Springfield Brain Injury Lawyers

What Is Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is when temporary or permanent damage is inflicted upon a person’s brain. This will affect the central nervous system which can have many different life-altering effects on an injury victim. A TBI can happen by a hard blow to the head, a violent jolt, or when the head is penetrated by an object. Even impacts that seem relatively mild can cause extensive damage. Different types of brain injury will have unique symptoms. Victims often walk away from an accident only to realize hours or days later that they have serious damage to their brain. While many brain injuries go unreported, the traumatic brain injury statistics that are available show a significant problem. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are over 1.5 millions victims every year in the United States, and this includes thousands of people throughout central Illinois and the Springfield area.

There are many different brain injury symptoms, but some of the most common characteristics of brain injury include:

• Loss of consciousness for minutes or even hours
• Seizure or convulsions
• Vomiting, nausea, or persistent headaches
• Dilation of the pupils
• Numbness or inability to use your fingers or toes
• Clear fluid draining from your nose or ears
• Inability to maintain coordination

Long Term Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injury

Injuries to the brain or nervous system can result in a variety of long term effects that many people fail to consider. It’s not only important to get medical attention without delay, but be sure to inform your doctor that you were injured in the head if that is not immediately obvious. Long term post-concussion syndrome is when symptoms affect injury victims for weeks or even months after an accident. Unfortunately, these can often be signs that the person will never fully be able to recover or do things once taken for granted.

Your Springfield traumatic brain injury lawyer must have a strong understanding of the long term effects that you might face after an accident. These can turn your life upside down, and you may not be able to do things you once took for granted. Long term harm can cause the following:

• A minimally conscious state – It may not be possible for a victim to be fully self-aware or understand what’s happening in their environment.
• Coma – This is when you cannot respond to any outside stimulus due to your unconscious state. Comas can last a very long time, and you can either emerge from it or enter a vegetative state afterward.
• Post-traumatic epilepsy – Recurrent seizures often affect those with serious brain injuries. They can begin right away, or take time to develop.
• Infections – Damaged nerve tissue can become infected. This will often cause further extensive harm to the body’s nervous system
• Vertigo – Recurring dizziness can impact a victim of mild or serious brain injury.

Common Traumatic Brain Injury Causes In Springfield

People sustain terrible injuries every day throughout central Illinois. Victims in the Springfield area can be doing almost any activity when they are caught off guard and badly harmed. It’s important to take your head injury seriously. This means seeking medical attention as well as determining exactly what caused your accident. Our Springfield brain injury lawyers have investigated many catastrophic accidents. This allows for us to determine exactly who is responsible to pay compensation for the injuries sustained. While there are countless ways you can have a concussion or serious head injury, some of the most common that we have seen are:

• Car accidents – Striking your head in traffic accidents can cause serious brain damage. Even a mild collision can cause whiplash where your spinal column can compress into your skull resulting in a head injury.
• Slip and falls – A sudden fall can cause terrible damage to your brain if you hit your head. Venue owners and occupiers must make sure that they keep walkways safe from dangerous hazards that are likely to cause serious injury.
• Workplace accidents – People throughout Illinois are injured while on the job every day. Your lawyer must be familiar with our state’s personal injury laws as well as the workers’ compensation system.
• Motorcycle accidents – Motorcycle collisions are different and much more serious than those that only involve passenger cars. Your lawyer must know how to address every challenge you experience and get you compensation without delay.
• Sports Injuries – Many people are hurt in recreational and athletic activities every year in the Springfield area. A traumatic brain injury in children and adults can take hours or even days to become apparent.
• Truck accidents – Accidents involving large trucks can cause significant damage and catastrophic injuries to many people. Your lawyer must understand how to recover compensation in these complex and hard-fought cases.
• Violence – Every year there are many violent acts that cause head injuries to victims in our area. Even if your injury is related to a criminal case, you have the right to seek compensation if this happens to you.
• Defective products – Poorly designed or manufactured products often cause serious harm to those using them. Your lawyer must understand how to investigate a defective product and recover damages from the negligent party.

How A Lawyer Can Help After A  Brain Injury

A mild or severe traumatic brain injury can leave you and your family uncertain about what steps to take. Every part of the process can be confusing for anybody. It’s important to not sign any documents or accept any form of compensation until you speak with an experienced Springfield brain injury lawyer. The insurance companies involved will be worried about having to pay a large sum in financial compensation. For this reason, they may seek to get you to quickly accept a low offer. Our lawyers understand that this would be unfair to you. Your injuries can require extensive medical treatment, and your ability to earn a living can be greatly reduced.

By building a strong case, your Springfield brain injury attorney can work to secure an acceptable financial settlement, or recover damages at trial. Demonstrating your need for damages, your attorney must show the following:

• The other party’s duty of care – The responsible party owed you a duty of care. This means that they had to take reasonable steps to keep you from unnecessary harm.
• They breached that duty – They acted in a negligent or malicious way, and this but you in danger of serious harm.
• Their actions caused your accident – It’s not enough to show that the other party was negligent. Instead, it must also be shown that their careless actions were the direct cause of your accident.
• You suffered damages – Your compensation can only be recovered if you demonstrate specifics regarding your injuries. This can be done by showing medical bills and explaining how the accident has kept you from work or school.