Brain Injury Lawyers in Orangeburg, SC
If you have an Orangeburg Brain Injury case, contact an experienced Orangeburg Brain Injury Attorneys like Bakari Sellars can help you navigate your case.
Most accidents can occur in a split second. Before you know it, you’re dealing with the devastating consequences. Brain injuries can be the result of an accident, defective product, or a fall. A brain injury can still occur even without hitting one’s head or losing consciousness. The injured person may not even notice the effects of a brain injury for several months after the accident. An Orangeburg Brain Injury Attorney can help with an assessment. The seriousness of brain injury ranges from mild to severe. And due to the complexities of the human brain, they can affect the entire body and mind from memory to controlling one’s emotions.
If you or someone you love has been in an accident and suffered a brain injury, the skilled and experienced Orangeburg Brain Injury Attorneys at the Strom Law Firm are available to assist you in recovering compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Orangeburg Brain Injury Attorney, call 803-252-4800.
Types of Orangeburg Brain Injury Treatment
Types of Orangeburg Brain Injury TreatmentBrain injuries are all unique. For many victims, the treatment of a brain injury can be a complicated process of rehabilitation. The Brain Injury Association of America recommends several treatment paths for patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury:
- ICU (Intensive Care Unit) – A patient’s ICU goals include reaching medical stability and preventing medical disaster.
- Acute Rehabilitation – Working with a brain injury victim to regain as many activities of daily living as possible.
- Post-Acute Rehabilitation – The goal of post-acute rehabilitation is to help patients regain the most independent level of functioning possible. This can be a more intensive physical activity.
- Outpatient Therapy – Often occurring after acute or post-acute rehabilitation, a brain injury sufferer often continues to receive outpatient treatments and therapies to continue along and heighten their recovery from their injuries.
- In-Home Care – Often, victims who suffer a brain injury will require extensive at-home care. Sometimes, this helps them relearn basic tasks; other times, it requires assistance to perform seemingly menial tasks.
Types of Brain Injuries
Injury to the brain can result in mild or severe conditions. Some injuries can have such force as to cause a person to stay in a coma or permanent vegetative state. Other times, a person may not even know they have a brain injury as they are without any typical signs. The signs of a brain injury may be immediate, or they may not appear until long after the injury occurred. The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for executive functions and regulates emotions. This area of the brain is often found to be the most injured.
Several types of injuries to the head include:
Hematoma
A hematoma is when there is bleeding in or around the brain. There are several types of hematomas:
- Epidural hematoma (a pool of blood between the skull and the protective outer layer of the brain)
- Subdural and Subarachnoid hematomas (blood collects inside the skull on different layers of the brain)
- Intracerebral hematoma (bleeding into the brain itself)
These injuries are extremely dangerous. The effects of hematomas can lead to permanent brain damage.
Concussion
An impact to the head caused by a bump, blow, jolt, or a hit to the body that results in the brain moving rapidly back and forth is considered a concussion. This bouncing or twisting against the skull can change the chemicals in the brain and damage brain cells.
Concussions are not regarded as life-threatening; however, the effects of them can be quite serious. Repeated concussions can cause permanent damage, and there have been recent concerns about the impact of repeated concussions in sports.
Hemorrhage
Uncontrolled bleeding in the brain is called a hemorrhage. Subarachnoid hemorrhages are those that occur around the brain, while intracerebral hemorrhages are those that occur within the brain. Usually, symptoms of a subarachnoid hemorrhage will begin with headaches and vomiting. Depending on the amount of bleeding and time, intracerebral hemorrhages can cause pressure to build up and become a life-threatening situation.
Cerebral Edema
Swelling in the brain is called cerebral edema or brain swelling. This becomes serious and life-threatening when the skull can no longer contain the swelling brain. Fluid develops in the brain and causes pressure to build up, resulting in pressing the brain against the skull.
Such swelling will decrease the amount of oxygen flowing to the brain and can cause irreversible damage. Symptoms of brain swelling include headaches, dizziness, nausea, lack of coordination, and numbness. Severe cases will exhibit signs of moodiness, memory loss, speech difficulties, incontinence, change in consciousness, and weakness.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
A diffuse axonal injury is when the brain rapidly shifts inside the skull during the impact of the injury. Those who suffer this type of injury typically lose consciousness for at least six hours or are left in a coma. Other symptoms include confusion, headache, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, drowsiness, more extended periods of sleep, and dizziness. This is one of the most common types of TBI and can be one of the most debilitating.
Skull Fracture
The skull is a difficult bone to break. A forceful blow to the head could cause a fracture of the skull and result in a brain injury. The inability to absorb an impact to the head due to a fractured skull can increase the amount of injury to the brain. Symptoms of a skull fracture include bleeding from the nostrils or ears and facial bruising.
Some Common Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury Include:
- Headache
- Dizziness or balance problems
- Nausea
- Fatigue or sleep disturbances
- Blurred vision or sensitivity to light
- Memory problems
- Attention, focus, or concentration issues
- Agitation and irritability
- Aggression
Treatment
As with any medical condition, treatment for a TBI is unique and case-specific. Treatment can include medication and rehabilitation, but may also require hospital stays. Further out-patient therapy and rehabilitation may be required to assist individuals suffering from these conditions to return to their daily lives. The Orangeburg Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC, can help you find the best medical care.
Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
According to the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina, the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries in S.C. include:
- Falls: Accounts for 28% of cases in the state
- Motor Vehicle accidents: Car accidents account for 23% of all cases in the state. DUI’s could also be another way to get a TBI.
- Violence: Accounts for 10% of cases
- Struck by or against an object: Accounts for 8% of cases
- Sports and recreation: Competitive sports and recreational activities account for 3.8 million concussions every year in the United States. Seventy percent of these seen in emergency rooms involve children and teens.
- Combat Blasts and Explosions: Accounts for .2% of cases and is the leading cause of TBI for active military duty personnel in war zones.
- Workplace Injuries
Children between the ages of 0 and 4 and between the ages of 15 and 19 are the ones at highest risk for TBI. Males are 1.5 times more likely to suffer a brain injury than women. African Americans have the highest TBI death rate.
What to Do if You Have Suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury
The best brain injury lawyers agree, and reports have shown, no one is exempt from potentially suffering from a traumatic brain injury. These injuries can have a lasting impact on a person’s life, whether the effects are momentary or permanent. It can affect all areas of life, including vision, hearing, memory, physical feats, and mental and emotional functioning. A person may not know the extent of these injuries, and the symptoms may not be visible to others. Future medical care and treatment may be required.
If you or someone you know has been injured, even if you think the injuries may be minor, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are necessary to prevent further injury or a permanent one. You should also obtain all medical records pertaining to the injury and treatment as they may be necessary if you pursue a lawsuit. An experienced Orangeburg Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney near me at the Strom Law Firm, LLC, can help.
Under South Carolina law, you may be entitled to compensation if you believe that another is the cause of your TBI. Losing time from work, requiring new employment, or being unable to work is not uncommon after suffering a TBI. The medical procedures and treatment can produce massive medical bills, not to mention the physical and emotional pain you will endure. It will quite possibly alter every area of your life.
Contact an Orangeburg Brain Injury Attorney
Brain injuries can result in temporary and permanent injuries. The effects are often traumatic and life-long. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury in Orangeburg County or anywhere else across South Carolina, contact us.
We offer free case evaluations, and we do not collect a fee unless we recover for you. Contact the experienced legal team at Strom Law Firm in Columbia at (803) 252-4800 and find out if we can help you.
