If you or your loved one have suffered a significant brain injury due to another person’s careless actions, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. The medical expenses associated with traumatic brain injuries are significant, costing millions of dollars over a victim’s lifetime. We will discuss the different types of traumatic brain injuries and their levels of severity. These details are essential when undertaking a personal injury case involving a brain injury.
Levels of Severity in Traumatic Brain Injuries
Every brain injury is unique, and the same type of brain injury that one person experiences could result in a different set of symptoms in another person. Even if you believe your brain injury is mild, you could still have severe and long-lasting side effects. It is important that you seek a comprehensive medical examination as soon as possible. Doing so will allow you to receive the medical treatment you need and help you prove your personal injury case. There are three main levels of severity for brain injuries:
- Mild brain injuries: A mild traumatic brain injury typically involves loss of consciousness, but not in all cases. A victim may appear disoriented or confused. Medical tests may show that the brain was not injured, but they are not always accurate. Doctors must examine the victim’s mental functioning when diagnosing mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions.
- Moderate injuries: A moderate traumatic brain injury is characterized by loss of consciousness that can last up to a few hours and confusion that can remain ongoing. The complications can last for a month or be lifelong and include physical, cognitive, or behavioral symptoms.
- Severe brain injury: The most severe traumatic brain injuries typically come from penetration to the school and brain or a crushing blow. Severe brain injuries are life-threatening, and the victim is not likely to return to the life they once enjoyed. In most cases, the school has been seriously damaged by an open head injury, but closed head injuries can cause traumatic brain injuries in some cases.
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Concussions
Doctors used to believe that concussions could not produce long-term side effects. Now we understand that concussions can cause symptoms that last over a year and some patients. As a result, patients and doctors should treat concussions seriously. Concussions are not always evident through diagnostic testing, so it is important that doctors ask patients about their symptoms and thoroughly evaluate them.
Brain Contusions
Brain contusions are a bruise of the brain tissue, just as a person might have a bruise on their skin. They are caused by the small blood vessels breaking. The vessels leak, causing many different issues. The brain can be damaged under the side of impact or on the opposite side from the point of impact if the brain is slammed into the skull or both. Contusions can range from minor to extremely severe. Severe contusions can cause confusion, loss of consciousness, emotional distress, or agitation. It can also prevent proper oxygenation.
Penetrating Brain Injuries
Penetrating brain injuries are especially serious. They happen when an object pierces through a person’s skull. The object, hair, skin, or skull fragments can contact the brain resulting in tearing and bleeding. Slip and fall accidents, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, sports-related injuries, and more can cause penetrating brain injuries.
Subdural Hematomas
A stroke, blood clot, heart attack, or another serious type of trauma can cause a subdural hematoma, which results in restricted blood flow and oxygen to the brain. In other cases, the blood flow to the brain is normal, but the blood is not carrying enough oxygen. Subdural hematomas can result from drowning, poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, suffocating, choking, or anything else that prevents the lungs from taking in a normal amount of oxygen.
Hypoxic Brain Injuries
Hypoxic brain injuries occur when the brain receives some but not enough oxygen and suffers damage. These types of injuries typically involve the incomplete reduction of oxygen to the blood or lungs via inefficient suffocation, such as:
- Near-hanging
- Near-drowning
- Carbon monoxide
- Cardiac arrest
- Exposure to poisonous gas
Reach Out to an Alabama Personal Injury Attorney
The experienced attorneys at Heninger Garrison Davis are prepared to answer any questions you have about your brain injury accident. We have a proven track record of successfully recovering significant compensation for victims of traumatic brain injuries. Reach out to the Alabama personal injury attorneys at Heninger Garrison Davis today to schedule your free initial consultation.
