It can cost anywhere between $85,000 and $3 million just to treat a traumatic brain injury. When you factor in lost wages and income, a diminished earning capacity, costs for medical travel and rehabilitation, and other harder-to-value consequences like pain and suffering, the true cost of a Round Rock traumatic brain injury can be devastating.
Every year, one million Americans visit the emergency room because they’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traumatic brain injuries can have catastrophic and, many times, permanent consequences for victims – including impaired mobility, paralysis, cognitive dysfunction, seizure disorders, changes in mood and behavior, and organ failure.
How Do People Suffer Brain Injuries?
Unfortunately, traumatic brain injuries can happen anytime a person suffers a violent blow to the head, which can occur in many different types of accidents in Round Rock, Texas.
Slip and Fall Accidents
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States, accounting for half of all TBI-related emergency room visits.
Falls are often seen in the home, on construction sites, and in the workplace. In fact, falls are the leading cause of workplace injuries and deaths.
When a person falls, their head can either (a) hit an object nearby or (b) strike the ground. Sometimes a person hits their head multiple times on multiple surfaces as they fall. Each time the head is struck, the brain can shift, twist, or move rapidly inside the skull, causing damage to the organ. The greater the distance of the fall, the more severe the brain injury is likely to be.
Traffic Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents – including car accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, scooter accidents, and motorcycle accidents – are the second-leading cause of traumatic brain injuries.
Individuals involved in auto accidents in Round Rock can suffer brain injuries when they:
- Hit their head on a vehicle dashboard, steering wheel, or another part of the vehicle cabin
- Are ejected from the vehicle and hit their head on the pavement or sidewalk
- Are struck by debris or projectiles during the crash
- Are crushed by their vehicle or another vehicle
Airbags, seatbelts, and car seats can help to reduce the risk of severe brain injury in a collision, but they’re still one of the most commonly reported types of car accident injuries.
Sports Injuries
Sports-related brain injuries are incredibly common, especially among young children and teenagers. In fact, it’s believed that more than 3.8 million people suffer concussions while playing sports every year.
Athletes can suffer brain injuries if they suffer a fall, collide with another player, or even repeatedly use their head to control a ball.
Individuals who suffer multiple concussions can be more susceptible to severe and long-term consequences, including CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
Assault and Criminal Violence
Accidents aren’t the only reason people suffer traumatic brain injuries in Round Rock. Intentional acts of violence cause severe brain injuries, too. Brain injuries can occur if a person is shot with a firearm, struck in the head with a hard foreign object, or punched by another person.
While anyone can experience a brain injury in an assault, women tend to suffer assault-related brain injuries more than men. In recent years, assault-related TBIs have decreased in the male population and increased among women.
Birth Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are one of the most commonly reported types of birth injuries in the United States. Many of these birth injuries are the result of medical malpractice, where a healthcare provider’s negligence during pregnancy, labor, or birth leads to serious and avoidable trauma to a newborn’s developing brain.
Birth injuries that affect the brain include:
- Intraventricular hemorrhage
- Cerebral palsy
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Skull fractures
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Neonatal subgaleal hematoma
Typically, birth injuries cause damage to the brain when the brain is deprived of oxygen for extended periods of time or physically damaged during labor.
What Are My Rights If I’ve Suffered a Brain Injury in Round Rock, Texas?
When you suffer a traumatic brain injury in Round Rock, Texas, because someone else was negligent or intentionally violent, or because they sold a defective product, you’ll have the right to pursue compensation from them.
However, most brain injury cases are based on the tort of negligence.
If you suffered your TBI in an accident, you’ll need to prove:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care (e.g., to drive carefully in compliance with local traffic laws)
- The defendant breached this duty of care by acting unreasonably (e.g., texting and driving)
- The defendant’s actions caused an accident in which you suffered a brain injury (e.g., the driver ran a red light because they weren’t paying attention and hit your car in the intersection, causing you to hit your head violently on the steering wheel)
- You’ve suffered damages (e.g., medical bills, rehabilitation costs, damage to your vehicle, emotional distress)
If you can prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence, the defendant can be forced to compensate you for the crash and your brain injury.
Damages that can be paid to a brain injury victim in Texas include:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages and income
- Diminished earning capacity
- Property damage
- Nursing assistance
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Inconvenience
- Chronic physical pain
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Punitive damages can potentially be awarded if you were the victim of an intentionally violent act or if the defendant displayed a conscious disregard for your safety.
Call Dow Law Firm’s Round Rock Brain Injury Attorneys For Help Today
A traumatic brain injury can change your life in an instant. The consequences can haunt you for the rest of your life. When someone else is responsible for causing your traumatic brain injury in Round Rock, they have to be held accountable.
Dow Law Firm is a top-rated personal injury law firm that’s ready to stand up and help you fight for financial justice after you’ve suffered a TBI. Our Round Rock personal injury attorneys have decades of experience fighting for the catastrophically injured and a proven ability to win top-tier case results.
You’ll have a limited time to seek damages for your brain injury, so don’t hesitate to contact our law office in Round Rock at (512) 240-9951 for a free consultation today.