Brain Injuries
Welcome to the
Brain Injuries homepage of Epperly & Follis, P.C. A
head injury, or traumatic brain injury, is any type of
trauma to the head that results in an injury to the skull,
brain or scalp. Trauma is the leading cause of death in
the United States for people between the ages of 1 and 44,
and it is the third leading cause of death overall.
When hiring a personal injury attorney to represent a
person who has suffered a traumatic head injury, it is
necessary that the attorney have knowledge of head
injuries. The team of attorneys at Epperly & Follis,
P.C., has handled head injury cases, and understands the
unique problems of a head injury victim.
Brain injuries can range from mild to severe, and can be
classified as closed-head injuries, or open-head injuries.
An open-head injury is when the object that has made
contact with the head breaks through the skill and enters
the brain. Statistics show that there are approximately 2
million brain injuries reported each year in this country,
and of those, more than 51,000 were fatal, and 20-30
percent of the surviving victims suffered permanent,
irreversible disabilities.
Many head injuries could have been prevented, but because
of the negligence of someone else, a personal injury
results.
The most common types of brain injuries are:
- Concussion: an alteration of consciousness,
transient or prolonged, due to a blow to the head that may
be followed by transient amnesia, vertigo, nausea, and
weak pulse.
- Anoxic brain injury: caused when the
oxygen supply to the brain is cut off.
- Traumatic
brain injury: results from rapid acceleration and
deceleration of the brain, including shearing (tearing) of
nerve fibers, contusion (bruising) of the brain tissue
against the skull, brain stem injuries, and edema
(swelling).
Car accidents are the
leading cause of brain injuries in the U.S., and most of
the accidents are due to negligence. If negligence is the
cause, the victim may be entitled to recover damages,
including all current and future medical costs, property
damage, pain and suffering, loss of current and future
earnings, loss of enjoyment and in some cases, and
punitive damages. The victim's family may also be entitled
to be compensated for damages if members are forced to
change their lifestyle in order to care for the loved one.
While many accidents do not
result in death or serious injury, other accidents
dramatically affect victims for the rest of their lives.
The long-term effects of a traumatic brain or head injury
can include cognitive deficits, reduction in motor skills
and physical deficits, which can include walking, balance
and coordination, fine motor skills and strength.
Cognitive deficits include
difficulty in language and communication, information
processing, memory and perceptual skills. Many victims
exhibit changes in their personality (such as mood swings)
and major lifestyle changes. Loss of short- and long-term
memory can often result from head injuries. Other symptoms
that affect a brain injury victim might include emotional
problems, speech complications, loss of sensations,
seizures, paralysis, coma or even death.
After a brain injury, doing
things that once seemed easy become extremely difficult. A
great deal of mental effort is usually required to do
things that once required little or no effort before the
injury. Work, school and personal relationships suffer.
The injured party often becomes less efficient at their
job and they become unpredictable, unreliable, and
sometimes violent.
Through experience and
education, the attorneys of Epperly & Follis, P.C. are
able to evaluate traumatic brain injuries and successfully
pursue claims on behalf of the injured plaintiff. It is
always important to consult with an attorney regarding
brain injury cases. There are many times when a victim may
not be aware of their legal rights, but Epperly &
Follis, P.C. lawyers will investigate the facts and
determine whether or not you have a right to compensation,
and in most cases you will have that right. Additionally,
depending on the extent of your injury, you may have a
right to public or private benefits such as Social
Security disability, Medicare, or private disability
insurance payments.
At Epperly & Follis,
P.C., our attorneys concentrate in catastrophic personal
injury cases against major defendants such as nursing
homes, hospitals, insurance companies, product
manufacturers, corporations and municipalities. We do not
approach our cases as mere jobs, but as causes in which
larger issues are at stake - causes in which our firm's
lawyers invest personal dedication to see that justice is
done. We can help you make informed decisions, so please
call us today at 1-888-703-0109 or
(804) 648-6480, or
contact us via our online Contact
Form.
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