How Can the Brain Injury Attorney Longwood, FL Residents Trust Help Protect Your Rights if you’ve suffered a Traumatic Brian Injury?
Few injuries have a more devastating impact to both the victims and the families involved. The brain injury attorney Longwood, FL has trusted for years has experience in representing victims of catastrophic personal injury. We would be pleased to evaluate your case and help you obtain the full measure of compensation to which you are entitled. Below is a list of commonly asked questions regarding Traumatic Brain Injury. We encourage you to read through this information and contact us if you have any questions. We are here to help in your time of need.
What is a brain injury?
A brain injury is damage to the brain resulting in the death of significant numbers of brain cells. This sort of catastrophic injury typically has far-reaching personal and financial costs. The brain injury attorney Longwood, FL turns to has represented the victims of serious injuries that are the fault of other parties, recovering compensation to cover the costs of treatment, rehabilitation, and adjusting to a new lifestyle.
Common types of brain injuries
Closed Head Injury
Our brain fits snugly inside our hard boney skull. When trauma occurs to our head our brain collides against the hard skull and cause serious injury. The brain is soft and its collision with the boney skull can result in damage that is not visible to the outside. One common type of closed head injury is referred to as a Coup Contrecoup brain injury.
Bleeding, bruising, shearing of axons (which transmits nerve impulses) can result in neurological and neurochemical changes to the brain. The trauma can also cause fluid build-up, which may lead to increasing intra-cranial pressure. The increase in intra-cranial pressure (ICP) can result in brain swelling leading to damage to our delicate brain cells and result in neurological changes or death.
Anoxic Injury
A lack of oxygen to the brain is known as anoxia. Anoxic injuries develop whenever our brains oxygen supply is interrupted. When oxygen is deprived to our brain cell it can result in global effects on the brain. The severity of the effects is related to the amount and length of oxygen deprivation. Known causes of anoxic injuries include, inadequate oxygen supply at birth, trauma, respiratory conditions, stroke, heart attack or arrhythmias, stroke, carbon monoxide inhalation.
Penetrating Injury
Head trauma from falls, automobile or trucking accidents or gunshot wounds may cause the skull to fracture and damage the brain’s delicate neuronal fibers. Penetrating injuries are serious and may cause permanent disability or death. According to an article in the Journal traumatic head injury is the fourth leading cause of death for ages 1-44. Sosin DM, Sacks JJ, Smith SM. Head injury-associated deaths in the United States from 1979 to 1986. JAMA. Oct 27 1989;262(16):2251-5.
Determining if you have suffered from a brain injury
The role a neuropsychologist can play in treating and diagnosing brain injuries
A trained neuropsychologist can help shed light on the existence of brain injury. Neuropsychologists administer a battery of tests designed to assess one’s attention, memory, reasoning, perception and emotional characteristics.
Once neuropsychological testing has been completed the neuropsychologist can employ steps to help with rehabilitation for the brain injury. This is often done in conjunction with medical professionals in an effort to maximize a patient’s recovery.
Are there specialized tests that can help detect brain injury?
Yes, the medical community has at its disposal very sophisticated imaging studies that may assist in identifying brain injury. Limitations exist on detecting mild brain injuries. However, healthcare providers do have at their disposal:
- SPECT Scan – Single Photon Emission Tomography
- DTI- Diffuse Tensor Imaging
- PET Scan – Positron Emission Tomography
- fMRI – Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Can a brain injury exist even though diagnostic tests like a CT, MRI and X-Ray are normal?
Not all severe head injuries show up by CT, MRI or X-ray. What will likely show up in diagnostic tests will be fractures, bleeding and fluid build-up. However, brain injuries do occur even in the face of normal diagnostic tests. Trained healthcare providers know this and may refer the person suspected of having a brain injury to specialists, including neuropsychologists for a more detailed evaluation.
What are some common causes of brain injuries?
Many brain injuries are the result of traumatic incidents such as auto accidents and truck accidents. 
Defective products are also responsible for many brain injuries, as are accidents in the workplace and at home. Other brain injuries are caused by instances of medical malpractice, such as surgical error.
Some of the most tragic brain injuries are sustained during childbirth. A newborn is particularly susceptible to injury during labor and delivery. A delay during delivery can lead to hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, which can cause cerebral palsy and other forms of permanent brain injury.
Another common cause of brain injury which is getting a lot of press these days are sports related concussion injuries. Most people are aware of the issues the NFL is experiencing with concussions but the issue is also prevalent in high school and youth club sports. This is a topic that should not be taken lightly by parents. See our article Safety tips when a child has suffered a sports injury involving the head for important steps you should take if your child experienced a blow to the head when playing a sport.
Each brain injury attorney at David & Philpot has many years of experience handling all types of brain injury cases, so we can ensure that your case gets the thorough attention it needs to succeed.
What are the consequences of a brain injury?
Brain injuries vary widely in severity. Depending on the area of the brain that sustains damage, a serious brain injury can profoundly compromise memory, personality, learning ability, communication, and physical coordination. Particularly serious injuries can result in permanent coma or death. The long-term consequences of brain injury characteristically require costly medical treatment, time-consuming rehabilitation, and other expensive therapy. They can also impair a person’s ability to work and otherwise lead an independent adult life. Many brain injury victims require lifelong care.
Brain injury can cause anger or temper problems
Head trauma can result in a brain injury, which in turn may result in a loss of control over one’s emotions. Our emotions have been associated with our brain’s frontal lobe. The frontal lobe of the brain can become injured whenever it collides with the hard skull, which encases our brain.
A person may experience a wide range of altered behavior including angry outbursts. Loved ones need to learn how best to cope with this altered personality and understand that the person who has been injured cannot control their behavior.
Trained professional should be employed so they may help identify all of the angers’ triggering events, people or circumstances. Learning what triggers outburst helps experts come up with a plan on how best to manage what has now become stressful and cope with the outbursts.
Doctors may see fit to prescribe medications to help stabilize someone’s mood, which has been affected by a brain injury. As with any medication there may be side effects to be on the lookout for, so make sure you discuss this with the doctor.
How do I know if I have a case?
If your injury was the result of someone else’s negligent or reckless conduct, you may have a case. If it can be shown that another person is liable for your injury, you are entitled to compensation from that person. The best way to determine whether you have a case is to contact David & Philpot, PL, representing residents of Longwood, Lakeland, Orlando, and all of Central Florida. Our Florida brain injury attorneys can evaluate your case in detail to determine whether you have grounds for a lawsuit. For decades, we have cultivated the expertise necessary to make accurate evaluations and pursue claims aggressively.
How much is my case worth?
It is difficult to predict how much a brain injury case is worth before a thorough evaluation by our attorneys. If the injury can be shown to be someone else’s fault, either through negligent or intentionally reckless action or inaction, you are entitled to compensation for all your losses, including medical bills, lost wages, caretaking costs, loss of companionship, and pain and suffering. As our case results show, we have a history of obtaining large verdicts and settlements for victims of brain injuries and other catastrophic injuries.
How the Longwood Brain Injury Attorneys at David & Philpot, PL can help
Since 1988, Timothy H. David has been the brain injury attorney Longwood, FL residents have trusted with their brain injury cases. Our attorneys understand exactly how important your case is and will do everything possible to ensure that you obtain compensation to cover your losses and expenses. Contact our personal injury firm to begin preparing your lawsuit.
