Orlando Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) typically results from a blow to the head or an object penetrating the skull. Media attention in recent years has focused on TBI as a combat or sports injury. The more common causes of TBI are slip-and-fall accidents, car accidents and assaults.
Attorney Frank M. Eidson understands how serious brain injuries impact the lives of victims and their families. He also has a firm grasp of the complex medical and legal issues that arise in these cases.
If you or a loved one has suffered TBI due to the wrongdoing of another, Frank M. Eidson, P.A., can pursue the compensation you deserve for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. We serve clients in Orlando, Winter Park and throughout Florida. Contact us today for a free consultation
Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the leading causes of TBI are:
- Falls – Falls are actually the leading cause of TBI among children age 14 and younger and adults age 45 and older. More than two-thirds of TBI cases among adults age 65 and older are caused by falls.
- Blunt trauma – Unintentional blunt trauma such as being hit by an object is the second-leading cause of TBI. Almost a quarter of all TBI cases in children younger than age 15 are related to blunt trauma
- Motor vehicle accidents – Crashes involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians and bicyclists are the leading cause of TBI in children and young adults between ages 5 to 24. Among all age groups, motor vehicle crashes are the third-leading cause of TBI (14 percent). Motor vehicle crashes are the second-leading cause overall of TBI-related deaths.
- Assault – About 10 percent of all TBIs are caused by assaults, with about 75 percent of all assaults associated with TBI occurring in people (usually male) between ages 15 and 44. Assaults are the leading cause of TBI-related emergency room visits for ages 15 to 24. About 3 percent of TBIs in children younger than age 15 and 1.4 percent of TBIs in adults age 65 and older are caused by assault. Assault is the leading cause of TBI in children up to age 4.
- Sports and recreation – During a recent eight-year period, an estimated 173,000 people age 19 or younger were treated in emergency rooms for non-fatal TBIs related to sports and recreation activities. About 70.5 percent of sports and recreation-related visits to the ER because of TBI involve children and young adults between ages 10 and 19.
Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury
If a brain injury is mild, it is usually referred to as a concussion. Headaches, dizziness and/or short-term disruption of concentration, memory, judgment and physical coordination are signs of a concussion. A concussion may or may not cause a short loss of consciousness.
Some people develop post-concussion syndrome after a mild TBI. The condition may be diagnosed if symptoms do not subside after several weeks. Post-concussion syndrome may last for months or a year or more.
Additionally, a person who has suffered a concussion is more susceptible to future TBIs, which may have a cumulative damaging effect. For example, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease that is linked to repetitive brain trauma, especially among football players and other athletes.
Severe TBI may cause varying levels of:
- Cognitive deficiencies (learning, judgment and memory)
- Emotional and behavioral changes (depression, anxiety and outbursts)
- Changes in sensory perception (sight, hearing and taste)
- Communication deficits (speaking or forming thoughts).
Costs of Traumatic Brain Injury
Serious brain injury can be costly. Medical expenses can include emergency response and hospitalization. This treatment is typically followed by physical rehabilitation, psychological therapy and, perhaps, vocational therapy.
The most severe TBI cases result in permanent disability. A victim may need assistive devices like a walker or wheelchair. A disabled TBI victim may require modifications to his or her home to make it livable and could need ongoing personal assistance with tasks such as feeding, bathing and grooming.
A severe TBI victim may be unable to earn a living or enjoy life as he or she did before the injury. It is not unusual for a person with severe TBI to develop degenerative brain disease that eventually causes premature death.
Legal Help for Florida TBI Victims and their Families
Anyone who suffers a severe head injury as the result of the reckless or negligent actions of another party may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit. Whether you have sustained TBI in an auto accident, slip-and-fall accident, workplace accident or as the result of a defective or unsafe product, you can bring a claim against the responsible party or parties.
Attorney Frank M. Eidson helps victims of others’ negligence to obtain the compensation they are entitled to receive for their losses. If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may be eligible to obtain compensation for:
- Medical expenses (ambulance, hospital and surgical bills)
- Rehabilitation (expenses tied to restoring your ability to function)
- Life care costs (expenses for care required in cases of permanent disability)
- Lost income (past and future wages lost due to your injury)
- Diminished earning capacity (reduction of your ability to earn a certain level of income)
- Pain and suffering (mental and physical distress caused by the injury).
Contact an Orlando Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
Frank M. Eidson has an established record of helping clients to pursue personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving traumatic brain injury, including those caused by car, truck and motorcycle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, construction and other workplace accidents. He can help you, too.
Contact Frank M. Eidson, P.A., today by calling us or reaching us online. We serve clients throughout Florida, including Orlando, Winter Park and surrounding areas. Our consultations are always free and confidential.
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