Brain Injuries After a Car Accident
Car accidents are traumatic events that can cause a wide range of serious injuries. One of the most severe possibilities is a brain injury. Brain injuries can affect a victim in numerous ways: physically, emotionally, cognitively and behaviorally. If you sustain a brain injury in a preventable automobile accident in California, seek justice with help from a skilled Los Angeles car accident attorney.
How Do Car Accidents Cause Brain Injuries?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can describe any type of damage to the brain by an external force, such as a bump or blow to the head in an automobile accident. If a crash victim strikes his or her head or skull on anything due to the forces of the collision, such as the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield, the blunt-force trauma can injure the brain (e.g., cause a concussion).
Rapid movements of the head and neck due to inertia can also damage the brain, even with no external head injury. The brain stem may be injured due to the shearing or rotating motion of the brain inside of the skull (diffuse-axonal injury). Finally, glass, metal or debris can pierce the skull in a car crash and cause a penetrating brain injury.
Common Symptoms of Brain Injuries
The signs and symptoms of a brain injury may be immediately apparent in the aftermath of a motor vehicle crash – or they may be delayed and arise hours or even days later. This is why it is critical to see a doctor right away.
Although every brain injury is unique, common symptoms include constant headaches, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, confusion or disorientation, memory loss, trouble concentrating, lack of balance or coordination, chronic fatigue, weakness or paralysis, mood swings, personality changes, seizures, and loss of consciousness.
Will a Brain Injury Cause Long-Term Effects After a Car Accident?
The effects a victim experiences due to a brain injury, as well as how long they will last, vary based on the individual circumstances. No two brain injury cases are exactly alike. Mild brain injuries such as concussions may heal on their own within a couple of weeks. Severe traumatic brain injuries, on the other hand, can result in lasting or chronic effects that may interfere with the ability to work, participate in daily activities and fully enjoy life.
Financial Compensation Available to Brain Injury Victims in California
If you suffered any type of brain injury in a car accident in California and someone else is at fault for causing the crash, you can pursue financial compensation from that person or party’s insurance provider.
Under California’s fault-based car insurance law, the person who causes an automobile accident is held liable, or financially responsible, for a victim’s medical bills and property damage. This includes medical costs associated with a brain injury.
You may be entitled to a settlement or judgment award that addresses all of the losses you have suffered due to your brain injury, including medical bills, lost wages, lost capacity to earn, permanent disability, mental anguish, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Seek Justice
To receive a fair case outcome for your brain injury as a car accident victim in California, you may need to hire a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles to represent you. You or your lawyer will have to prove that the other driver or a third party is at fault for causing your car accident. You will also need to prove the existence and extent of your brain injury and all related losses.
Meeting your burden of proof and collecting fair compensation from a car insurance provider for a life-changing brain injury can be difficult without legal representation. Contact an attorney at Rose, Klein & Marias, LLP to discuss how we can help you during a free car accident case evaluation.