Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Orlando Attorney Certified as Expert By The Florida Bar Helps Clients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Claims
The term “concussion” is derived from the Latin “concussus,” which means “to shake violently.” Head injuries are common in car, truck and motorcycle crashes but, sadly, most go undiagnosed. These injuries range in severity and have the potential to permanently affect your life.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are over 1.5 million reported cases of traumatic brain injury every year in the United States. We at First Choice Law have experience in representing clients with these injuries.
Head Injuries
There are two main mechanisms of acute injury in TBI: direct contact and acceleration/deceleration. An object striking the head or the brain striking the inside of the skull produces a direct injury. Alternatively, rapid acceleration and deceleration imparts shear, and tensile and compressive strains that mainly damage long-distance white matter connections by producing diffuse axonal and vascular injury. This rapid acceleration–deceleration of the head often occurs and is known as a whiplash injury, which is the most common in a car crash. With the change in mental status, in its mildest form, the patient is dazed or “sees stars” and may be momentarily confused. Depending on the severity of the injury, loss of consciousness may occur, followed by a brief period of amnesia, but loss of consciousness is seen in less than 10% of patients who suffer a concussion.
Historically, most physicians, especially family doctors and ER. Physicians, looked only for structural changes in the brain in diagnosing injury. These structural changes could be seen on a CT scan or an MRI. However, most research now suggests that the vast majority of traumatic brain injuries are functional changes rather than structural changes. Therefore, conventional neuroimaging of the brain with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI) usually contribute little to the evaluation of concussion because it does not detect microscopic axonal injury (a disruption of neurons and chemical structure of the brain beyond modern sciences ability to detect).
Brain Injury Symptoms
Symptoms of mild to moderate TBI can include headaches, dizziness, nausea and amnesia; these injuries usually resolve within days to weeks of the event. However, occasionally these injuries can result in long-term cognitive and behavioral deficits. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that moderate to severe TBI, and even repeat mild TBI, might be associated with increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Parkinson’s disease. Headache is the most common post-concussive symptom, followed by dizziness, which is more often a sense of disequilibrium and imbalance than objective vertigo. Patients may report a feeling of mental “fogginess” with mild cognitive difficulty affecting memory and concentration.
TBI is a complex injury. Its symptoms can vary with each individual, injury type, injury severity, age and gender, making it challenging to diagnose, understand and treat. If you suffer any symptoms this nature after being involved in a car accident, you are not alone. Our brain injury lawyers can help!
Contact Our Highly Experienced Orlando Head Injury Lawyers in Central Florida
If you or someone you love have suffered a head injury because of someone's else negligence it is important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and contact a highly skilled head injury attorney who can help you obtain fair compensation. Jason Recksiedler has been certified as expert in trial law by the Florida Bar and would be happy to work with you. Don’t wait to call First Choice Law and speak with Jason Recksiedler and/or Caroline Fischer Espi; SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY!