Concussion Attorney
Choose an attorney who will fight for you to get the largest recovery possible for your concussion injury
When you’re a parent, watching your child fall to the ground and hit their head can cause the time to stand still until you can confirm that they are okay. Even if they first appear to be fine, there is a chance that the impact to their head could result in a concussion, among other things. But concussions don’t just happen with children, as we all know. Also, a concussion might not stem from the concussed person’s carelessness but instead from the negligent or reckless actions of another person. Let’s take a closer look at concussion symptoms and causes and the legal options that you may have if your concussion was someone’s fault.
My Rights Law – Experienced Concussion Lawyers
Suffered a concussion because of another person’s negligence? If so, it makes sense to promptly contact a lawyer who is well-versed in bringing concussion claims. The serious injuries lawyers at My Rights Law are here to provide you with guidance and direction in this respect. Among other things, we will help you understand who is potentially at fault, what your legal options are, and what strategy to pursue to obtain the compensation that you deserve. Get in touch with My Rights Law by calling (888) 702-8882 or filling out our secure web form for a free consultation.
What Is A Concussion?
A concussion is an injury to the brain that is often called a “closed head injury” or “traumatic brain injury.” Concussions can be mild and produce temporary symptoms, or they can be severe, causing long-lasting or permanent symptoms that can be quite serious and debilitating. Although most concussions do not make you pass out, severe concussions might cause you to briefly lose consciousness.
Our brains are very fragile, having a soft, gelatinous consistency. Because of their fragility, our brains are protected both by a hard skull bone and by a layer of cushioning fluid called cerebrospinal fluid beneath the skull. When our heads are hit or violently shaken, our brains can slosh around inside of our skulls, moving the fluid around and hitting the inside of the bony skull. This can cause damage to our brain cells and structure. This type of injury to the brain might also cause your brain to swell or trigger bleeding inside and around the brain.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Concussion?
As with most other traumatic brain injuries, suffering from a concussion can cause a multitude of physical, sensory, and psychological or emotional symptoms. The number and type of symptoms you experience may depend upon how the accident occurred and how severe of a concussion you have. The symptoms of a concussion can include any of the following:
- Headache
- Amnesia, often regarding the incident that caused the concussion
- Confusion
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Tiredness
- Vision problems, such as blurry vision, tunnel vision, sensitivity to light, or “seeing stars”
- Dizziness
- Changed speech patterns, such as choppy or slurred speech
- Personality changes
- Irritability
- Inability to sleep
- Depression or anxiety
- Loss of balance
- Inability to walk properly
- Seizures (in severe concussion cases)
Most of the time, the above symptoms are temporary and may only last for a few days or weeks. However, with severe concussions, some of these symptoms can last for many months and affect a person’s life significantly.
What Are The Common Causes Of Concussions?
Most of the time, a concussion is caused by a blow to the head. Less commonly, a concussion may be caused by the violent shaking back and forth of the head, neck, hand or upper body, like you might experience in a car accident. Here are some of the common causes of concussions:
- Striking your head on a hard surface after a trip, slip, or fall. This is one of the most common causes of concussion. Young children and the elderly are more prone to falls, so those age groups report a higher number of concussions due to falls than do people between those ages.
- Participating in sports. If you fail to take proper safety precautions, sports with a high level of physical contact may result in a concussion. Even if you wear a helmet, though, you could suffer a concussion if the force of the impact is hard enough.
- Being involved in a motor vehicle accident. Even a minor fender bender in which damage to the vehicles is relatively small could cause a concussion if you happen to hit your head in the right way. Also, if you are riding a bicycle or walking along the road, being struck by a vehicle can result in a severe concussion or even death.
- Engaging in combat. Soldiers are at risk of concussion while involved in combat, particularly if they are injured in some kind of explosion.
- Physical abuse. Domestic violence may result in a concussion for the person who is abused. Babies who have been violently shaken are particularly vulnerable to concussions.
What Types Of Accidents Cause Concussions?
Often, people may be injured in accidents involving blows to the head that can cause severe concussions or traumatic brain injuries. As concussion injury lawyers, we most often see that the following accidents cause concussions for our clients:
- Car accidents
- Long-haul truck accidents involving tractor trailers
- Motorcycle crashes
- Pedestrians being struck by vehicles
- Slip, trip, and falls due to dangerous conditions on business property
In all of the above incidents, someone else’s negligence, recklessness, or careless behavior might be the cause of the accident and, therefore, the concussion symptoms that you are experiencing. If you have suffered from a serious concussion with symptoms due to the negligence of another person or company, you may want to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you to try to recover the compensation that you deserve.
Concussions In School Sports
Over the last 15 years, the problem of sports-related concussions has become more widely known and understood. Based on the long-term health effects from suffering multiple concussions, both professional and amateur sports have developed concussion protocols that dictate the treatment and rules that are applicable to a player who has suffered one or more concussions.
Unfortunately, it took many years and several large lawsuits to convince the professional leagues and schools around the country to treat concussions seriously. These lawsuits were able to shine a light on the ongoing medical problems players suffer from, including Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a type of brain degeneration caused by multiple brain traumas.
Many children suffer from concussions because they are involved in school sports. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately three million sports-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year. Ranked in order of occurrence, the sports that typically cause the most concussions are the following:
- Rugby
- Football
- Hockey
- Soccer
- Lacrosse
- Wrestling
- Basketball
- Softball
- Baseball
How Much Is My Concussion Case Worth?
Serious concussion cases can be difficult to litigate. Having a lawyer on your side that focuses their practice on concussion and traumatic brain injury cases can go a long way in helping you to receive fair and reasonable compensation for your injuries. It often can be difficult to place a value on concussion cases because the symptoms can be so diverse, and every person experiences them differently. Also, it’s hard to prove an injury like a concussion versus an injury like a broken arm. An experienced attorney would know the best way to fight on your behalf against those who are responsible for causing your concussion.
These are some of the questions that an experienced head injury lawyer may ask to evaluate the damages in your claim:
- How long did the symptoms from your concussion last, and are any of those symptoms likely to be permanent or long-lasting?
- Could the long-lasting or permanent symptoms affect your ability to earn a living or to hold any type of substantial, gainful employment?
- How much are your medical bills? Will you need ongoing treatment, and how much will that treatment likely cost?
- Do you have past lost wages due to the concussion? Will there be future lost wages?
- What level of pain and suffering occurred or will continue to happen?
Unlike the other considerations, pain and suffering is difficult to monetize. There is no formula to determine the amount of a person’s pain and suffering. Every case is different, and every injured person is different. This is where the experience of an accomplished concussion lawyer comes into play. An attorney who is knowledgeable about concussion lawsuits in the state may be able to closely predict what amount of compensation for pain and suffering might be possible in your case based on the results of other cases.
