between, we have your personal injury case covered. You need to focus on healing; allow us to take care of everything else.
Our dedicated attorneys at Joubert Law Firm have been providing legal representation in Baton Rouge, LA for over 20 years. To connect with a Baton Rouge brain injury lawyer, call us today at (225) 777-8853 for your free consultation.
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