A traumatic brain injury can be life-altering. In some cases, it may affect every aspect of a person’s life, affecting their job, relationship, and ability to care for themselves. If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury at the hand of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to seek compensation and may benefit from the services of an experienced Staunton personal injury lawyer.
At Martin Wren Attorneys at Law, our Staunton traumatic brain injury lawyer can work with you to determine your legal options and help you secure the maximum compensation you are entitled to.
Recovering from a traumatic brain injury can take an extensive amount of time, money, and emotional bandwidth. Working with us means we can help lighten your load by handling the legalities while you focus on your recovery.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury is typically caused by some kind of violent force exerted on the head. This can be blunt force trauma or a penetrating wound that damages the brain. Additionally, the Mayo Clinic reports that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can include damage such as bruising, bleeding, or torn brain tissue that can cause symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Vision changes
- Speech issues (jumbled or slurred)
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Mood swings
- Outbursts
- Disorientation
- Change in sleeping or eating behavior
- Changes in ability to smell
- Memory problems
Some of these symptoms may be reduced or eliminated with appropriate rest or a short duration of treatment. However, many may linger, requiring months or years of rehabilitative therapy to regain function. In many cases, the symptoms of a traumatic injury may never resolve, resulting in a need for consistent care for daily tasks.
Complications of Traumatic Brain Injury
Some complications of a TBI may require life support and potentially death. This is an unfortunately common occurrence, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting nearly 70,000 deaths from traumatic brain injury in recent years. In these circumstances, it may be appropriate for the surviving spouse or some family to pursue a wrongful death suit.
For a legal consultation with a personal injury lawyer, call 434-817-3100
Benefits of Working with a Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
Some people feel that retaining an attorney immediately after an accident is extreme. However, there are countless ways a Staunton traumatic brain injury attorney may be able to step in to either preserve important evidence or minimize risk to your case. This, among other things, can be done from day one:
- First point of contact for other parties
- Investigating your case to find supporting evidence
- Advise you on how to avoid damaging your case
- Managing negotiations with insurance
- Familiarity with the medical diagnoses and terminology
- Referrals to experts in the field of traumatic brain injury for treatment and assessment
This list is, in no way, exhaustive. TBI cases can be highly complex, requiring a deep understanding of the situation that we have at Martin Wren, allowing our lawyers to recover as much compensation as possible. In addition to the potential complexity of the case, you are trying to recover from an injury that can be significantly exacerbated by the stress and strain it requires to manage this part of your case.
Damages in a Staunton TBI case
In personal injury, damages are appraised within a few categories. Primarily, you are considering compensatory and non-compensatory damages. Within compensatory damages, you may include some of the following:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages from missed work
- Loss of working capacity
- Loss of consortium
- Support services
- Pain and suffering
Our traumatic brain injury attorney in Staunton may establish the ground for your damages in one of two ways. Economic damages can be valued using invoices or receipts from medical bills or paystubs and PTO time to calculate missed wages. Noneconomic damages are more difficult to calculate but can be established using testimony from friends and family or expert witnesses.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages may be awarded when a case goes to trial if the jury determines the defendant’s behavior to be malicious or particularly reckless. The amount of punitive damages awarded is determined by the jury as a deterrent for the behavior that caused the incident in the first place, not necessarily compensation for the victim.
Preserving Evidence in Your Traumatic Brain Injury Case
Traumatic Brain Injuries are commonly caused in an accident. This may be a motorcycle, car accident, or slip-and-fall situation that causes you to hit your head. Regardless of the situation, you may be able to take immediate action to protect evidence valuable to your case.
Take Photos
Take pictures at the scene of the accident. This should include photos of any property involved or damaged and any injuries you sustained. Ongoing photos of the healing process may also benefit your case.
Contact Information
Contact information for any witnesses may be important in your case. Witnesses may be helpful by providing statements on what they saw, which may highlight the other party’s liability. They may also be able to speak on what they saw of your injuries at the time of the accident.
Listen to Your Treatment Team
Seeking medical attention is important to your case, but what is equally important is the follow-up. A very important part of your case is appropriately taking care of yourself and your recovery. If your physician tells you to rest and stay away from screens for a couple of weeks while you heal, you need to take that seriously, and failing to do so may instill doubt in the other party regarding the severity of your injuries.
Staunton Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer Near Me 434-817-3100
Call a Staunton Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer Today
If someone else’s negligent behavior resulted in your traumatic brain injury, you should not try to handle the situation alone. You may be eligible for compensation and deserve assertive and diligent representation from Martin Wren, a traumatic brain injury lawyer in Staunton. We can work with you to devise a strategic case and recover the highest possible compensation on your behalf.
We know that retaining an attorney can be intimidating, especially when you are already overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. We offer the ability to contact us through a web-based form or phone. When you reach out, we can schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
Call 434-817-3100 or complete a Case Evaluation form
