It is hard to underestimate the trauma that can result from a car accident. The experience itself is terrifying, and the aftermath usually includes physical injury, lasting emotional distress, and financial instability. Some car accident victims experience brain injuries, ranging from moderate to severe, causing life-changing results.
The losses and life adjustments following a brain injury tend to be significant. When the accident leading to those losses is someone else’s fault, victims can seek compensation to mitigate their losses and get a measure of justice. Partnering with an Oklahoma car accident lawyer from BDIW puts victims in the best position to collect this compensation. A brain injury lawyer from our team will assess your damages and needs and fight for a substantial settlement.
Brain Injury Categories
Acquired Brain Injuries (ABIs) are those that occur after birth. Brain injuries caused by car accidents fall into this category. Car accidents can produce both traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries, and these categories break down further into particular types of injuries.
One thing almost all types of brain injuries have in common is that they bring lasting and sometimes permanent consequences to the victim’s physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being. These effects can significantly affect the victim’s future.
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A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one resulting from a “sudden, external, physical assault” that damages the brain, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The damage caused by a TBI may be confined to one part of the brain or reach into several areas. Injury severity ranges from moderate to deadly. TBIs are a leading cause of death and disability.
Closed-brain TBIs are caused by fast forward or backward movement of the head and brain. The brain shakes within the skull, leading brain tissue and blood vessels to bruise and tear. Car accidents are a common culprit for closed brain injuries.
A penetrating brain injury occurs when something breaks or punctures the skull and damages the brain. As car accidents often involve sharp, twisted metal that can cause punctures, they may also be the culprit in these kinds of brain injuries.
Concussion
Concussions are a common car accident injury. Even seemingly minor impacts can cause the head to whip forward or backward or result in a blow to the head. Victims’ heads may come in contact with the steering wheel or dashboard.
Though considered a milder TBI, concussions still produce significant effects, including nausea, blurry vision, confusion, vomiting, memory problems, and other issues that can linger.
Edema
After taking a blow or impact, the brain can swell, resulting in edema. However, the brain has no room to expand within the confines of a hard skull and is put under tremendous pressure. Brain edema is extremely dangerous and the cause of fatalities from TBIs.
Skull Fracture
Though strong, the skull is not invincible. A severe blow can cause it to fracture. Skull fractures often lead to other brain injuries, such as concussions or contusions. Contusions are bruises on the brain caused by a blow to the head. Bleeding from the nose or ears, evidence of bruises on the head, and swelling are indications of skull fractures.
Skull fractures can cause bleeding in or around the brain, cause brain damage, and lead to infections or seizures.
Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI)
According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BAIUSA), “Shaking or strong rotation of the head by physical forces, such as with a car crash” can cause DAIs. These kinds of injuries cause nerve structures in the brain to tear, and this tearing disrupts the brain’s ability to communicate and perform essential processes.
Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries
While external forces cause TBIs, internal factors cause Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries (Non-TBIs). For example, loss of oxygen, exposure to toxins, blocked arteries, or aneurysms can lead to non-TBIs.
Non-TBIs may seem irrelevant in a discussion about brain injuries caused by car accidents. However, injuries sustained in a car accident can lead to non-TBIs.
Hemorrhage
Brain tissue or the spaces around the brain can hemorrhage and experience uncontrollable bleeding. TBIs can cause hemorrhaging. Brain bleeds can prevent oxygen from reaching the brain and kill brain cells.
Hypoxic or Anoxic Injuries
Hypoxic injuries reduce the amount of oxygen getting to the brain, and anoxic injuries completely stop the oxygen. Car accidents can produce these injuries. Vehicles can come to rest in positions that compromise the victims’ airways and prevent regular breathing.
Effects of Brain Injuries
The brain controls the body’s systems. When the brain is damaged, the rest of the body experiences repercussions.
Johns Hopkins Medicine presents a lengthy and extremely sobering list of areas affected by brain injuries, with examples of the specific ways these areas are damaged. Areas affected include:
- Cognition: problems with memory, judgment, processing, learning, problem-solving
- Motor skills: paralysis, lack of balance, coordination, and endurance, tremors, muscle spasms
- Perception and sensation: changes in vision, hearing, and other senses, or lack of sensation in certain parts of the body
- Communication and language: difficulty with the act of speaking or with “finding words,” loss of ability to read, write, or “name” objects
- Functionality: reduced (or destroyed) ability to carry out everyday tasks, such as dressing, bathing, driving, or operating appliances
- Social interaction: reduced ability to maintain relationships or “read a room,”
- Regulatory systems: disrupted sleeping and eating patterns, insomnia, fatigue, lack of control of bladder or bowels
- Personality: mood changes, irritability, increased aggression, onset of anxiety and depression
An Oklahoma Brain Injury Attorney Can Help
Clearly, brain injuries can completely change the lives of victims and their families, affecting family relationships, household income, and management. They can also alter the victim’s ability to care for themselves, move through daily life, and engage with others. Having the finances to support maximum recovery and provide for life’s necessities is critical, and an Oklahoma brain injury lawyer from BDIW can help.
Your experienced attorney will calculate an adequate settlement, carefully considering all your needs and losses. They can help you file a claim and manage all aspects of the legal process. Your lawyer will handle negotiations with the at-fault party’s insurance company and, if necessary, represent you in court.
Connect with a Skilled Attorney Today
To get the settlement you need and deserve, partner with an Oklahoma brain injury lawyer from BDIW as soon as possible after your accident. This prompt connection will give your attorney access to evidence while it is still available. Your attorney will have the ability to investigate your case thoroughly while still filing your claim within Oklahoma’s two-year statute of limitations.
Call or send a message to connect with us and arrange a free consultation. We are ready to get to work for you.
