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Louisville Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
Strong advocacy for Kentucky accident victims who suffer TBIs in Kentucky
Any forceful accident can cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in an instant. The Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky, based in Louisville, helps TBI victims every day cope with their physical, emotional, and cognitive difficulties. At Crandall & Pera, our personal injury lawyers help hold those responsible for your traumatic brain injury or that of a loved one to receive full compensation for all their financial damages and personal suffering. Our Louisville traumatic brain injury lawyers work with neurologists, psychologists, therapists, and life planners to help victims receive the treatments they need – to live their best lives possible. Call us today to protect your future and the future of your loved ones with this devastating injury.
Our record of recoveries in TBI cases includes the following:
- $5.5 Million. Our client suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures, which left her unable to provide for herself and take care of others. We were able to show that her TBI and broken bones occurred after she was struck on the side by the driver of an 18-wheeler truck who ran a red light. Our Louisville TBI lawyers were also able to establish a trust to provide for her medical care, including housing modifications and equipment.
- $2.35 Million. Our client sustained a traumatic brain injury and a broken back when he fell from a ladder attached to a commercial building in central Kentucky. Our personal injury lawyers were able to show that the ladder was improperly installed and maintained. The recovery enables the man’s wife to stop working and care for him at home.
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Table of Contents
- What is a traumatic brain injury?
- What are the causes of a traumatic brain injury in Louisville?
- What are the signs and symptoms of a TBI?
- What complications are associated with a traumatic brain injury?
- How is a traumatic brain injury diagnosed in Louisville?
- How are traumatic brain injuries treated in Louisville?
- What is the prognosis for a TBI?
- What’s the value of my Louisville traumatic brain injury claim?
What is a traumatic brain injury?
According to Merck Manuals, traumatic brain injuries generally involve open and closed head injuries:
- Open head injuries. This type of TBI generally involves the penetration of the scalp and skull, usually due to a bullet or another sharp, penetrating object. “A skull fracture with overlying laceration due to severe blunt force is also considered an open injury.”
- Closed head injuries. This type of TBI is often due to an accident. A closed head injury generally involves the head being struck by striking a hard object or the violent shaking of the head - causing rapid brain acceleration and deceleration.
“Brain function may be immediately impaired by direct damage (eg, crush, laceration) of brain tissue. Further damage may occur shortly thereafter from the cascade of events triggered by the initial injury.” Another factor that may cause a TBI is known as “second impact syndrome.”
The various types of head injuries that cause TBIs include:
- Concussions
- Brain contusions
- Diffuse axonal injuries
- Hematomas
- Subdural hematomas
- Epidural hematomas
- Intracerebral hematomas
- Skull fractures
What are the causes of a traumatic brain injury in Louisville?
At Crandall & Pera Law, our lawyers have more than 50 years of combined experience fighting for traumatic injury victims who are hurt in any type of accident, including:
- Car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle accidents. These accidents can cause a driver or passenger to strike their head on a dashboard, another occupant, any hard object, or the ground if they’re thrown from the vehicle. Rapid back-and-forth motion on impact can also cause a TBI. Pedestrians and bicycle riders can suffer a TBI when they hit the vehicle or the roadway.
- Slip and falls and falling objects. We hold property owners accountable when they fail to inspect and maintain their premises for wet surfaces, objects like cables on the floor, poorly stacked items that can fall on a customer’s head, and other dangers.
- Nursing home abuse and neglect. Nursing homes must be aware of the mobility challenges of their residents and take appropriate actions to reduce the risk of falling.
- Assaults. We hold property owners liable when they fail to provide reasonable security to prevent assaults on their property.
Our Louisville TBI lawyers also represent victims who suffer traumatic brain injuries due to defective products, construction accidents, medical malpractice, and other causes.
What are the signs and symptoms of a TBI?
According to Merck Manuals, most TBI patients who have moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) lose consciousness (usually for seconds or minutes). Patients may experience seizures, often during the first hour or the first day.
Doctors usually use the Glasgow Coma Scale test during the initial examination to assess the severity of the TBI. The test examines the patient’s ability to open their eyes, respond verbally, and provide motor responses. The lower the score, the more severe (or fatal) the TBI is likely to be.
“By convention, the severity of a head injury is initially defined by the GCS:
- 13 to 15 is mild TBI
- 9 to 12 is moderate TBI
- 3 to 8 is severe TBI”
Some patient’s symptoms may deteriorate.
TBI symptoms generally vary depending on the severity and types of TBI.
- Epidural hematoma symptoms. The symptoms include headaches, a decreased level of consciousness, and focal neurologic deficits.
- Acute subdural hematomas. The symptoms include changes in orientation, cognition, and arousal level. “They are commonly associated with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) even when small due to underlying cerebral contusions and edema.” Other symptoms include headaches, seizures, increased ICP symptoms, and hemiparesis.
