Traumatic Brain Injuries in Car Accidents: Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney When Seeking Compensation
A car accident can harm a lot of people. Victims of devastating accidents can suffer from a traumatic brain injury. After a sudden impact, those who are inside the vehicle can be thrown forward, with their head hitting against a dashboard or the steering wheel. Despite the presence of an airbag to protect the head, the victim’s brain can move forward because of the sudden velocity, leaving the inside of the skull impacted. Brain damage can have serious impacts on a person’s life. Because of this, victims of car accidents caused by a negligent driver should seek help from attorneys at Albrecht Law. The firm’s attorneys have many experiences representing accident victims who suffer brain injuries.
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Kinds of Brain Injuries
A high-impact car accident can damage a victim’s brain in many ways. Here are common brain injuries victims may sustain:
- Penetrating injuries. These injuries happen as a result of a fractured or broken skull. The broken pieces of the skull can penetrate the soft tissue of the brain, rupturing the areas that have protective fluids. As a result, these areas can leak. If the broken pieces cut into the brain itself, it can result in serious or even deadly consequences.
- Closed injuries. These brain injuries occur inside the skull. Although the skull stays intact, the brain can still be harmed. Because of sudden impacts or movements, the brain can move about. In some instances, this leads to impact on the skull. When this happens, the nerves and connections can overextend, break, or snap. Nerve breaks are called diffuse axonal injury.
Common Symptoms of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can impact a person’s ability to function. Here are common symptoms of brain damage:
- Damaged motor function. Body movement is possible when the brain sends signals to the extremities. Damage to these pathways can impact movement.
- Sensory dysfunction. Human senses are connected to the brain. But, when the brain is damaged, the senses can also be cut off. A person may not be able to see, hear, smell, and touch.
- Digestive issues. Because the brain controls involuntary functions such as food processing, damage to it can make it difficult to keep food down. Sometimes, a sufferer may not feel hunger or suffer from incontinence or constipation. The kind of digestive issues an accident victim can suffer depends on the affected part of the brain.
A traumatic brain injury can require life-long care, possibly making insurance not enough. Because of this, a sufferer will need to file a personal injury lawsuit to get compensation for their sufferings. This is where an experienced injury attorney can help.