Durham Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys

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A traumatic brain injury permanently alters the victim’s life. Also called TBIs, these are caused by blunt force trauma to the head and are common in car accidents and workplace accidents on construction sites.

At Kornbluth Ginsberg Law Group, P.A., our Durham, NC injury attorneys have experience representing TBI victims and others through North Carolina who have suffered catastrophic injuries. We know how devastating these injuries are and the impact they can have on your future. Our mission is to help injury victims secure the compensation they need to pay medical expenses and to obtain the maximum amount of compensation allowed by law for their injuries.

What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Any damage to the brain tissue can constitute a form of traumatic brain damage. Our brains are fragile and can be injured even if the skull stays intact during an impact. Axons, which help transmit information, can be easily damaged and may stretch, swell, detach, or even die after a hard impact. Despite the protection your skull provides, it can also cause damage if brain cells collide with the skull under high force.

Types of TBI Damage

Traumatic brain injuries are classified as either mild, moderate, or severe depending on the type of damage and the patient’s response.

• Mild TBIs, also sometimes known as concussions, don’t always cause the patient to lose consciousness; if they do, it is sometimes only for a few minutes. Recovery can often be helped with appropriate medical care obtain early after an accident to avoid longer-term injury complications.
• Moderate TBIs can result in longer periods of loss of consciousness. Some signs of this condition may include patients often opening their eyes when stimulated, but being unable to focus or maintain eye contact.
• Severe TBIs can result in longer-term or permanent conditions, such as prolonged loss of consciousness or coma.

Traumatic Brain Injury Statistics

Each year, around 1.5 million Americans suffer TBIs; of those, more than 200,000 are injured badly enough to be sent to the hospital. Although the most severe brain injuries are relatively rare among TBI cases, they are extremely harmful: They are one of the largest causes of death or disability in the U.S., resulting in more than 150 deaths each day. Young adults (between 15 and 19) and the elderly (those above 65) are most likely to suffer a TBI.

What Causes Brain Injuries?

A bad fall, a car accident, or being struck by a falling item on the head can cause a traumatic brain injury. Though often severe, these injuries don’t always send people immediately seeking treatment at a hospital. In fact, someone may be able to get up and walk away a few minutes after sustaining a TBI, depending on the severity. In other cases, traumatic brain injuries can cause serious, irreversible damage and sometimes become life-threatening.

Traumatic brain injuries can result after any accident where someone hits their head. However, the CDC has found that the most common causes are:

• Falls
• Pedestrian-vehicle accidents
• Colliding with or being struck by an object
• Violent assault

If a patient sustains another brain injury before the first one has fully healed, they are often much more likely to experience brain swelling and other complications that could cause long-term damage. Unfortunately, patients in this situation are also often predisposed to further injury.

How Do I Know If I have a Traumatic Brain Injury?

TBI symptoms depend on the severity of the injury, but even a relatively minor collision to the head can sometimes cause chronic, ongoing problems, including the following:

Symptoms of a severe TBI may include:

Many severe TBIs are often easy to spot because they involve the patient’s loss of consciousness.

Mild TBIs may or may not result in someone blacking out, making the injuries harder to spot and confirm. If you or someone you know was injured by a head injury, be on the lookout for symptoms such as:

Not all head injuries are severe enough to result in a TBI, but it is important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

How Can You Treat Brain Injuries?

Unlike injuries such as a broken arm, a brain injury may not ever fully heal. With this in mind, physicians rely on a number of therapies to help patients regain abilities. Because TBIs can affect many bodily systems, treatments vary, and rehabilitation plans should be tailored to meet each patient’s individual needs.

Treatment options may include:

• Physical therapy
• Psychotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech-language therapy
• Medication to help with headaches, mood disorders, memory, and focus

What Are the Long-Term Effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury?

While some symptoms of a traumatic brain injury may fade after a relatively short time, many patients experience lasting physical and behavioral changes. Each year, a large number of Americans develop severe disabilities after a brain injury. These patients may need continued treatment or assistive devices to help manage pain and other ailments. TBI can affect everything from cognitive function to motor control to sensory issues.

Even among some patients who seem to have experienced a recovery, TBI has been linked to higher levels of PTSD and other mental illnesses. These changes may make it harder for patients to fully return to the normal course of their previous lives. Sleep troubles are also common; in the short term, trouble sleeping is more likely, but years down the road these patients may have a higher degree of sleep difficulties.