Car Accidents – Traumatic Brain Injury – Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Traumatic brain injury is a term used to describe a variety of head traumas ranging from minor concussions to open head brain injuries. The most common causes of traumatic brain injury are car accidents, falls and physical assaults. While it is a widespread belief that sports injuries, such as those sustained by boxers, often result in brain damage, statistics show that only about 3 percent of all traumatic brain injury cases are sports-related. In fact, more than 50 percent of all brain traumas are incurred as a result of motor vehicle accidents involving a variety of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles.
Depending on the type and severity of each accident, drivers and passengers can suffer personal injuries ranging from minor bruises to multiple bone fractures, spinal cord injuries and head traumas. One of the most dangerous types of accident-related traumas is closed head injury. This injury often occurs as the victim hits his or her head against the dashboard, roof, doors or other interior parts of the vehicle. While the skull might remain intact, the force of impact disrupts the normal brain function as the delicate brain tissue rubs against sharp skull protrusions, such as the inside of the forehead and the eye sockets. If the internal bruising is not extensive, victims might suffer only a mild concussion or contusion. However, if the bruising is more widespread, the brain tissues might swell, causing increased intracranial pressure inside the skull. This is a dangerous condition that needs to be carefully monitored and managed in order to avoid irreversible brain damage.
Motor vehicle accident victims who are thrown out of their vehicles at the time of collision sometimes incur open head injuries as the skull is crushed and/or penetrated by various objects. Open head injury is a perilous condition requiring immediate medical attention. Because the skull has been perforated, the highly sensitive brain tissue might be exposed to the environment, which can result in a bacterial or viral infection. In addition, there might be bleeding inside the skull, which has to be stopped as soon as possible in order to normalize intracranial pressure and avoid the death of vital brain cells.
After brain injury patients have been stabilized, they often require long-term therapy and rehabilitation to restore all or some of the lost brain function. Depending on the extent of brain damage, patients might have to work with neuropsychologists to restore normal thinking and memory patters, and/or they might need to undergo extensive physical therapy to re-learn how to perform simple everyday tasks, such as brushing one's teeth and using the bathroom.
Many brain injury victims require life-long therapy and support as they are never able to live on their own again. This creates major psychological and financial distress for their families who have to provide ongoing care. In many cases where a brain injury was caused by someone's negligence, such as a drunk driver triggering a major car accident, victims and their families might be able to obtain just compensation through personal injury litigation. Similarly, in cases whereby a loved one has died because of someone's wrongful behavior, families are often able to obtain justice by filing wrongful death lawsuits.