Surviving a Florida accident or birth trauma with traumatic brain damage puts enormous emotional and financial demands on both victims and their families. Those suffering from brain damage or TBI who are not properly diagnosed may not receive appropriate care. Often without getting the help needed, victims end up in nursing homes, mental health facilities, and sometimes jail.
Brain damage can occur from a blow, sudden jolt or any time there is oxygen deprivation such as in swimming pool drownings or birth trauma. TBI also can occur from a penetrating head injury. The most common cause of traumatic brain injury in Florida is falling (42%), followed by traffic crashes (21%), and then violence like gunshots to the brain.
Diagnosing a traumatic brain injury is complex and hotly litigated in Florida. Usually the diagnosis of a brain trauma requires an evaluation by specialists in several areas of medicine and science. Our Florida brain injury lawyers consult frequently with expert neurologists, psychologists, radiologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychologists. Our brain injury experts are experienced in the treatment and diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, premature births, strokes, anoxia, encephalitis, and meningitis.
When there is an injury to the brain, either in an adult or child, there are sometimes very subtle cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and physical changes. Often an injured person is completely unaware of the emotional and functional consequences following a TBI. Common symptoms include short or long-term functional changes that affect a person’s ability to think, speak, learn, express, and contain emotions. People with TBI often feel alone, anxious, depressed and angry, and have a loss of motivation.
The physical injuries associated with brain damage are seizures, muscle spasms, double vision, blindness, loss of smell, loss of taste, slurred speech, headaches, fatigue, and trouble walking or standing. Often people appear to have stroke-like symptoms.
The first step our firm utilizes in diagnosing a TBI is arranging a consutation with a competent and experienced neuropsychologist. These professionals can gauge a psychological assessment and employ different measures to evaluate behavioral and cognitive functions. A complete neuropsychological evaluation requires an IQ test, an academic achievement test, and an evaluation of the insured’s emotional adjustment after the trauma.
To determine the extent of a brain injury a neurological and neuropsychological examination must assess the overall intellectual functioning, communication and language skill, vision, learning and memory, processing speed, organizational levels, sensorimotor function, psychological adjusting, adaptive skills, and academic achievement.
A Coup Injury or Contrecoup Injury is associated with cerebral contusions in which a part of the brain is actually bruised. This occurs when the moving head hits a stationery object or a moving object hits a stationary head. Contrecoup is also known as the shaken baby syndrome and commonly occurs in car accidents when a driver slams on their brakes or gets hit from behind.
Each year there are proximately 87,000 TBIs sustained in Florida which results in 3,800 deaths, 18,600 hospitalizations and 74,000 visits to the emergency room. There are approximately 210,000 people currently living in Florida with Traumatic Brain Injury related disabilities. By 2020 the number is expected to be 260,000. The majority of TBIs in Florida occur to males between 25-44 years of age and 65 years and older.
Our Florida brain injury lawyers are experienced and able to assist you or a family member who has sustained a traumatic brain injury from a fall, motor vehicle accident, medical mistake or assault. contact us today for a free and confidential evaluation of your claim.