Chicago Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

A traumatic brain injury is a severe condition that affects many accident victims annually. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in fact, revealed that an estimated 2.8 million individuals sustain this type of injury per year. This condition requires immediate medical diagnosis and treatment, as it can severely affect a person’s quality of life.

If you or someone you know has suffered from a brain injury due to another person’s negligence, you can file a claim with the help of a reliable Chicago traumatic brain injury lawyer to obtain full and fair compensation. Contact Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC today.

Traumatic Brain Injury: An Overview

A traumatic brain injury is a non-congenital, non-degenerative insult to the brain from an external, mechanical force. This condition occurs when an individual:

Strikes or gets struck by an object
Gets hit by an object that pierces the skull
Suffers a violent and sudden shaking or jolt

The trauma from the external force damages the structure of the brain and prevents it from functioning normally. The CDC notes that traumatic brain injury can affect the way an individual:

Walks and moves
Thinks (reasoning and memory)
Controls his/her emotions and social interactions
Communicates with other people (understanding and speaking)
Experiences sensations, such as smell, taste, and touch

While some people recover from this condition and live their lives normally, others never regain normal brain function. Individuals with a debilitating brain injury may need assistance with basic living tasks, as well as ongoing treatment and care.

The Role of a Chicago Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

The role of a traumatic brain injury lawyer will be multifaceted and includes taking the steps necessary to help you recover compensation for your losses. Not every traumatic brain injury case is the same, but the general roles an attorney will take include the following:

Fully investigating the incident to gather evidence
Establishing the elements of negligence
Enlisting trusted medical and economic experts on your behalf
Communicating and negotiating with other parties involved
Preparing a personal injury claim for trial

An attorney handles every aspect of the claim on behalf of their clients. Traumatic brain injury victims should focus solely on recovering from their injury and adapting to any changes caused by a disability. An attorney will keep traumatic brain injury victims up to date as their case moves forward.

Various Types of Traumatic Brain Injury

There are several kinds of traumatic brain injury, but they fall into either one of the two categories: Open or closed. An open head injury happens when an object penetrates the skull and damages the brain tissue. On the other hand, a closed head injury occurs when a sudden, violent motion or a blow knocks the brain against the skull but does not penetrate it.

Closed traumatic brain injuries are more complex and have several different patterns of signs and symptoms. A few of the types of closed head injury are:

Concussion – This mild form of head injury causes the victim to suffer a brief period of unconsciousness, or feel disoriented, confused, or dazed while maintaining consciousness. It can lead to a wide range of health problems, including dizziness, balance problems, painful headaches, anxiety, depression, and personality changes. Additionally, it can make the individual more prone to additional concussions. Recurring cases of this type of injury may result in dementia or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative disease of the brain.
Diffuse Axonal – This type of brain injury arises from a severe jolt or a powerful and sudden rotation of the head. When the head moves from the shaking or rotation, the brain trails behind in motion. The organ eventually strikes against the interior skull and injures multiple parts of the brain. Diffuse axonal is a common type of injury that results from a vehicular accident.
Epidural Hematoma – This deadly traumatic head injury occurs when blood builds up between the skull and the hard covering of the brain. This rapidly puts pressure on the organ.

Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries in Chicago occur due to a wide variety of reasons and often as a result of the negligence of others. Some of the most common traumatic brain injury claims we help clients with arise due to:

Vehicle-Related Accidents – Collisions involving bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, or cars are a common cause of this brain injury.
Falls – Young children and the elderly can sustain a traumatic brain injury when they fall down the stairs, in a nursing home, or in other areas. Slip and fall injuries are a leading cause of concussions and traumatic brain injuries.
Defective Products – If companies, retailers, or distributors supplied defective products to consumers, these products could cause trauma or internal complications that lead to a traumatic brain injury.
Medical Mistakes – When doctors make mistakes, it can lead to significant harm to a patient. Doctors and surgeons, or any other medical professional, could cause a traumatic brain injury due to negligent actions. If this has happened, a medical malpractice attorney in Chicago can help you pursue legal justice.
Work Injuries – Workplace accidents are not uncommon throughout Chicago, and they can lead to traumatic brain injuries. Work incidents can occur in any type of work environment, and brain injuries often occur due to workplace falls, vehicle accidents, or equipment mishaps.

This is certainly not a complete list of the ways that traumatic brain injuries occur in and around the Chicago area. If you have any questions about your particular claim, contact an attorney for assistance today.