- Increased ICP. The symptoms may include vomiting, hypertension, “respiratory depression, and bradycardia (a heart disorder).”
- Basilar skull fracture. The symptoms may include loss of hearing and smell, nasal or throat leakage into the middle ear, and other ear symptoms.
What complications are associated with a traumatic brain injury?
At Crandall & Pera Law, we work with neurologists and other TBI lawyers to understand what complications may occur during your lifetime (or the lifetime of your relative). Complications may include postconcussion syndrome and various “cognitive and neuropsychiatric deficits” including:
- Amnesia
- Behavioral changes (e.g., agitation, impulsivity, disinhibition, lack of motivation)
- Emotional lability
- Sleep disturbances
- Decreased intellectual function
- “Late seizures”
- A persistent vegetative state.
Generally, “neurologic function may continue to improve for a few years after TBI, most rapidly during the initial 6 months.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, other complications may include a shorter life expectancy, bleeding in the brain, Alzheimer's, movement disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), permanent brain damage, and other complications. These complications can affect the victim’s social relationships and ability to work.
How is a traumatic brain injury diagnosed in Louisville?
Emergency room doctors, neurologists, and other doctors begin by conducting an initial rapid trauma assessment, a Glasgow coma scale test, and a neurologic examination, which includes a pupillary light response. “Patients are ideally assessed before paralytics and sedatives are given. Patients are reassessed at frequent intervals (e.g., every 15 to 30 minutes initially, then every 1 hour after stabilization).”
A “concussion is diagnosed when loss of consciousness or memory lasts < 6 hours and symptoms are not explained by brain injury seen on neuroimaging.” In more serious cases, “Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is suspected when loss of consciousness exceeds 6 hours, and microhemorrhages are seen on CT or MRI.”
X-rays may be used to detect some skull fractures, but they cannot assess brain damage.
Other types of diagnostic TBI tests include CT (computed tomography) scans and MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging).
- A CT can show:
- Contusions and bleeding, which appear opaque on the scan as compared to brain tissue
- Arterial epidural hematomas, which tend to appear as “lenticular-shaped opacities over brain tissue” and often present near the middle meningeal artery
- Subdural hematomas often appear as “crescent-shaped opacities,” which overlie the brain tissue
- MRIs are also useful as they can “detect more subtle contusions, diffuse axonal injury, and brain stem injury. MRI is usually more sensitive than CT for the diagnosis of very small acute or isodense subacute and isodense chronic subdural hematomas.”
How are traumatic brain injuries treated in Louisville?
At Crandall & Pera Law, we review all the medical care TBI victims are likely to need for the rest of their lives. TBI victims usually receive medical care from many different types of healthcare providers, including emergency transport professionals, ER doctors, neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychologists, and physiatrists.
TBI victims also receive care from different types of therapists (physical, occupational, speech, and vocational), audiologists, nutritionists, rehabilitation nurses, and other care providers. Non-medical help includes local support groups, social workers, case managers, and religious leaders.
The treatments vary depending on the severity of the TBI and the timing of the care. Victims generally require:
- Emergency care
- Surgeries
- Medications
- Long-term rehabilitative care
According to Merck Manuals, “The cornerstone of management for all patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the maintenance of adequate ventilation, oxygenation, and brain perfusion to avoid secondary brain insult.”
What is the prognosis for a TBI?
Merck states that adults with “severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) who are treated have a mortality rate of about 25 to 33%. Mortality is lower when Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores are higher.”
“The vast majority of patients with mild TBI retain good neurologic function. With moderate or severe TBI, the prognosis is not as good but is much better than is generally believed.”
What’s the value of my Louisville traumatic brain injury claim?
Our Louisville brain injury lawyers work with your doctors, employers, life planners, and others to determine the full value of your personal injury claim. At Crandall & Pera Law, we demand compensation for all your current and future:
- Medical costs include EMT and ER care, hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitative care, medications, and assistive technology and devices
- Lost income and benefits – for as long as you can’t work
- Daily physical pain and emotional suffering
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Car damage or other property damage
- Loss of bodily function, inability to enjoy life’s pleasures, and loss of consortium
When the defendant’s conduct is inexcusable, we seek punitive damages.
Get help from our experienced traumatic brain injury lawyers now
At Crandall & Pera, our lawyers have the experience and medical relationships to handle life-changing catastrophic injuries like traumatic brain injuries. Our Louisville TBI lawyers understand how scared and anxious you are – for yourself and those you care for. We’re skilled at reviewing all the medical care TBI victims need. Call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Kentucky trial lawyer. We handle TBI cases on a contingency fee basis.