Why You Need An Experienced Injury Lawyer
Summary by David Chester Ohio Personal Injury Lawyer:
Motorcycle accidents are common and quite often end up with traumatic brain injury (TBI). When TBI is severe your outlook or prognosis is not good. With a bad prognosis comes long-term rehabilitation and costly medical bills as well as loss of wages. When your injury is caused by the carelessness of another, you will need to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to find out your rights and make sure you are properly compensated. The Chester Law Group in Ohio has experience with motorcycle accidents and brain injury lawsuits and can help you. Call us at 800-218-4243.
Article by Susan Ardizzoni Ph.D.:
Motorcycle accidents and traumatic brain injury (TBI) generally go hand in hand. What we are referring to is brain and spinal column injury that can generate disabilities. Depending on the severity of a TBI your recovery or prognosis may not be good.
Mild to moderate TBI’s don’t generally cause permanent or long-term disabilities however, severe forms of TBI do. Statistics demonstrate that permanent disabilities occur in 10% of mild trauma, 66% in moderate injuries and 100% in severe injuries.
In mild and moderate traumatic brain, the disability may be relatively minor. More than 90% of individuals with a moderate TBI are able to live independently although they may require assistance with employment and financial matters. Coma is directly linked to a TBI severity and indicates a poor prognosis or outcome again depending on the duration of the coma.
Your prognosis or outcome differs depending on the severity of brain damage, location of the damage and the immediate acute medical attention you receive.
Contusions and hemorrhaging can be extremely serious. Bleeding within the meninges (the outer connective tissue covering of the brain) can more than double the death rate while bleeding on top of these layers known as epidural hematomas are less of a threat. An epidural hematoma is fairly easy to treat.
On the other hand if you have severe diffuse axonal injury that is associated with coma your prognosis is not good. Once you are past the acute phase of your trauma, your prognosis is greatly influenced by the patient’s involvement in appropriate rehabilitation activities. Initially, rehabilitation will be as an inpatient and later as an outpatient.
Inpatient rehabilitation can be quite expensive and may continue for a long time. As you can imagine all kinds of medical complications are associated with a poor outlook or prognosis. A bad prognosis involves a number of examples and some are listed for you below.
- Hypotension (low blood pressure) – if you have low blood pressure and it continues further brain damage will continue
- Hypoxia (low blood oxygen levels) – your brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen to work properly and neurons die
- High intracranial pressure – this causes slowing of the blood flow in the brain and can distort masses of brain tissue generating brain herniation. Brain herniation happens when brain parts ooze out through holes in your skull.
- Substance abuse by the patient – if you take recreational drugs, alcohol or even prescription medications this can slow down your recovery due to liver or kidney damage.
With a poor prognosis, you will require long-term rehabilitation which can be very expensive. Many insurance companies do not cover rehabilitation or cover only a small amount. Now more than ever you will need legal assistance.
You should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as you can to find out your rights. An injury lawyer knows what is involved in term of medical costs, rehabilitation and lost wages. Your law firm will be there to guide you through legal aspects and problems that can arise from the insurance companies.
When you brain injury is caused by the carelessness of another, our the lawyers at Chester Law Group can determine if you are eligible for a personal injury settlement, provide legal guidance and emotion support during your difficult time.
If you have been seriously hurt in a truck or motorcycle accident and experienced a traumatic brain injury, you may be entitled to financial compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills and lost wages. These types of accidents often involve long-term medical care and severe pain so you need to consider compensation for continued medical care and loss of your ability to earn wages in the future.
The Chester Law Group is an Ohio personal injury law firm experienced in truck and motorcycle accidents involving brain and spinal injury and can guide you through a personal injury settlement. It is important that you consult with an attorney before you attend a Defense Medical Exam (DME) and don’t ask a doctor for advice. Your personal injury attorney will advise you every step of the way.
Call the Chester Law Group at 800-218-4243.