Cleveland Brain Injury Lawyer
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Ohio Attorneys for Victims of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Any type of head trauma can be extremely detrimental to a person’s health and well-being, but perhaps none so much as a brain injury. The brain is responsible for everything about you, from your movement to your mood to your entire personality. As such, brain injuries can result in devastating consequences to a person’s physical and cognitive function, leading to years of challenges and, in some cases, even permanent disability or death.
As horrific as these serious injuries already are, when they are caused by another person’s negligence, the situation can be even harder to digest. If this is the case for you and somebody else is responsible for you or a loved one’s brain injuries, it is important that you seek the help of an experienced law firm to recover compensation from the at-fault party.
At Joseph Law Group, our Cleveland brain injury attorneys are highly experienced with these types of personal injury cases. We know how damaging a traumatic brain injury can be for a victim and their family, and we make sure that those who experience these types of cases are properly compensated for the years of recovery that lie ahead of them. To speak with an experienced brain injury lawyer from our firm, please call (216) 522-1600 or reach out to us online to schedule a free initial consultation today.
Types of Brain Injury
There are two different categories of acquired brain injuries: traumatic brain injuries and non-traumatic brain injuries. Which type of brain injury a person suffers depends on the underlying cause of the injury.
What is an Acquired Brain Injury?
An acquired brain injury is an umbrella term referring to both traumatic brain injuries and non-traumatic brain injuries. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, “an acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma.” This essentially means that the injury is not one that a person is born with or otherwise obtained during labor and delivery.
Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, refers to a brain injury caused by an outside force, such as a car accident or a serious slip and fall. It can be a result of blunt force trauma, wherein an object actually makes direct contact with the head, or a result of a sudden jerk so powerful that it causes the brain to actually shift inside the skull.
There are many different types of traumatic brain injury cases, some of which include:
- Concussion – A concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury. It is also considered to be particularly mild as far as TBIs go. A concussion is the result of the brain jolting around in the skull, often due to things like car accidents and sports injuries. While these mild TBIs don’t typically result in permanent brain damage, they can cause temporary damage and should be treated by a medical professional.
- Open Head Injury – An open head injury, or penetrating head injury, occurs when an object penetrates or fractures the skull and reaches the brain tissue. Examples of this catastrophic injury include a gunshot wound to the head or a shard of glass from a car windshield that pierces the skull. Unlike concussions, these are severe brain injuries that can result in significant damage, including lifelong impairment or even wrongful death.
- Closed Head Injury – Closed head injuries, as you might imagine, are injuries to the head that do not penetrate the skull. However, they are still considered serious brain injuries and can cause lasting damage. Brain bleeds, contusions, and swelling can occur as a result and may prove catastrophic or even fatal.
- Diffuse Axonal Injury – A diffuse axonal injury occurs as a result of the brain shifting inside the skull and tearing the axons (long connecting nerve fibers). This nerve damage can result in neurological dysfunction ranging from mild impairment to potentially falling into a coma.
- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – This type of TBI that is a progressive brain condition that is often associated with high-contact sports such as football. This is because CTE’s occur as a result of recurring blows to the head. Although one concussion typically doesn’t cause lasting damage, when someone experiences multiple concussions in their lifetime, it can lead to brain degeneration and cause serious problems later on.
Non-Traumatic Brain Injury
Unlike in TBI cases, non-traumatic brain injuries are caused from internal factors rather than an outside opposing force. One example is a hypoxic brain injury. Hypoxic brain injuries result from a restricted flow of oxygen to the brain. Anoxic brain injuries, on the other hand, are caused by a complete lack of oxygen to the brain. In both hypoxic and anoxic brain injuries, the brain’s oxygen supply is interrupted, which can lead to brain cell death and irreversible damage.
Non-traumatic brain injuries can also be a result of a tumor, stroke, heart attack, drowning accident, aneurysm, toxic exposure, or an infectious disease.
What Causes a Brain Injury?
Just as there are many different types of brain injuries, there are also a number of ways in which they can be acquired. From medical malpractice to premises liability, our Cleveland TBI lawyers have handled a range of different cases resulting from someone else’s negligence.
Some of the more common causes of brain injuries include:
- Motor Vehicle Accidents – Motor vehicle accidents are one of the most common causes of head trauma. This includes car accidents, motorcycle accidents, big truck wrecks, and more. At Joseph Law Group, our Cleveland motor vehicle accident lawyers see these cases often. As a result, we know that many injuries, including head and brain injuries, aren’t always apparent right away. It’s important that car accident victims seek medical attention immediately following the wreck to ensure there has been no damage to the brain.
