Chattanooga Brain Injury Attorneys
A brain injury is one of the most serious and life-altering accident injuries a person can suffer and one of the most emotionally traumatic for a brain injury victim’s family. There are various types of brain injury and are often difficult to diagnose and can potentially, and permanently, alter a person’s physical and emotional functions.
Brain Injury Defined
The term "brain injury" is generally considered synonymous with "traumatic brain injury," or TBI, though some brain injuries are considered "acquired brain injuries," or ABI. According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), TBI "is an insult to the brain…caused by an external physical force that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness, which results in an impairment of cognitive abilities or physical functioning." TBI does not include degenerative or congenital brain injuries and may also result in disturbance or impairment of emotional and behavioral functioning.
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a broader term that is defined as an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, degenerative, congenital, or caused by birth trauma, and that occurred after birth. ABI includes all traumatic brain injuries, but also those that are caused by internal complications, such as stroke or lack of oxygen to the brain.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
TBI can range from mild, to moderate, to severe and includes both open head injuries, which involve a skull fracture or displacement, and closed head injuries, which do not involve a skull fracture or displacement though still caused by an outside force. Common types of TBI include:
- Concussion (most common);
- Contusion;
- Diffuse Axonal Injury;
- Coup-Contrecoup Injury;
- Second Impact Syndrome;
- Locked in Syndrome;
- Penetrating Injury; and
- Shaken Baby Syndrome.
The mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral impairments and/or disturbances that result from a brain injury in Tennessee may be temporary, if caused by a mild TBI, or may cause partial or complete loss of brain and, subsequently, bodily functions.
Common Causes of TBI
Traumatic brain injuries may be caused by a wide range of external events. But, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the five categories of causes, in order of most common to least, are:
- Falls
- Unknown
- Motor-vehicle accidents
- Struck by or against
- Assault.
Brain injury accidents also occur often in sporting events. Contact sports such as football, or sports that do not provide head protection such as soccer, increase the risks of a concussion or contusion.
Treating a Brain Injury
Immediate emergency care is imperative to diagnosing and effectively treating traumatic brain injuries. In cases of less severe brain injuries, such as a mild concussion, the injured victim will usually be treated and released from an emergency facility. If the injury is more severe, however, an injured victim may require extensive and expensive medical treatments, extended hospitalization, and long-term rehabilitation. In extreme cases, a traumatic brain injury victim may fall into a coma, a minimally responsive state, a vegetative state, or even die.
Living with a Brain Injury
The effects of a traumatic brain injury can be forever. This can cause undue financial and emotional hardships for a brain injury victim and their family, even more so when the brain injury is caused by the negligence or recklessness of another person, organization, or other entity.
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury in Tennessee, you may be entitled to compensation for medical costs, rehabilitation costs, lost future wages, lower quality of life, and other losses. Our compassionate Chattanooga brain injury lawyers at Massey & Associates, PC, can help you make the legal decisions that are best for you and your family. Please contact us today at (423) 697-4529 to learn more about how we can help you through this difficult time.
