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Denver Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

Brain injuries are a common injury sustained by accident victims. They often result from car accidents, construction accidents, slips and falls, and trucking accidents. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) range from concussions to severe brain injuries. Even when a brain injury is not life-threatening, it can have serious and long-term effects on your cognitive, physical, and emotional abilities.

If you or a family member sustained a traumatic brain injury, the injury attorneys at the Bendinelli Law Firm are here to help. We investigate the accident or incident that led to your brain injury, identify the liable parties, and pursue a personal injury claim to recover fair compensation for your injuries and damages.

Call 1-800-ATTORNEY to schedule a free consultation with our Denver brain injury lawyer.

Brain Injury Resources

What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury typically results from any type of violent bump, below, or jolt to the head or body. However, not all types of brain injuries are exactly alike. There are varying levels of traumatic brain injuries that can affect individuals.

A minor traumatic brain injury is also called a concussion, and these are common sports-related injuries, but they can occur in a variety of ways. However, aside from concussions, there are other types of brain injuries that can affect individuals. At the most basic level, we see these two types of TBIs:

  • Closed brain injury. This type of injury occurs anytime the brain is harmed, even though there is no penetrating wound to the skull. Inside of the skull, there is typically room for the brain to move back and forth, and if this happens rapidly, it can result in an injury to the brain.
  • Penetrating brain injury. Penetrating brain injuries occur anytime the inner area of the skull is penetrated by an object or by the skull itself. 

Aside from these two over-reaching types of TBIs, we can also classify these injuries as:

  • Diffuse axonal injuries. These occur if there is a tearing of the long connective nerve fibers inside the brain as the brain shifts or rotates inside the skull. These types of injuries typically cause injuries to many areas of the brain and result in a coma.
  • Coup-contrecoup injuries. This is a serious traumatic brain injury that means “blow and counterblow.” The “coup” part of this injury occurs directly under the point of impact the head incurs, and the “contrecoup” part of this injury occurs on the opposite side of the brain from where the head was struck. In other words, the brain will be affected right under the impact occurs and then right across from where the impact occurred, like a bounce back in the other direction. 
  • Intracranial hematomas. This refers to collections of blood outside of the blood vessels, and large hematomas in the brain can lead to serious long-term disabilities or death. There are several types of intracranial hematomas that can occur. This includes blood collection between the brain and the skull, blood collection underneath the thin layer of protective material around the brain, as well as blood collection within the brain itself.
  • Second impact syndrome. This is called a recurrent traumatic brain injury, and this occurs if a person sustains a second brain injury shortly after they sustain a primary brain injury. The second injury typically results in more severe damage than the first and can have substantial impacts on a person’s health.

Any type of brain injury has the potential to become a serious event, even if the symptoms seem relatively minor at first. All too often, individuals think they feel fine after sustaining a blow to the head and choose not to seek immediate medical care. This can result in devastating consequences. Sometimes, bleeding under this goal or swelling of the brain continues to occur long after the initial impact, and by the time a person receives medical care, it could be too late. It is important for all individuals to seek medical treatment right away and follow any instructions given by the doctor.

Our Denver traumatic brain injury attorneys can help

How Are Brain Injuries Diagnosed After an Accident?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result from trauma to the head caused by an accident. The accident could involve a defective product, fall, construction site accident, train accident, or motor vehicle accident. TBIs can be difficult to diagnose because many brain injuries do not involve an outward sign of injury. You can sustain a brain injury because you suffered whiplash from a fall or car crash.

Most physicians begin with a physical examination and a rating on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Physicians rely on their observations of the patient and the patient’s reported symptoms to make an initial diagnosis.

Symptoms of a brain injury include, but are not limited to:

  • Loss of consciousness (not required for a TBI)
  • Blurred vision
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
  • Loss of vision
  • Disorientation
  • Amnesia
  • Poor concentration
  • Short term memory loss
  • Depression
  • Agitation
  • Irritability
  • Vomiting and/or nausea

Neurologic exams, CT scans, and MRIs are also used when diagnosing a traumatic brain injury. A neuropsychological test is also used to assess how the brain is functioning after an accident or injury.

Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries

For a mild TBI, a doctor might prescribe observation, rest, and over-the-counter pain relievers. Moderate to severe brain injuries may require hospitalization to monitor the patient more closely. Depending on the type and severity of the brain injury, potential treatments could include:

  • Medications, including muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety medications, anticonvulsants, stimulants, anticoagulants, pain relievers, and antidepressants
  • Rehabilitation therapies, including physical, speech, occupational, cognitive, vocational, and psychological therapies
  • Surgery to remove blood clots, relieve pressure, remove damaged brain tissue, or repair skull fractures

Treatment is expensive, and may also result in substantial financial losses from being out of work for long periods of time. Brain injuries can also lead to long-term impairments and disabilities. Some brain injury victims require long-term personal care and ongoing medical care. For individuals who recover from a brain injury, the road to recovery can still be long, painful, and expensive.

Our Denver TBI attorneys work with you and your doctors to document the damages sustained because of a brain injury. We work to hold the party or parties responsible for your brain injury liable for your damages, including medical bills, physical pain, lost wages, emotional suffering, and loss of quality of life.

Recovering Compensation After a Denver Brain Injury

Individuals who sustained brain injuries caused by the negligence of others should be able to recover a wide range of compensation types. Of course, the total amount of compensation will vary depending on several factors, including the injury severity, whether or not there was any shared fault, the length of the recovery time, etc.

Our team works diligently to recover both economic and non-economic compensation on behalf of clients.

Economic damages revolve around calculable expenses brain injury victims in Denver typically incur. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Emergency medical bills
  • Long-term in-home care needs
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity
  • Out-of-pocket expenses 
  • Property damage expenses

Non-economic damages revolve around more immeasurable expenses that a brain injury victim is likely to experience after the incident. This includes what we often call pain and suffering damages and includes compensation for:

  • Physical pain and suffering losses
  • Emotional and psychological pain and suffering
  • Loss of quality of life damages
  • Loss of consortium or companionship for a spouse or family

Do I Need a Brain Injury Lawyer?

A traumatic brain injury lawyer is absolutely crucial. These claims can become very complicated, but an attorney will be able to use their resources to conduct a complete investigation into the incident. This includes gathering any evidence needed to prove liability. Determining liability is more challenging than most people realize. Even if fault for the incident is relatively clear, you can be sure that the other parties will push back against any allegations of fault. Often, this puts the brain injury victim going up against well-funded insurance carriers or legal teams. Without an equally resourced attorney, this can be a problem.

Aside from investigating and proving liability, a Denver brain injury attorney will seek out assistance from trusted medical and economic experts who can adequately calculate total expected losses. It is crucial for brain injury victims to adequately understand total expected losses, both short-term and long-term. In many cases, brain injury victims need lifelong assistance due to a physical or cognitive disability caused by the injury. This must be accounted for when working on a final settlement or jury verdict.

A lawyer will also fully prepare the claim for trial, even though they will work to negotiate a fair settlement before a trial becomes necessary. Fully preparing a claim for trial will let the other side know that you and your legal team mean business. Brain injury trials are complicated, and it could take some time for the trial to come to fruition. There are often extensive investigations and ongoing negotiations even after a personal injury lawsuit is filed, but a Denver injury lawyer will be by your side the entire way.

Contact our TBI lawyers after your accident

Contact our Denver Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers Today

At the Bendinelli Law Firm, we tell our clients to concentrate on recovering from their injuries and returning to their day-to-day life, while our team of legal professionals and attorneys take care of the complicated legal issues and deal with the insurance company. We are here to support you in every way we can.

Put our considerable experience, skills, and resources to work for you. Contact us today for your confidential and free initial consultation with a Denver personal injury lawyer.