Any kind of injury can completely change your life, but brain injuries are some of the most debilitating and traumatic injuries that you can sustain in an accident.
You can have trouble thinking, speaking, and moving when the brain gets injured. Brain injuries can affect the rest of your life, so when you get one from someone else’s negligence, South Carolina law allows you to hold that person accountable for their actions. When an accident has resulted in a brain injury and you or a loved one are investigating the available legal options, a Columbia brain injury lawyer could be of great assistance to you.
When you hire our legal team at The Solomon Law Group, LLC to fight for you, they’ll thoroughly investigate what happened to you and calculate what full and fair compensation looks like. If you’re ready to discuss your potential case with legal counsel, be sure to reach out to our Richland County law firm now. Consultations with our lawyers are free, with no risk and no obligation, so you have nothing to lose when meeting with one of them.
TBI Statistics
There are roughly 586 hospitalizations and almost 200 deaths attributable to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) every day in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Those same CDC statistics outline how:
- There were around 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020. This doesn’t include many TBIs that are only treated in the emergency department or urgent care, or many more that go untreated.
- There were 69,473 TBI-related deaths in 2021.
- Those 75 years and older have the most TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths, and roughly 32% of the total reported TBIs.
Understanding the Causes of Brain Injuries
According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, nearly 500,000 kids are treated in the emergency department for traumatic brain injuries each year.
Anyone can suffer TBIs when negligence is involved. Knowing the most common ways residents acquire these life-changing conditions is essential. Common causes of brain injuries in our state include:
- Falls. Anyone can fall at any time and land in a way where they hit their head on an object or the ground. Children and the elderly are more likely to fall and sustain head injuries from their falls. Negligence such as caregivers failing to adequately supervise children or nursing home staff members neglecting residents’ needs, leading them to attempt to get things on their own, resulting in a fall, are often responsible for these populations getting hurt. Slips and falls on wet surfaces or on poorly maintained staircases also commonly result in TBIs.
- Car Accidents. When you are struck, the force can cause a direct blow to your head, or you may move about, which can lead to you striking your head on your windshield, windows, or any other rigid object in your vehicle as the car crash unfolds.
- Struck By or Stuck In-Between Events. Other than car accidents, being struck by objects can cause brain injuries. The most common cause of brain injuries is contact sports, but it can also happen on construction sites when tools or cargo unexpectedly drop or in warehouses if goods placed on high-up shelves fall or a person becomes wedged between a forklift and a wall.
While these are the leading causes of brain injuries in our state, there are many other ways that TBIs can happen. If you don’t see what happened to you on this list, don’t worry. You could still be eligible to file a claim to recover compensation under South Carolina law. A Columbia brain injury lawyer can help determine if you have a pursuable case and what you can recover.
Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury
If you’ve hit your head, you might be wondering if you sustained head trauma from that specific accident. Even if you don’t think you have a severe brain injury, it’s important that you seek medical treatment just in case. That way, you can get evaluated and start treatment immediately if they find that your brain is injured.
Being aware of the symptoms of brain trauma can help you assess yourself after an accident, fall, or any other situation where you’ve struck your head on the ground or an object. The four main categories a brain injury can affect are your thinking, physical abilities, emotions, and sleep.
In general, if you notice changes in any of these aspects of your life, then you could have an injury. More specifically, if you notice any of these symptoms, you should seek medical treatment evaluation right away:
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or remembering
- Headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Mood swings, depression, or anxiety
- Sleeping more or less than usual
- Trouble falling asleep
Some of these symptoms could seem like everyday challenges any of us have to deal with, but if you hit your head and notice that you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms, then you could have sustained brain trauma. The sooner you go to the doctor, the sooner you can start treatment and potentially avoid being left with lasting harm.
Leaving brain trauma untreated can cause more injuries in the long run, and those consequences could be severe. Not only can an untreated TBI lead to a more serious condition, but it can also cause permanent damage to the brain or other parts of the body. Severe trauma can also result in death.
A Columbia brain injury attorney from our firm could help you navigate the legal process to get justice for the damages you’ve suffered. With our experience, we’ll be able to identify who was responsible and what you can recover from them.
Why You Need a Columbia Brain Injury Lawyer on Your Side
Facing the exorbitant costs of TBI can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re also handling the difficulties of recovery. With the continued medical costs and possibly more complications in the future, you deserve an attorney who’ll fight for you and your family, and seek compensation that will allow you to get the care you need.
If you or a loved one has suffered from a brain injury that was the result of someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t have to go through the legal process alone. A Columbia brain injury lawyer in our office can help you determine who was at fault, what you’re owed in damages, and how your life can start returning to normal.
We understand that dealing with the physical and emotional effects of brain trauma can leave you feeling vulnerable. That’s why we’re here to help. A brain injury attorney at our law firm will take care of the legal side of things so you can focus on healing.
Reach out to our firm today for a free consultation.