Brain / Spinal Injuries

Personal injury accidents, such as automobile, trucking, bus, or pedestrian accidents, can cause a host of serious injuries, from fractures to traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries. The number of people who suffer TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) and SCIs (spinal cord injuries) are staggering. About 1.5 million people in the United States suffer TBIs annually, and about 11,000 people suffer SCIs nationwide every year.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Head injuries can be either closed or open. A “closed” head injury occurs when there is a hard blow or jolt to the head but the skull remains intact. Alternatively, an “open” head injury occurs when the head is struck so hard by an object, such as shards from a broken windshield, that the object breaks through the skull and enters the brain.

Depending on the severity of the head injury, TBI symptoms can vary considerably. TBI victims can have any or a combination of the following mental and physical symptoms:

Concussions, one of the most common types of TBI

• Contusions or bruising of the brain
• Memory loss
• Shortened attention span
• Partial or full loss of reading and writing skills
• Seizures
• Speech problems
• Other cognitive and physical changes

There may also be behavioral changes, such as depression, difficulty socializing with others, and extreme mood swings.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal injuries can be caused from disease or a traumatic impact to the spinal cord. When there is a traumatic impact or blow to the spinal cord, the part of the spinal cord that is affected can become torn, bruised, or swollen. SCIs may cause varying degrees of paralysis, such as paraplegia and quadriplegia or tetraplegia.

SCIs are extremely serious and can alter a person’s quality of life dramatically. Injured SCI victims who become paralyzed may lose sexual function and experience constant pain. Other devastating consequences of SCI are that the person may be unable to work, require long-term medical and rehabilitative care, and suffer emotional problems.

Types of Recovery

People who experience head or spinal cord injuries do have recourse for their injuries. If another person or entity was responsible for causing the TBI or SCI, injured individuals may be able to sue the other party to recover economic and non-economic damages that they are entitled. Injured victims may be able to recover for:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Past and future rehabilitative costs
• Long-term medical care treatment and costs
• Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Other costs related to the accident and injury

We understand that after sustaining a head or spinal injury, your quality of life may never be the way it was before the accident, but our lawyers do their utmost to get you the compensation you deserve. Additionally, because many of our severely injured clients need long-term medical treatment and care, we can refer you to Live Care Affiliates who are able to provide you with quality medical care.

For experienced TBI and SCI attorneys, contact Ramey & Hailey today for assistance.