Snellings Law PLLC attorneys are
Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
Frisco | Dallas | Sherman
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Personal Injury Attorneys
Helping Brain Injury Victims and Their Families Recover
Traumatic Brain Injuries (“TBI”) can be one of the most challenging injuries to face as a personal injury victim. As traumatic brain injury attorneys, many times we see injury victims move through their entire treatment plan without their traumatic brain injury ever being diagnosed. Unlike broken bones, lacerations, bruising, and other visible injuries, traumatic brain injuries are much more difficult to identify.
Emergency room physicians may look for severe brain injuries, such as a skull fractures and brain bleeds, which could be fatal. Typically, physicians will not dig deeper as that is not necessarily their job. Oftentimes, victims will follow-up with a primary care physician or another specialist who also miss the TBI because they are not necessarily looking for signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. Similarly, our clients will often be suffering from traumatic brain injury symptoms but even they don’t relate their TBI to the car accident. They may just think they have a headache, their confusion and difficulty concentrating is related to the medications they are taking, or their sensitivity to light or noise is just related to their headaches.
At Snellings Law, we are the experienced Dallas brain injury attorney you need. Our firm focuses solely on helping personal injury victims, including those with traumatic brain injuries. We have years of experience helping traumatic brain injury victims, and we’ve seen firsthand the struggles that traumatic brain injury victims face each and every day. If you or a loved one have survived a traumatic brain injury due to someone’s negligence, we are here to help.
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What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
Typically, a traumatic brain injury occurs when a portion of the brain strikes the interior of the skull. There does not have to be a skull fracture, bruising, or bleeding for a traumatic brain injury to occur. In fact, the head doesn’t even need to strike a stationary object for the brain to strike the inside of the skull. The sudden movement of the head in one or multiple directions can cause the brain to move and contact the skull (think shaken baby syndrome.) To see various definitions of traumatic brain injuries, see our blog on What is a TBI. For a more technical breakdown of differing TBI symptoms and brain anatomy, read Basic Brain Anatomy and How TBI Can Affect It.
How do brain injuries impact individuals' lives regarding thinking, feeling, learning, and behavior?
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) profoundly affect individuals, altering their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacities. The severity of the injury typically dictates the extent of the impact:
- Cognitive Effects: Even a mild TBI can disrupt essential cognitive functions such as concentration, memory, and the ability to learn new information. This can make everyday tasks and learning new skills challenging.
- Emotional Impacts: Feelings and emotional stability are often volatile post-TBI. Individuals might experience swift mood changes, heightened irritability, or diminished emotional control, which can strain personal and professional relationships.
- Behavioral Changes: Notable shifts in behavior can occur. These might include increased impulsivity, decreased inhibition, or unpredictable aggression, which can complicate social interactions and workplace dynamics.
- Learning Difficulties: Moderate to severe TBIs can seriously compromise the ability to process and retain information, thus impacting educational and vocational prospects for those in educational settings or undergoing training.
- Physical Coordination and Sensory Issues: Severe cases can extend beyond cognitive functions and affect physical coordination, balance, and sensory perceptions like vision and hearing. This can further complicate an individual’s ability to manage daily activities and lead to additional safety concerns.
Understanding the multifaceted impacts of TBIs is critical for providing appropriate support and interventions to help individuals manage these changes effectively.
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Motor Vehicle Accidents
Traumatic brain injuries are common in motor vehicle accidents, including 18-wheeler accidents, car accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, or motorcycle accidents. When the vehicle is hit, the sudden movement can cause a traumatic brain injury. Even the most “minor” accident could cause a traumatic brain injury, so make sure to monitor yourself after any accident for any signs and symptoms of a TBI.
Diagnosing a Traumatic Brain Injury
Doctors and healthcare providers use different tests to diagnose a traumatic brain injury. The initial traumatic brain injury tests usually include a combination of the Glasgow Coma Score, checking pupil reactivity, standardized tests, and imaging. Providers can also perform neuropsychological testing to determine how someone’s brain is functioning. There is no singular go-to test to determine whether someone has suffered a traumatic brain injury if the imaging does not verify it. Doctors end up relying upon results of several tests and the symptoms reported by the patient to reach a traumatic brain injury diagnosis. Oftentimes, doctors will classify brain injuries as mild, moderate, or severe.
For more information on how traumatic brain injuries are diagnosed, please see our blog on this topic. You can also check out our blog “TBI Signs and Symptoms” and download our free TBI Symptom Checklist to review with your doctor.
Living with a Traumatic Brain Injury
Living with a traumatic brain injury means adjusting to a new way of life. Managing symptoms can be difficult, and there are times that things feel frustrating, debilitating, and extremely unfair. We know that TBIs can also be strenuous on partners, children, parents, and others in a survivor’s life. Dealing with a traumatic brain injury oneself is difficult and sharing that weight can put a lot of stress on relationships.