Signs of Traumatic Brain Injury

The symptoms of a brain injury can be either immediate or delayed. If the signs do not show up right away, they may manifest days or weeks following the injury.

Individuals should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they experience any of the following head injury symptoms:

Headache
Nausea and vomiting
Clear fluids coming out of the ears or nose
Unequal dilation in the pupils
Double vision
Seizures or convulsions
Change or loss of consciousness anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Changes in sleep patterns, such as having a hard time falling asleep or sleeping more than usual
Fatigue
Feelings of anxiety and depression
Mood swings, combativeness, agitation, or other unusual behavior
Increased sensitivity to distractions, sounds, or lights
Sensory problems, including loss of sense of smell, ringing in the ears, seeing stars, and blurred vision
Vertigo, dizziness, lightheadedness, or loss of coordination or balance

Headache, fatigue, confusion, and dizziness tend to begin immediately after an injury, but resolve over time. Emotional symptoms, such as irritability and frustration, tend to emerge later on during the recovery period. Victims may easily overlook many of the enumerated signs and symptoms, as they may appear okay even though they feel or behave differently.

Compensation for a Chicago Traumatic Brain Injury Case

In Chicago, victims of traumatic brain injuries can pursue compensation for both economic and non-economic damages resulting from the injury. The compensation aims to cover various aspects impacted by the injury:

Economic damages. This includes measurable losses traumatic brain injury victims in Chicago will likely incur, such as:
- Medical expenses, including costs for rehabilitation, therapy, surgery, and ongoing treatment related to the TBI
- Lost wages, to include compensation for past and future wages lost due to inability to work post-injury
- Property damage incurred due to the incident causing the TBI
Non-economic damages. This includes more immeasurable losses a brain injury victim will likely incur, focusing more on physical and emotional pain and suffering and lifestyle adjustments. Compensation is often available for:
- Pain and Suffering, such as compensation for physical and emotional distress caused by the TBI
- Quality of life damages for the impact on the victim’s lifestyle and sense of self
- Chronic pain, for ongoing pain caused by the TBI
- Permanent disability compensation for long-term disabilities resulting from the TBI

It’s important to note that the specific compensation details and the amount awarded can vary significantly based on the individual case’s circumstances. You should contact a skilled brain injury lawyer in Chicago immediately to gain a thorough understanding of the types of compensation that may be available for your particular case.

Navigating the Aftermath of a TBI

Individuals who sustain brain injuries may also suffer from short-term or long-term physical or cognitive disabilities. This can be devastating, particularly for those who are unable to return to their normal day-to-day or work-related activities. Navigating the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury should not be done alone. Brain injury victims should consult not only with medical professionals but also mental health professionals who can help them navigate the new day-to-day situation.

FAQs: Common Questions About Traumatic Brain Injury Claims in Chicago

How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?

Chicago traumatic brain injury victims have a limited amount of time to file a claim against another party. The personal injury statute of limitations in Illinois is the guiding factor here, which states that brain injury claims should be filed within two years from the date the injury occurs. If a victim fails to file a lawsuit within this particular time frame, they will not be able to recover compensation for their losses.

How Much Compensation is Available?

There is no set amount of compensation paid to brain injury victims in Chicago if their claim is successful. Rather, several factors can influence how much a person receives. Some of the main factors that influence brain injury compensation amounts include the overall severity of the injury, how long it takes a person to recover, and whether or not there was any disability caused by the injury.

Other factors can influence compensation amounts, including whether or not there was any shared fault, insurance policy limitations, and the overall asset situation of the at-fault party.

Will You Have to Go to Court?

Most personal injury claims, including brain injury cases, get settled before a victim has to go to an actual courtroom. For example, brain injury claims that arise as a result of a vehicle accident typically get settled between auto insurance carriers and the victim. However, there are many reasons why a person may need to go to court for a brain injury claim. In the event the at-fault party or insurance carrier refuses to offer a fair settlement, it may be necessary to push forward toward a trial.

Reach out to Our Law Firm

If your doctor has diagnosed you with traumatic brain injury and suspect that your condition was someone else’s fault, come to Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC. Each renowned personal injury attorney in Chicago at our law firm can help you obtain compensation for your suffering and financial losses.

When our team of experienced head injury attorneys takes on your case, they use a modern-age approach to get the responsible surgeon or negligent individual to pay the recovery amount you deserve. If the liable party does not want to reach a fair settlement, we will not hesitate to bring your case before a judge.

Don’t wait any longer. Call our reputable brain injury lawyers at (312) 586-1700 or email them at info@tpmblegal.com.