An injury to the brain caused by a traumatic event happens more often than you might think. These are often referred to as traumatic brain injuries, or “TBI’s.” Because of the biomechanics of a collision between automobiles, they can even occur from impacts which create surprisingly little property damage. This happens because the occupants of a vehicle become vulnerable to injuries caused by sudden deceleration or other types of physical trauma resulting from the impact. Where a person’s head has a direct impact with the steering wheel, side window or other parts of the interior of the automobile, it is easier to diagnose a TBI. But often times no direct impact with the head occurs. Still, concussion-like forces can create a brain injury even without a direct impact to the head as the brain can concuss within the skull. The lack of direct impact often results in the failure to properly diagnose the TBI and the focus of treatment is limited to other soft-tissue related injuries instead.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately 300,000 people sustain a TBI from automobile collisions. This estimate is most probably not very accurate given the frequency of the missed diagnosis for injuries of this type. This is because the symptoms can be overlooked or underestimated. However, recent medical studies of post-concussion patients has resulted in startling data regarding these injuries and its effect on persons having been in a traumatic event. Symptoms often are exhibited by changes in memory or reasoning, a change in the ability to express thoughts, communicate or understand others, or even changes in emotional behavior, including feelings of depression, anxiety, with personality changes or exhibiting inappropriate behavior. Understanding what symptoms to look for is the first step in making sure that any potential brain injury is accurately diagnosed and treated. Helping our client’s select the best medical professionals to treat these injuries is one of the most important services we provide to our clients.
This is because, once properly diagnosed, these injuries can be treated. However, a failure to diagnose the TIB, by recognizing the symptoms, can have devastating results if the failure to diagnose continues. At the Law Office of Joseph R. Dawson, P.A., we work with neuropsychologists and other brain injury specialists in the Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach areas who can help determine if such an injury has been sustained by our clients. Helping to get our clients to the proper doctors is just one of the many important tasks trusted to us by our clients. We have experience with these types of injuries which is an invaluable asset in understanding these injuries and evaluating the ways in which our client’s lives have been impacted by such an injury.
If you have been involved in an accident, put our extensive experience to work for you to ensure that you are treated by the proper doctors and that a complete diagnosis of all of your injuries has been made. This will help in any insurance settlement because we will have a complete diagnosis of your injuries. Of course, there is no legal fee if there is no recovery on your case and all consultations are without charge. We understand that proper legal representation is not limited to the making of a claim, and we strive to provide the advice necessary to address all of your post-incident needs. Getting you the maximum amount of damages may be our primary goal, but helping you get better is an equally important part of the services provided by our law firm.
