Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can happen in an instant — and change your life forever. These catastrophic injuries cause physical pain, emotional distress, and cognitive difficulties. The neurological challenges from a brain injury can forever change a person’s way of life. 

The aftermath of a TBI can be slow; many TBI survivors will require surgery as well as rehabilitative care. Survivors may be unable to find or sustain work, resulting in wage loss and loss of earning capacity. Finally, TBIs can devastate a person’s social life, as photosensitivity, noise sensitivity, and cognitive load become daily considerations.

At Fuller Personal Injury Law, we understand the profound effects that a traumatic brain injury can have and that no two brain injuries are the same. Our law firm works with medical professionals —neurosurgeons, neurologists, and rehabilitative experts—to understand the nuances of every case. Our professional record speaks for itself; we have successfully resolved numerous TBI and wrongful death cases all over Colorado.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury, call us today for your free consultation:

(720) 770-3832

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“Do I have a brain injury?”

If you believe you have suffered a brain injury, seek medical treatment immediately.

Brain injuries are often invisible to the naked eye; the physical damage may be isolated to the brain itself. Nonetheless, brain injuries can have devastating effects. The Mayo Clinic offers a list of physical, sensory, and cognitive changes you may experience after a brain injury. If you have experienced any of the symptoms below, talk to your doctor as soon as possible.

Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms

Brain injury symptoms can include, but may not be limited to, the following:

Cognitive and Mental Symptoms

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Frequently Asked Questions about Traumatic Brain Injuries

What is a traumatic brain injury?

According to the National Institute for Health, “a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be caused by a forceful bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, or from an object that pierces the skull and enters the brain.” Symptoms range for moderate to severe; some symptoms last only a few days, while others can persist throughout your life.

When most people think of a brain injury, they think of the initial force impact on the brain; however, some of the most severe brain injuries are a direct result of medical negligence. Undiagnosed and untreated conditions can lead to blood clots, brain swelling, infections, and long-term brain damage. 

Moreover, surgical errors, including birth injury, can also result in brain injury. If this describes your situation, you may have a medical malpractice case.

At Fuller Personal Injury Law, our Denver personal injury lawyers work aggressively to show how the traumatic brain injury occurred and hold the defendants accountable. We file negligence claims and product liability claims against all the responsible defendants.

After a brain injury, victims may lose consciousness; in the most severe cases, they may enter into a coma. A TBI can require weeks, months, or even years of medical treatment.

At Fuller Personal Injury Law, our goal is to get full compensation for anyone living with a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence. Call us today to discuss your claim:

(720) 770-3832

Types of Traumatic Brain Injury

TBI injury victims suffer two types of injuries:

The primary injury describes the initial impact force to the brain. This occurs when an object strikes a person: for example, hitting your window or dashboard during a car accident. High-contact sports like football are also frequent causes of primary injuries.

The secondary injury describes what happens within the brain structure in the hours or days after the primary injury. While impossible to see with the naked eye, secondary injuries include things like an increase in skull pressure due to swelling, blood clots, and hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain). Secondary injuries can often be mitigated with decisive diagnosis and quick medical intervention.

Traumatic brain injuries are also be categorized into one of two categories: 

Closed brain injuries. Closed brain injuries occur when there is no penetrating injury: there is no wound or laceration on the head, but rapid movement and/or shaking have caused the brain to bruise, tearing brain tissue and blood vessels. Common causes of closed head injuries include motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall accidents, and contact sports like football.

Open brain injuries. Open brain injuries occur after blunt force to the head, resulting in a break in the skull, through which an object penetrates the brain. Common causes of closed brain injuries include dog bites, motorcycle crashes and truck accidents.

Talk to a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer: (720) 770-3832

How is a traumatic brain injury diagnosed?

Diagnosing a TBI requires a medical assessment. Many traumatic brain injury survivors will not be aware of their condition until a few days after the accident. If you suspect that you or a loved one has a TBI, see a doctor as soon as possible.

What do doctors do to assess and diagnose a TBI?

Doctors will conduct an oral and physical examination to determine the working condition of their patient’s brain. According to the Mayo Clinic, the TBI examination process includes questions to assess processing speed, spatial awareness, awareness of current events, and so forth. This may include a computerized tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as an intracranial pressure monitor. 

Doctors frequently refer to the Glasgow Coma Scale, a stimulation-response test that includes verbal questions and motor response stimuli, to evaluate their patient. Patients are evaluated on three parameters: eye response (E), verbal response (V), and motor response (M).

At Fuller Personal Injury Law, our goal is to get full compensation for anyone living with a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence. Call us today to discuss your claim:

(720) 770-3832

What challenges do Denver TBI victims face?

According to Johns Hopkins University, a traumatic brain injury can cause long-term, or even permanent, changes to brain function. A moderate or severe brain injury can compromis±e nearly every aspect of a person’s life, from physical mobility and mental health to career trajectory and interpersonal relationships. A traumatic brain injury is among the most debilitating injuries a person can suffer. 

List of Potential Effects from a Traumatic Brain Injury

Brain injuries affect nearly every area of a person’s life. Some common effects are listed below:

Cognitive difficulties.

TBI survivors may find themselves frequently confused and unfocused. Traumatic brain injuries can shorten attention span and make it more difficult to solve problems. It can also affect a person’s judgment and can alter their perception of time and space.

Motor difficulties.

The physical effects of a brain injury may include spasticity, paralysis, balancing difficulties, fatigue, tremors, discoordination and swallowing difficulties, among other symptoms.

Communication difficulties.

Traumatic brain injury sufferers may take longer to speak, or have trouble speaking at all. They may also have difficulty understanding what is being said to them. Poor word recall, difficulty reading and writing, and challenges following or telling a story are also common problems for TBI sufferers.

