Suffer a Head Injury? Contact an Experienced Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer Near You
After sustaining a traumatic brain injury, your life may never be the same. Beyond damaging an individual’s ability to communicate, exert emotional regulation, or maintain concentration, head and brain injuries can also impact how the body functions. Since this can have such a dramatic effect on victims’ lives and their family members’ lives, it is crucial that they get the compensation they deserve from the liable parties.
That is where Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. steps in. To discuss your TBI or head injury case with one of our Chicago brain injury attorneys, call (312) 236-2900 or reach out online. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers offer free initial consultations and work on a contingency fee basis.
How a Chicago Brain Injury Attorney Can Help
While seeking medical care and trying to understand the injuries you’ve sustained in an accident, contacting a Chicago brain injury lawyer may seem like an unnecessary step. However, you have to think about the myriad ways in which a brain injury can impact your life. Between medical bills, lost wages, and rehabilitative care, a TBI can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now, think about what would happen if you accept a settlement from the insurance company. It is extremely likely that the offer will not be enough to cover your actual losses from the car accident, primarily since the effects of many TBIs cannot be fully known until a patient has been in treatment for several months. When you accept a settlement, you waive your right to sue. You have no leverage if you run out of settlement money and want to ask for more.
Before you accept brain injury settlement, you have plenty of leverage. Without a traumatic brain injury attorney, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to use that leverage effectively. Your TBI lawyer will know what evidence is needed to prove your case, what negotiation tactics work with insurance companies, and how much you’ll likely need to cover your medical bills and other expenses.
Hiring a lawyer after a head injury isn’t an attempt to game the system or get more than you’re entitled to, despite how the media treats accident victims. It’s simply a way to ensure that profit-centered insurance companies treat victims fairly.
Common Brain Injuries in Chicago, IL
Traumatic brain injuries are often categorized into different types and levels. TBIs fit into one of these three levels:
- Mild Head Injuries. A mild traumatic brain injury involves a brief loss of consciousness or no loss of consciousness. However, the person does have a change in mental status at the time of the accident. They score 13 to 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale.
- Moderate TBI. This level encompasses those who score 9 to 12 on the Glasgow Coma Scale and includes those whose loss of consciousness lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. Patients experience behavioral, psychological, cognitive, and physical impairments.
- Severe Head Injurie. Those who suffer severe brain injuries rarely return to a level of pre-accident functioning. Short-term and long-term losses to thinking, emotion, language, and physical sensation can occur.
Types of brain injuries include contusions, those caused by the brain hitting the side of the skull, concussions, and penetrating injuries.
Accidents That Cause Brain Injuries
Many types of accidents can lead to brain injuries. In fact, the brain injury itself can cause further brain injuries. Consider, for example, a shaking injury that causes immediate damage. As the injury continues to limit blood flow to the brain, the patient may subsequently suffer hypoxia or anoxia, causing even more damage.
Causes of initial brain injuries include:
-
Car accidents and other vehicle accidents: Motor vehicle collisions, including car crashes, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and pedestrian accidents, are among the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Even a seemingly minor accident can cause the brain to strike the inside of the skull, resulting in concussions, contusions, or more severe brain trauma.
-
Slips and falls: Falls are a major cause of brain injuries, especially among young children and older adults. Whether it happens on a wet floor, uneven pavement, or icy sidewalk, a sudden fall can cause a direct blow to the head or violent jolt, leading to mild or severe TBIs.
-
Medical malpractice: Surgical errors, misdiagnosis of brain conditions, anesthesia mistakes, and birth injuries can all result in brain damage. Medical malpractice-related brain injuries often have devastating, lifelong effects on a patient’s physical and cognitive abilities.
-
Dog bites and animal attacks: Although less common, dog bites and attacks can cause brain injuries, particularly when a victim is knocked down during the attack or sustains serious head trauma. Severe infections from bite wounds can also lead to neurological complications.
-
Sports accidents: Contact sports like football, soccer, hockey, and boxing frequently lead to concussions and repeated head trauma. Even a single sports-related concussion can have serious short-term consequences, and repeated injuries increase the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
-
Concussions: A concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) typically caused by a blow or jolt to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. While called “mild,” concussions can result in serious and lasting cognitive, emotional, and physical problems if not properly treated.
-
Assault: Physical assaults, including domestic violence, fights, and assaults with weapons, are common causes of traumatic brain injuries. Victims may suffer blunt force trauma to the head, penetrating injuries, or skull fractures, all of which can lead to long-term neurological damage.
-
Workplace accidents: Workers in construction, manufacturing, and industrial settings are at high risk of brain injuries from falls, being struck by heavy equipment, machinery accidents, or falling objects. Employers may be held responsible if unsafe conditions contributed to the injury.
-
Bicycle and scooter accidents: Cyclists and scooter riders are particularly vulnerable to brain injuries, especially when hit by a vehicle or thrown from their bike. Helmets help, but they cannot fully eliminate the risk of serious head trauma in high-impact crashes.
-
Boating and recreational accidents: Water sports like boating, jet skiing, and diving carry risks of brain injuries, particularly if a person is struck by equipment, falls into the water with force, or experiences oxygen deprivation due to near-drowning.
-
Explosions and blast injuries: Military personnel and individuals near industrial accidents may suffer brain injuries caused by blast waves. These injuries can occur even without a direct blow to the head and may result in serious cognitive and psychological issues.
The Chicago, IL Brain Injury Claim Process
After suffering a head or brain injury, the process of seeking compensation begins. In general, the process for head injury claims goes like this:
- You contact an attorney. Your attorney will take a look at the general details of your accident and determine whether or not you have a case.
- Your attorney investigates the accident. If you hire the attorney, they begin investigating the accident itself and the injuries you have sustained. This may involve contacting witnesses, digging into medical records, speaking to witnesses, and looking at physical evidence.
- A demand is made and negotiations begin. Once they know how much your injuries are worth, the attorney will send a demand letter to the insurance company. The insurance company will come back with a counteroffer. Negotiations carry on until either an agreement is reached or one side withdraws.
- The claim is settled, expenses are paid, and you receive compensation. If an agreement is reached, the insurance company sends out paperwork and the check. The attorney’s fees are paid and any other claims on the money are paid out. You receive your money.
- …or you begin preparing for court. If no agreement can be reached, your attorney will file a lawsuit and start getting ready for court.
- The case goes to court or the case is settled. The case can be settled at any time prior to or during the court process. Otherwise, your case goes to court and the jury decides whether or not you receive compensation.
Contact Our Chicago Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys Today
TBIs can place enormous strain on your mental and physical health, and trying to communicate with insurance adjusters adds even more stress. Instead of trying to take this on alone, let our Chicago brain injury lawyers help. Schedule your consultation with a no win no fee injury lawyer now by filling out our contact form or calling us at (312) 236-2900.
