Virginia Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
Every year about two million Americans sustain head and brain injuries that result in permanent impairments that will affect their ability to perform and interact at work, school, and in their social and family lives. Work routines and pastimes that were once second nature become strange and difficult after a brain injury occurs. And far beyond the immediate impact a brain injury can have on one’s ability to interact and communicate, its long-term effects increase the risk of acquiring crippling neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and post-traumatic dementia.
At MichieHamlett, our Virginia brain injury attorneys understand that recovering from a severe brain injury takes vigilance, perseverance, patience, and faith, both for the victim and the victim’s family. Contact us today for caring and conscientious legal help for your brain injury.
What Causes Traumatic Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can be of many different types and can come about in many different ways. For instance, TBI can be focal (confined to one area of the brain) or diffuse (affecting several areas of the brain). Head injuries can also be classified as either “open” or “closed,” depending on whether the skull was fractured or penetrated or merely struck violently without breaking. Skull fractures can also be “comminuted,” where several pieces of bone have broken and may have entered and damaged the brain. Concussions and brain injuries are also ranked from mild to moderate to severe according to the health impacts and symptoms they produce.
Leading causes of TBI include:
- Car and Truck Accidents
- Medical Malpractice
- Falls
- Sports Injuries
- Gunshots and acts of violence
Brain injuries in car and truck accidents can come about when the victim’s head strikes the windshield, dashboard, side window or another interior part of the car. Rollover accidents where the roof crushes and crashes that eject the passenger from the vehicle are also likely to cause severe or even fatal head injuries. In the area of medical malpractice, brain injuries do not typically occur from trauma, per se, although they could in the event of a surgical mistake made during brain surgery. More often, medical negligence causes a brain injury due to a prolonged lack of oxygen to the brain. A surgery that lasts too long for safety or an anesthesia error can result in brain injury. Many birth injuries, such as cerebral palsy or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) occur because negligence or incompetence during labor or delivery caused debilitating oxygen-deprivation. These injuries can result in a lifetime of cognitive and motor deficits and developmental disabilities.
How Does MichieHamlett Help in Brain Injury Cases?
Brain injuries can be devastating to victims and their families in terms of the medical care and other costs associated with the injury as well as the frustration and challenge of living with a disability, the pain and suffering it causes, and the limited ability to earn a living that often accompanies such an injury. Initial hospital bills for emergency treatment, surgery, and intensive care can be enormous, and victims often leave the hospital only to be transferred to a specialty rehabilitation facility for several months. Some never the facility and require round-the-clock care, whether at home or a skilled nursing facility. For others, the road to recovery is possible, but it is long and arduous and filled with visits to medical specialists for occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological counseling, and more. Modifications to the home and car, adaptive equipment and assistive technology are often necessary as well to help persons living with brain injury achieve maximum independence and self-care.
When faced with large claims filed against a negligent doctor or distracted driver, the insurance companies sadly take an aggressive stance against paying these claims rather than settle for the full amount. Brain injuries are complicated. Diagnosing a brain injury, treating it, and making a prognosis are all complex tasks. The highly technical nature of brain injury cases unfortunately can make them harder to prove and easier to defend.
Having a law firm like MichieHamlett on your side can prove invaluable when pursuing a brain injury claim against a large insurer. Our firm has the knowledge, skills and resources to go up against the biggest insurers. Through many years of tort representation in brain and traumatic injury cases, our Virginia brain injury attorneys have ensured that insurance companies treat our clients with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Your job is to improve your health to the maximum extent possible and regain as much of the quality of life that was taken from you as you can. Our job is to hold the responsible parties accountable to you and see that you get a full and fair amount of compensation to help you through these difficult times.
Get Help After a Traumatic Brain Injury in Virginia
For help recovering compensation after a traumatic brain injury in a Virginia car or truck accident, medical malpractice, or some other catastrophic accident, call MichieHamlett at 434-951-7200.