Sensory changes.

We rely on hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch to make sense of the world around us. A brain-injured person may experience desensitization in all five areas. Brain-injury survivors report feeling disconnected to their body, as well as limited visual acuity, light sensitivity, hearing disturbances, and changes to the way things taste and smell. 

Functional deficits.

TBI victims may have difficulty dressing, eating, bathing, paying bills, shopping, driving, or using machinery. Victims may also have problems with fatigue, sleep, and going to the bathroom.

Social difficulties.

Due to the cognitive changes that accompany a brain injury, interpersonal relationships become harder for a TBI sufferer. Making and keeping friends can be harder, as can physical relationships. 

Personality changes.

The above changes frequently result in a change in the person’s mood, or even personality. TBI sufferers can become more depressed, anxious, unmotivated or aggressive due to the persistent challenges in their lives.

What is the treatment for a traumatic brain injury?

According to the Mayo Clinic, TBI treatment depends on the severity of the injury. It may require some combination of emergency medical care, medication, surgery and rehabilitation. We will cover each in more detail below.

Emergency Medical Care

Emergency care for traumatic brain injuries generally focuses on preventing a secondary injury from occurring within the skull after the initial trauma. Medical staff will ensure that the patient has enough oxygen in their blood supply, that their blood pressure remains stabilized, and that their head and neck stay immobilized.

Medication

Medications may be administered to limit secondary damage, as well. These include anti-seizure drugs to prevent tremors and spasticity, coma-inducing drugs that decrease the amount of oxygen necessary for their brain to function, and diuretics that reduce the amount of fluid pressing against the skull.

Surgery

Neurosurgery is generally the initial treatment for a severe TBI. Here, surgeons work to remove blood clots (hematomas), repair fractured skulls, stop any brain bleeding, and continue to relieve any pressure in the skull.

Rehabilitation

People who have suffered a brain injury often require rehabilitation to return to normal. Medical rehabilitation helps them relearn basic skills—speaking, walking and so forth—and work back up to performing daily activities on their own. This stage may involve physiatrists, occupational and/or physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, case managers and other professionals. Rehabilitation will look different for everyone, depending on the severity of the injury.

Talk to a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer: (720) 770-3832

Can a traumatic brain injury be cured?

Perhaps the most common question about brain injuries is: when will it go away. According to the Cleveland Clinic, TBI prognosis depends on several factors, including additional injuries, age, previous TBIs, stress, and in-person support. 

The most important factor is the severity of the primary injury. Your doctor or healthcare provider will be able to answer more specific questions about your case.

Is a concussion a traumatic brain injury?

Yes. According to the CDC, “a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.”

If you have experienced a concussion, seek medical care immediately. Symptoms may be slow to appear; the sooner you can have a treatment plan in place, the better.

Is a traumatic brain injury a disability?

According to the CDC, a disability is any impairment of the body or mind that causes difficulty in performing certain activities and interacting with the world. So long as symptoms persist, TBIs are considered disabilities.

Applying for Disability Benefits After Brain Injury

After filing an insurance claim, you may also want to pursue Social Security benefits to assist your recovery. The Brain Injury Association of America offers a great list of guidelines to follow when pursuing this goal.

Call Fuller Personal Injury Law to help you file your claim:

(720) 770-3832

Do traumatic brain injuries get worse over time?

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 1.5 million people who suffer TBIs every year—and between 80,000-90,000 will develop life-long disabilities related to their injury. 

Moderate to severe brain injuries can get worse over time, especially with a delay in medical treatment. Studies show that about 30% of moderate-to-severe TBI survivors experience cognitive decline and premature mortality within 5 years from the initial trauma. This percentage jumps to 50% in elderly populations.

What are the causes of traumatic brain injuries in Denver?

A traumatic brain injury can happen anywhere. Wherever there is a significant application of force to the head, brain trauma can result. Some of the most common causes of TBIs are:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Slip and falls
• Falling objects
• Physical assaults
• Construction site accidents
• Defective products

Do I need a traumatic brain injury lawyer?

We highly recommend that you speak to a traumatic brain injury lawyer if you or your loved one is living with a TBI. Fuller Personal Injury Law offers phone consultations at (720) 770-3832, as well as in-person consultations at our Denver office. We can also come to your home if that is preferable.

Many brain injuries require a lifetime of care and compromise. From medical bills and wage loss to changes in routine and personality, a traumatic brain injury can impact every facet of your life. Moreover, these are immensely complicated cases that can sometimes be difficult to prove. Insurance companies use this to their advantage, and will not be forthcoming about the long-term costs of living with a TBI—or your right to compensation.

What kind of compensation can I get for my TBI?

When you speak to a traumatic brain injury lawyer, they will first determine the extent of your injuries to better understand the costs you have incurred, and will continue to pay throughout your life. This includes:

• Hospital visits
• Rehabilitation
• Medication
• Mobility devices
• In-home care
• Life care planning
• Wage loss/loss of earning capacity

Your personal injury lawyer may also pursue compensation for loss of consortium (intimacy and connection to loved ones), as well as pain and suffering. Finally, under certain circumstances, you may be entitled to a large punitive damage award from the responsible party. 

Proving such things can be extremely challenging, however. Always consult with a brain injury lawyer before attempting to pursue a claim on your own.

Why are TBIs so difficult to diagnose?

Brain injuries are often missed by the treating staff in ERs. One study found that traumatic brain injuries were missed 56% of the time. This common medical oversight means that traumatic brain injuries can be omitted from insurance claims. To an insurance adjuster, an undiagnosed condition is the same as having no condition. 

But why are TBIs so difficult to diagnose? In short, no medical imaging or blood test can correctly diagnose the condition 100% of the time. Your doctor can only make a complete diagnosis by taking a full medical history and asking specific questions.