- Medical Malpractice – There are many ways in which medical negligence can cause severe brain damage to a patient. Anesthesia errors, for example, can lead to oxygen deprivation, which may result in permanent brain damage. Misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose a condition, mismanaged medication, surgical errors, and many other medical mistakes can all result in brain injuries caused by medical malpractice. Our Cleveland medical malpractice lawyers work hard to hold negligent medical professionals accountable for preventable mistakes like these.
- Acts of Violence – In some cases, serious personal injuries like these are intentional rather than accidental. Intentional acts of violence, including gunshot wounds, stab wounds, assault, and blunt force trauma from a bat, tire iron, or any other object that can be used as a weapon are all possible causes of brain injury.
- Sports-Related Injuries – High-contact sports like football, rugby, and boxing put athletes at serious risk of sustaining brain and head injuries. In fact, sports-related injuries are the leading cause of TBI among children and teens.
- Slips and Falls – It is not uncommon for people to suffer TBIs from a slip and fall accident. Whether your head made direct contact with the ground or your brain was violently jolted inside your skull from the impact, a traumatic brain injury is very much a possibility.
Our Cleveland personal injury attorneys at Joseph Law Group have handled all types of brain injury cases. Regardless of the type of accident, if the negligence of another person caused you or a loved one to suffer a TBI, you have legal options available to you.
Symptoms of Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries can have wide-ranging and far-reaching effects, including both physical pain and cognitive deficits.
Symptoms of a mild TBI may include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Speech problems
- Memory loss
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Drowsiness
- Sensitivity to light and/or sound
- State of confusion
- Mood swings
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Sad, anxious, or depressed mood
In more severe cases of brain injuries, possible symptoms may include:
- Chronic headaches
- Hemmoraghing and blood clots
- Repeated nausea and vomiting
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
- Extreme confusion
- Slurred speech
- Fluids draining from ears or nose
- Dilation of pupils
- Loss of coordination
- Weakness in fingers and toes
- Mood swings/personality changes
Remember, signs of a TBI may not always show up right away. In some cases, it can take days or even weeks for symptoms of a brain injury to appear. After any type of accident, it’s important that you seek medical treatment to assess your injuries, not only for your own health and safety, but also to protect the integrity of your potential injury case.
Brain Injury Lawsuit
The cost of a brain injury is often much more than the initial medical bills. Injury victims will likely require extensive and ongoing medical treatment, therapy, and personal care for years to come.
In addition to future medical expenses, things like lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress will also need to be taken into account. When you work with the experienced brain injury attorneys at Joseph Law Group, we will fight hard to make sure you receive maximum compensation to cover both the economic and non-economic damages associated with your injury. To learn more about your potential brain injury lawsuit, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation regarding your case.
Why You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer for a Brain Injury
Although a personal injury claim involving brain injuries often has a higher payout, this doesn’t mean it’s easy to secure. The at-fault party and their insurance company will often fight tooth and nail to deny liability and avoid paying fair compensation. That is why it is imperative that TBI victims seek the help of a law firm experienced in brain injury cases.
At Joseph Law Group, our Cleveland brain injury lawyers know what it takes to prove negligence on behalf of the liable party. As soon as a formal attorney-client relationship is established, we will utilize our legal knowledge and resources to investigate your claim, obtain medical records, and secure expert witness testimony to build and strengthen your case. Handling such complicated legal matters on your own is the last thing you should be doing after suffering brain damage at the hands of another. Allow the experienced brain injury lawyers from our Cleveland, Ohio-based law firm to take care of everything for you while you focus on your own health and recovery.
Brain Injury Lawyers in Cleveland, OH
If someone else’s negligence caused you or a loved one to suffer brain injuries, you deserve to hold them accountable and recoup financial compensation for the losses you and your family have faced as a result. Because there is often so much on the line in these types of cases, it is important that you obtain the help of skilled traumatic brain injury lawyers to ensure the best possible outcome.
Our team of attorneys at Joseph Law Group recognizes the true extent of a brain injury case. For many victims, life as they once knew it will never be within reach again. A personal injury lawsuit cannot reverse the damage that has been done, but it can provide a cushion for the years of extensive medical treatment, therapy, and emotional distress that may be ahead. To speak with an experienced Cleveland brain injury lawyer at Joseph Law Group, give our dedicated law firm a call at (216) 522-1600 today to schedule your free consultation.
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The insurance industry is built on the avoidance of making any payments on claims. They see claims as liabilities, and initially deny, defend, and delay a claim to limit that liability and save money for the company. Ultimately, it is the job of the attorneys at Joseph Law Group to advocate on behalf of our clients and to give the insurance companies and adjusters enough reason to pay an amount of money that is fair under all circumstances. When you hire Joseph Law Group to represent your claim, you are getting a full-service team of dedicated attorneys and paralegals who will be committed to pursuing the best outcome for you from day one until trial.
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