Available 24/7Brain injuries are one of the most serious complications of a personal injury. They can change the course of your life forever, causing both physical and emotional damage. One brief instant can leave you with a lifetime of difficulties.
Brain Injury Attorney in Aiken, SC
If your brain injury occurred in an accident, you will need legal help to seek compensation for your injuries. Depending on what happened, someone else may have a legal obligation to pay you. Call The Law Office of Taylor S. Braithwaite to set up your free initial consultation with an Aiken brain injury lawyer who will always answer your questions and talk straight with you.
What Is a Brain Injury?
There are two primary types of brain injuries:
- Non-penetrating injuries are caused by blunt force trauma to the head, causing the brain to move within the skull. Here, there is no break in the skull. These closed-head injuries can damage the entire brain.
- Penetrating injuries are when an object pierces the skull and damages a part of the brain.
Then, there are specific types of brain injuries, including:
- Diffuse axonal injuries (DAI), which harm the brain’s white matter. A DAI is usually the result of trauma to the brain. This injury damages the axon bundles that carry messages from the brain to the other parts of the body. The communication within the brain can be interrupted.
- Concussions occur when there is trauma or when the brain moves within the head. A concussion is a bruising of the brain tissue. A concussion will often heal within several months, but it can also leave an accident victim with lasting impacts.
- Hematomas are bleeding within the brain that can cause permanent damage and kill vital brain tissue.
- Contusions are bleeding, and swelling caused when the brain moves suddenly in the head (such as whiplash in a rear-end car accident).
Every single brain injury is serious, and you or a loved one should seek treatment immediately if you are experiencing symptoms.
Long-Term Effects of Brain Injuries
The brain is perhaps the most critical and complex part of the human body. The brain controls intelligence, thought, movement, and much more. Even a minor brain injury can impact a critical area and cost someone vital functions. The brain does not recover as other parts of the body may. The brain may try to heal itself, but some injuries are permanent.
Long-term effects of a brain injury include:
- Difficulties in comprehending others
- Loss of speech
- Vision problems
- Mood changes and irritability
- Anxiety and depression
- Loss of the use of your limbs
Many people who suffer brain injuries are no longer able to work. Depending on the severity of the TBI, it may even reduce your life expectancy. One study shows that a brain injury will cut life expectancy by up to eight years, while other research has found that roughly half of the people with a TBI die within five years of the injury.
How Brain Injuries Occur
Brain injuries can occur when there is any impact to the head, including both trauma and when the brain smashes against the base of the skull. One can also suffer a brain injury when they lose oxygen for any sustained period of time. It does not take serious trauma to cause a lifelong brain injury. All it takes is one instant to change an accident victim’s life forever.
A brain injury can occur anywhere. It can happen when you are driving your car, doing your job or even walking down the sidewalk.
Accidental causes of brain injuries include:
- Falls
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Attacks
- Swimming pool accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Playground and sports injuries
Factors in Brain Injury Settlements
A brain injury settlement depends on your own specific circumstances and what you or a loved one may need in the future. If a brain injury is permanent, it would likely lead to a higher settlement.
There is a wide range of medical costs necessary to treat a brain injury. One study estimated these costs to be between $85,000 to $3 million. These costs are before someone is even compensated for any other costs related to their injury.
Here are some other considerations in a brain injury settlement:
- Whether the victim will need additional care besides medical treatment
- Whether the individual is able to work again, either in an existing job or any other capacity
- How much pain and suffering you or your loved one are enduring
- What their life was like before the injury
A brain injury attorney at TSB Injury Law will review your case and situation before determining how much you may be due in compensation. Then, we will negotiate or take your case to court to get you what you deserve.
How Long You Have to File a Brain Injury Claim or Lawsuit in SC
South Carolina has a statute of limitations that applies to every personal injury case. You have three years from the time that you or a loved one were injured, or should have known that there was an injury, to file a civil lawsuit.
Ordinarily, a personal injury plaintiff would wait to file a personal injury lawsuit until the victim has reached the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI). This term is defined as the point where someone would not recover more from any further medical treatment.
In a brain injury case, it may take some time to reach MMI. Rehabilitation is likely to be slow, and progress is measured in slight improvements.
Anyone should not rush the claim to meet a deadline. However, you should not also wait too long because you also need to have the evidence that proves fault in your case.
Contact an Aiken Brain Injury Attorney Today
One of your first calls after a brain injury should be to an experienced attorney. If you are unable to reach out to a lawyer on your own, urge your family to do it. You cannot afford to wait to get legal help.
At TSB Injury Law, we can even come to you for your initial consultation. You can schedule a time to speak with a lawyer when you send us a message online or call us today at (803) 220-0000.
