Fort Lauderdale Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
A traumatic brain injury can have severe and long-lasting impacts on a victim. If you or a loved one have sustained a brain injury that was caused by the careless or negligent actions of another person, contact Colson Hicks Eidson today. Our knowledgeable team is ranked among the top litigation firms in the country. We will bring more than fifty years of experience on your side. Our traumatic brain injury attorneys regularly handle these cases throughout Florida and the US. Let us get to work today on securing the compensation you need to get through this.
How do brain injuries affect victims?
Brain injuries can occur anytime someone receives a blow to the head. Our brains may be protected by hard skulls, but they can still sustain serious injuries that cause lifelong challenges for victims. More than 5.3 million people are living with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injuries in the US. These injuries happen in a variety of ways, including:
- Vehicle accidents
- Firearms incidents
- Sports incidents
- Faulty products
- Defective construction
- Workplace accidents
- Falls and falling objects
- and other types of violence
Medical mistakes can also cause brain injuries, including birth injuries that can affect a child for their entire lives. Healthcare professionals can make medication errors, mistakes during surgery, or can misdiagnose a patient.
Victims of a brain injury suffer a wide range of symptoms that can be both short- or long-term. Some of these symptoms include:
- seizures and convulsions
- loss of bodily function
- cognitive impairment
- emotional and psychological problems
- lapses in memory
- changes in sleep patterns
- slurred speech
- nausea and vomiting
- drastic changes in mood
- personality changes
It’s very important to seek medical care after you have sustained a blow to the head. This is true regardless of whether you are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Sometimes, the symptoms of a brain injury do not present themselves right away. Additionally, because traumatic brain injuries may cause confusion and loss of consciousness, sometimes a person is experiencing symptoms of such an injury without fully realizing it. You need a doctor to check you over and confirm you are not in need of any medical treatment.
Failing to see a doctor as soon as possible after an accident that may have caused a brain injury can also have a negative impact on your ability to successfully recover compensation if you attempt to do so later.
Again, if you’ve sustained a traumatic brain injury, your symptoms might not be noticeable until days or even weeks after your accident. When there is a gap between the time an accident occurred and the time when symptoms presented themselves, an insurance company can easily try to deny a claim by pointing out there is minimal evidence linking a victim’s injuries with the accident in question. However, if you have seen a doctor immediately after your accident, you will have medical records indicating your injuries were almost certainly a result of the accident that is the focus of your claim.
OTHER STEPS TO TAKE AFTER AN ACCIDENT THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED BRAIN INJURY
Depending on where your accident occurred, you should report it to the property owner or the manager of the property. Do not make any statements that could indicate you were at-fault for your accident occurring. For example, if you tripped over an item on the floor in a supermarket and struck your head, when reporting the incident to management, don’t say anything like “I wasn’t really paying attention before I fell,” as such statements could be later on used to suggest that your own negligence played a role in your accident occurring.
Get pictures of the scene as well. This is particularly important if your accident resulted from a hazardous condition. It’s also wise to get the names and contact information of any witnesses who may have seen your accident happen.
If you were involved in a car accident or other such incident, instead of reporting the accident to a property owner, you would report it to the police. Wait for the police to complete their review of the scene before proceeding to seek medical care.
Strongly consider scheduling a consultation at a Fort Lauderdale traumatic brain injury law firm shortly after seeing a doctor. When meeting with a Fort Lauderdale traumatic brain injury attorney, bring any evidence you may have, such as medical records, along with a written narrative of your accident as you remember it. This will help you explain the circumstances as clearly and thoroughly as possible.
The costs of these injuries
Brain injuries can lead to a variety of costs for victims and their families. The medical expenses for a brain injury can be tremendous, often reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, there are other hidden costs to consider. This can include:
- the loss of income for a brain injury victim if they can no longer work
- the cost of long-term care needs, including rehabilitation and physical therapy
- loss of enjoyment of life experienced by the victim
- pain and suffering damages of the victim
- loss of consortium for a victim’s family
When another person is responsible for these injuries, they should be held accountable for their actions.
How can we help you through this?
The last thing you should ever have to worry about is sustaining a brain injury due to the careless or negligent actions of another person. If this has happened to you or a loved one, the team at Colson Hicks Eidson is going to get to work on your cause. We are a nationally-recognized firm that can thoroughly investigate what happened in order to secure the compensation you need. This can include the cost of your medical bills, long-term care, lost income, and punitive damages against the responsible party. If you need a traumatic brain injury attorney to handle your case in Fort Lauderdale, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or by calling us at 305-476-7400.