Brain trauma can cause devastating injury. Every year, more than 2 million people suffer some form of brain injury. In Arizona, alone, there are 66,267 traumatic brain injuries per year. The skull prevents many of these injuries from becoming major causes of concern, but more than 500,000 head injuries require hospitalization and medical treatment each year. The brain is one of the most delicate parts of the human body, and, as such, requires immediate treatment if it is injured.
What Causes Traumatic Brain Injury?
The most common cause of traumatic brain injury is direct or indirect trauma to the head or body. These most often occur as the result of a fall, a motor vehicle accident, a physical altercation, and sports injury. Physical altercations, like assault and battery, often result from negligent security or inadequate security at apartment complexes, hotels, or other complexes. The extent of the injury can depend on numerous factors, including the force of the trauma, the nature of the trauma, and other personal conditions. In medical malpractice cases, brain injuries are also often caused by birth injuries, anesthesia errors, and surgical errors.
Brain Injury Symptoms
When a person suffers a traumatic brain injury, there can be no blood, no wound, and no outward sign of a major problem. This often leads the victim to believe that nothing is wrong, when, in fact, he or she is seriously injured. Traumatic brain injury can have wide-ranging and long-lasting psychological and physical effects.
The most common signs and symptoms include:
- Loss of consciousness for an extended period of time
- Confusion
- Slurred speech
- Inability to wake up from sleeping
- Weakness of numbness in one side of the body (or whole body)
- Lack of coordination
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Dilation of pupils (one or both)
How Can Brain Injuries Be Treated?
If timely diagnosed, there are treatment options for traumatic brain injuries. A CT scan or MRI will be performed to see if there is any bleeding in the brain. If there is extensive bleeding, a craniotomy, or surgery of the skull, may be performed to drain the blood and to relieve the pressure on the brain.
If the skull was fractured by the trauma, surgery may be needed to repair the fracture or to remove pieces of the skull in the brain. If the CT or MRI does not show any bleeding, extreme care must still be taken to monitor the victim for any changes.
If the victim is in the hospital, the nurses should evaluate him or her every hour for changes in speech, muscle strength, heart rate, and level of consciousness. Bleeds can develop over time, so a repeat CT scan or MRI should be ordered.
Brain injuries can have life-long effects. Extensive physical and occupational therapy may be required. While the victim may look normal on the outside, his or her injury is having a devastating effect on the inside. The victim may have difficulty with speech and balance and may develop new psychological disorders.
If you or a loved one has experienced a serious head injury, contact brain injury attorneys in Phoenix and Tucson, AZ, today. We have over 30 years of experience holding hospitals, doctors, and nurses accountable for failing to properly diagnose and treat serious head injuries.
Our brain injury attorneys have also litigated head trauma cases resulting from car accidents, trucking accidents, and assaults in Phoenix and Tucson, AZ. Brain injury cases require experienced, dedicated attorneys, and at Snyder & Wenner, P.C., we understand your needs and understand what is necessary to successfully litigate your case. Contact us today for a free consultation with a brain injuries lawyer in Phoenix or Tucson, AZ.
In the Scottsdale, Avondale, Tucson, and Phoenix areas, call the attorneys at Snyder & Wenner, P.C. at 602-224-0005 to meet with a traumatic brain injury lawyer.