The profound, lasting changes experienced by individuals with severe TBI—impairments in attention, memory, coordination, balance, vision, hearing, speech, and impulse control—demand an exhaustive level of day-to-day care. This intense care requirement often necessitates professional in-home care or placement in specialized residential facilities, presenting a significant financial burden. Additionally, if a loved one with severe TBI regains consciousness but cannot work or live independently, the economic and emotional strains are immense and continuous.
Furthermore, severe TBI increases the risk of developing further debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. These potential additional health challenges not only add to the emotional strain but also escalate the long-term care costs.
We’ve seen the struggles our clients with traumatic brain injuries face firsthand. If your TBI was caused by the negligence of someone else, you shouldn’t have to carry the financial weight by yourself. You can still thrive while living with a traumatic brain injury, and we are driven to help you achieve that. The journey is undoubtedly tough, but with the right support and resources, there is hope for a fulfilling life despite the challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Severe TBI can place a substantial emotional and financial burden on families, as they may need to adjust to long-term caregiving responsibilities and bear the associated costs.
Severe TBI increases the likelihood of developing additional chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, complicating the overall health situation.
The prognosis can be severe; individuals with a severe TBI might remain in a coma indefinitely. Those who regain consciousness often face significant challenges in achieving independence, potentially requiring lifelong assistance.
Long-term care may necessitate either in-home care services or placement in a specialized residential facility to manage the extensive care needs of someone with severe TBI.
Individuals may encounter profound alterations in cognitive and physical abilities, including difficulties with attention, memory, coordination, and balance, as well as impairments in vision, hearing, speech, and impulse control.
Doctors often classify brain injuries as mild, moderate, or severe. Each category has distinct characteristics and implications for the affected individual’s health and lifestyle.
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: This is the least severe category but can still pose serious health issues. Common symptoms include alterations in thinking, feeling, learning, concentration, memory, behavior, and sleep patterns. Despite being classified as mild, these injuries require prompt medical attention to manage symptoms and facilitate recovery.
- Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury: This category often involves memory loss and periods of unconsciousness that can last from 30 minutes to 24 hours. The symptoms are similar to those of a mild TBI but are more intense and less likely to improve over time. This can significantly impact one’s ability to work, learn, and maintain personal relationships.
- Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: The most critical category, severe TBI, can result in prolonged comas or extensive periods of amnesia. The long-term effects often include major impairments in cognitive functions such as attention and memory, as well as physical abilities like coordination and balance. Individuals with severe TBI may require lifelong care, which could include in-home care or placement in a residential facility. Additionally, there is an elevated risk of developing further chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Each level of traumatic brain injury carries its unique challenges and requires a tailored approach to treatment and management. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for providing appropriate care and support.
We Understand Traumatic Brain Injuries
As traumatic brain injury lawyers, when we sit down to meet with a new client, we will take our time to go through each and every symptom they are experiencing. We will also go through a traumatic brain injury checklist with them to identify any potential issues. Our number one goal is to make sure each of our clients are diagnosed and treated so that they can fully heal and return to their best self. We also work with our traumatic brain injury clients’ loved ones, friends, and providers. We want to make sure we have the full picture of just how our client’s TBI injuries have affected our their lives so that we can fully evaluate their claims and work to obtain full value for our clients.
Founding partner and experienced traumatic brain injury attorney, Scott Snellings sits on the board for Brain Injury Network of Dallas. Here’s what he has to say about serving traumatic brain injury victims through BIND:
I am vice president – and brain injuries suck. I like helping people who have suffered them. I have served on the BIND Board for 4 years now and have had a first-hand view of the lives it helps change.
As a professional Dallas brain injury attorney, we have worked with numerous clients who have suffered brain injuries. One of the most difficult aspects of our job is helping them find resources after the acute care phase.
When they are physically no longer in need of inpatient treatment, but mentally are not capable of fully reintegrating into society, the resources to help them are very limited. This is a massive gap that BIND helps to fill. By providing a clubhouse model for brain injury survivors, BIND helps survivors re-learn skills and even learn new ones to help them contribute and find confidence. It warms my heart to see all the lives that are being touched by this organization.
How Can Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys Help?
If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury or suspect you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Snellings Law today. We’ve helped countless traumatic brain injury survivors through the personal injury process. We understand exactly how to assess and document your traumatic brain injury so that adjusters can get the full picture of exactly what you’re going through. It’s okay to ask for help. We’re here to serve you and help you thrive. Give us a call today to set up an appointment with a Dallas brain injury attorney you can count on.
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