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North
Carolina Brain Injury Attorneys
The North Carolina brain
injury attorneys at Daggett Shuler injury lawyers can help. Every
year thousands of individuals are victims of head trauma that result
in traumatic brain injury, also called TBI. This type of injury
occurs when the brain is driven into the side of the skull by a
sudden blow, by a shaking force, or “whiplash.” The
impact can cause bruising and swelling of the brain, and in some
cases, the impact will be sufficient enough to tear blood vessels
in the brain, causing intracranial bleeding. Don't hesitate to call
our North Carolina brain injury attorneys today.
What are the types of head
injuries?
There are several types
of head injuries. If the trauma results in damage to the skull itself,
such as a crack or break, the trauma is considered a penetrating
head injury. More difficult to diagnose are closed head injuries,
where the skull is not obviously damaged, but the brain is still
injured. This can occur from a blow or impact, or from severe back-and-forth
shaking, such as whiplash. Babies and small children can suffer
such injuries from being shaken, known as “shaken baby syndrome.”
What are the signs of a brain injury?
A medical professional
should evaluate anyone who has sustained a blow to the head or whiplash-like
injuries to determine if the victim has experienced a TBI. Even
if symptoms are so slight that the victim does not realize that
a serious injury has occurred, treatment should be sought before
further injury can develop. Often the symptoms may be delayed for
many hours until swelling in the brain reaches a point that if affects
the victim.
Some signs and symptoms to look for include:
Physical Symptoms
Dizziness, loss of balance, headaches, nausea and vomiting, blurred
vision, drowsiness, and confusion
Mental Cognitive
Symptoms
Intermittent disorientation, amnesia, short-term memory loss,
poor judgment, and poor concentration
Emotional Symptoms
Depression, agitation, irritability, apathy, confrontational attitude,
explosive temper, fearfulness and impatience, personality changes
in general, and sleep (early morning awakening) and appetite disturbances
What are the possible long-term
problems?
TBI can cause serious,
life-threatening events and can result in permanent, irreversible
damage to the brain. With severe brain injuries, the impairments
are obvious and profound. They can result in paralysis, weakness
or abnormalities including loss of sensation, coordination or intellectual
capacity.
The more difficult, often
overlooked cases are those where neurological and mental changes
are subtle. These may happen as a result of what appears to be a
minor accident in which the brain is jarred. Symptoms, called soft
signs, begin to appear afterwards, sometimes after long periods
of time. In either case, a TBI can have a profound effect on quality
of life, including inability to work, inability to interact with
friends and family, and loss of body function. If you see any of
these signs, contact the North Carolina brain injury attorneys at
Daggett Shuler injury lawyers immediately.
Relevant terminology:
Concussion
Occurs when the head receives a trauma and the brain is jarred
inside the skull, which can end in a period of confusion
Retrograde Amnesia
Loss of memory of events that preceded the injury
Anterograde Amnesia Loss of forward memory after the injury
Brain Contusion
A bruise to the brain
Focal Injury
An injury to one part of the brain leaving the other parts intact
Diffuse Injury
Denotes widespread damage
Countercoup
Injury
Brain damage occurring at the side of the brain opposite the trauma,
caused by the cerebral spinal fluid drifting backwards. If the
blow is hard enough, it forces the brain against the back of the
skull.
Click
here for a Free Case Evaluation or call 1-800-815-5500.
Daggett Shuler, you can depend on us.
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