Watford City Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys
Helping Victims of Traumatic Brain Injuries Get Compensation in Watford City, North Dakota
A story that continues to make headlines is the ongoing controversy of the injuries faced by the players in the National Football League. Retired NFL players are coming forward with claims that their careers have left them with long term damage that goes beyond worn muscles and broken bones – traumatic brain injuries, commonly referred to as TBIs. Numerous scientific and medical studies have established a link between contact sports like American football to traumatic brain injures.
Despite safety precautions taken like player helmets, there are only so many impacts a human skull can take without negative consequences. Though only a few players spoke up about it at first, the number of afflicted is growing. While TBIs in NFL players are drawing the most attention, TBIs are actually a common injury that can happen in a variety of situations. It is important to understand how they occur and how to recognize the symptoms.
Causes of TBIs
Because of their lasting, often debilitating effects, TBIs are classified as serious injuries. Most often caused by a heavy bump or jolt to the head, TBIs are a serious risk, especially for children or older adults. The Center for Disease Control’s definition of a TBI is “a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury.”
Many different situations can result in a person suffering a TBI. They often present themselves after a person has been involved in a serious car accident, having hit their head during a fall, or, like the NFL players mentioned above, been involved in contact sports for a length of time.
Traumatic Brain Injuries are the result of the brain itself colliding with the inside of the skull due to an impact. Said impact jerks the head around, causing the soft tissue of the brain to bounce off the hard bone of the skull. Though these impacts seem minute, they can actually cause bruising, bleeding, and tearing of the brain tissue. In the event where the impact causes a fracture to the skull, shards of bone may pierce the brain like shrapnel, causing devastating damage.
Types of Head Injury
Medical practitioners use three general categories to differentiate between types of head injuries. All of them can result in a TBI if severe enough.
- Crushing injuries – This occurs when the brain is injured as the result of the skull being compressed between two objects. An example of this would be a scenario where a person working on a floor while lying down has something fall on their head, compressing their skull between the falling object and the floor beneath them.
- Penetrating brain injuries – This refers to anything that cracks the skull and directly impacts, bruises, or punctures the brain. Examples of this are situations such as gunshot wounds or debris entering the skull during a car accident.
- Closed head injuries – This type of injury has the highest potential to go unrecognized and untreated because the symptoms may seem like a minor thing. Closed head injuries happen as the result of the head jerking in a direction all of a sudden due to direct force like a punch. The sudden motion pushes the brain up against the inside of the skull, causing significant damage.
TBI Symptoms
While it can be considered a TBI in its own right, a concussion is sometimes treated as a minor injury. In actuality it’s a serious injury and should be treated as such, as they are often the precursor to more serious TBIs. They are closed head injuries caused by violent force to the head that cause the brain to bounce around an incur damage.
Even if the symptoms seem minor, every concussion should be treated by a medical professional. Is is common for symptoms to go unnoticed, only to show up hours or days later. There are many things to keep an eye out for, such as:
- Persistent headaches that do not go away with over the counter relievers such as ibuprofen
- Nauseous feelings and vomiting
- Slurred speech or an inability to form sentences
- Having trouble walking or balancing while standing
- Confusion and memory loss
- Abrupt changes in personality
Long-Term Risks from TBI
The circumstances of most TBIs are unique, and as such, the long-term effects can vary. Any injury to the brain is dangerous and can have a marked impact on an individual’s quality of life, but some effects are more serious than others.
TBIs can increase your risk for seizures and memory loss as you grow older. They increase your risk of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative conditions. Some TBIs can be treated, by often the best indicator of improvement is change over time. The effects of TBIs can be gradual, and unfortunately, are not always reversible.
It is important to not overlook the emotional effects of living with a TBI. The injuries themselves can cause mood swings or even whole personality changes. A once calm and collected person can become moody, aggressive, and even violent. The physical effects like loss of mobility can lead to bouts of depression, all of which can take a toll on the injured and everyone they are close to.
Contact a Watford City Brain Injury TBI Lawyer
TBIs can be a harrowing experience for those they affect, and can have lasting results that impact the rest of their lives. This can be compounded if the injury was due to the negligence of another party and could have been prevented. It can change career opportunities and the afflicted’s entire personality, and lead to isolation, depression, and expensive medical bills as they try to navigate their new circumstances.
When going through this type of injury, personal injury attorneys are one of the best resources to help you through this trying time. They can take negligent parties to court and argue on your behalf for compensation to alleviate the damages associated with treating and living with these injuries. The experienced team at Sand Law is ready to help. Call us today at (701) 609-1510 or fill out our online contact form.