Houston Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys

If you suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone’s negligence, contact The DJF Law Firm, PLLC to discuss your available legal options. You might be able to hold the at-fault party liable and recover compensation for your medical treatment and other expenses.

Damage to any part of the brain can cause serious problems and can interfere with normal functioning. Some people experience symptoms immediately after a blow or jolt to the head, but in others, symptoms don’t appear for days or weeks. Long-term complications can cause physical and mental impairments.

At The DJF Law Firm, PLLC, we understand the seriousness of a traumatic brain injury. Even minor damage can cause a range of medical issues. We could represent you in your case against the negligent person or company responsible for the accident that injured you.

Call us today at 832-529-3476 for your free consultation. One of our Houston traumatic brain injury attorneys will fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.

Common Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result from a violent jolt or blow to the body or head. It can also occur if an object fractures the skull and enters the brain.

There are various classifications of a TBI depending on the cause, including:

• Diffuse axonal injury – A diffuse axonal injury occurs when microscopic changes to the brain occur. The damage causes tears in the long connecting nerve fibers as the brain rotates and shifts inside the skull.
• Penetrating brain injury – A sharp object can pierce the skull and enter the brain, causing a penetrating brain injury. It can lead to internal bleeding and brain swelling.
• Coup-contrecoup – A coup-contrecoup injury causes damage to the brain in two stages. During the first stage, an external force causes the brain to impact the front of the skull. Additional damage occurs when the brain rebounds off the front of the skull and impacts the back of the skull during the second stage.
• Concussion – A concussion is another name for a mild TBI. A violent or sudden blow or movement to the head disrupts the brain’s normal functioning. It can cause various symptoms, such as impaired coordination, memory loss, and trouble with concentration.
• Intracranial hematoma – An intracranial hematoma occurs when blood collects outside of the blood vessels in the brain. It places pressure on the brain as the blood pools within the skull.
• Contusion – A contusion is a brain bruise. It results in swelling and bleeding near the site of the injury.

Common Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury

A TBI causes various types of symptoms depending on the type and location of the injury. The most common traumatic brain injury symptoms are below.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

When the brain moves rapidly within the skull from a jolt, blow, or bump to the head, it can result in a mild TBI. Typically, a mild traumatic brain injury causes symptoms such as:

• Trouble with speech
• Sensitivity to sound or light
• Changes in mood
• Headaches
• Memory and concentration issues
• Feeling anxious or depressed
• Blurry vision
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of balance or dizziness
• Fatigue or drowsiness
• Sleeping more than normal or difficulty sleeping
• Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to minutes

Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

A moderate to severe traumatic brain injury results from a blow, jolt, or bump to the body or head or a penetrating injury. Permanent damage to tissue, nerves, and brain cells can lead to multiple complications.

Common symptoms of a moderate to severe TBI include:

• Loss of consciousness for a few minutes to several hours
• Slurred speech
• Profound confusion
• Nausea or repeated vomiting
• Loss of coordination
• Coma and other consciousness disorders
• Dilated pupils
• Inability to wake from sleeping
• Weakness or numbness in the toes and fingers
• Agitation, combativeness, and other unusual behavior
• Seizures or convulsions
• Persistent or worsening headaches

If you notice TBI symptoms after an accident, go to the hospital immediately. A doctor can examine you and determine whether you have a traumatic brain injury. Prompt and adequate medical treatment is necessary to heal the injury and prevent possible complications.

Common Complications of a Traumatic Brain Injury

A range of complications can arise after a TBI. Severe damage increases the risk of experiencing permanent or long-term effects.

Physical Complications

Common physical complications of a TBI can include:

• Infections – A penetrating injury or skull fracture might tear the tissue layers surrounding and protecting the brain. When that happens, bacteria can enter the brain leading to infections. Without treatment, the infection can spread to other parts of the body.
• Seizures – Sometimes, seizures develop in people with a TBI. The onset varies but could occur immediately after the injury or years later.
• Headaches – Experiencing frequent headaches is common. Typically, they subside as the injury heals. However, recurring headaches that appear months after a severe TBI are possible.
• Vertigo – A traumatic brain injury can lead to vertigo in some people.
• Hydrocephalus – Hydrocephalus is a buildup of fluid in the brain. It causes swelling and increased pressure in the brain.
• Blood vessel damage – Damaged blood vessels in the brain could lead to blood clots, a stroke, and other medical problems.

Altered Consciousness

Permanent changes to a person’s state of awareness, consciousness, or responsiveness can occur after a moderate to severe TBI. States of consciousness include:

• Coma – When someone is in a coma, they are unaware of their surroundings and can’t respond to stimuli. This can lead to damage to various parts of the brain. Waking from a coma is possible within a few days to several weeks. However, entering a vegetative state could occur if a person remains unconscious.
• Vegetative state – A vegetative state results from widespread brain damage. It might be possible for someone in a vegetative state to exhibit reflexive responses, open their eyes, move, or make sounds despite being unaware of their surroundings.
• Minimally conscious state – In a minimally conscious state, a person could show some signs of self-awareness or awareness of the surrounding environment despite a severely altered consciousness.
• Brain death – Brain death occurs when the brain and brainstem have no measurable activity.

You should contact The DJF Law Firm, PLLC after sustaining a traumatic brain injury. We can start working on your case while you get the treatment your injury requires. Time is of the essence, so act now.

Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries

At The DJF Law Firm, PLLC, our Houston traumatic brain injury attorneys represent clients in various types of cases that involve a TBI. Traumatic brain injuries can result from scenarios such as:

• Bike accidents
• Slip and falls
• Workplace accidents
• Train accidents
• Car accidents
• Nursing home abuse
• Construction accidents
• Industrial accidents
• Explosions
• Boating accidents
• Sport-related incidents
• Bus and truck accidents
• Pedestrian accidents

Do not hesitate to reach out to The DJF Law Firm, PLLC if someone else is responsible for any type of accident that caused your TBI. We can gather evidence to prove they are at fault and create a strategy to hold them liable.

Compensation for a Traumatic Brain Injury

You could file an insurance claim or lawsuit and recover compensation for your:

• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Hospital bills, physical therapy, prescriptions, and other medical costs
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Loss of household services
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Damage to personal property

You could also seek exemplary damages in a lawsuit against the at-fault party. However, you must show clear and convincing evidence of the defendant’s fraud, gross negligence, or malice to receive this type of financial award.

You might be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit if someone’s negligence caused your loved one’s fatal TBI. Only a surviving spouse, child, or parent is allowed to file suit. If no one initiates the lawsuit within three months of the victim’s death, the personal representative of the estate could pursue a case unless the surviving family says otherwise.

The money you receive in a wrongful death lawsuit could compensate you and your family for:

• Lost love, comfort, companionship, and society
• Lost inheritance, including what the deceased might have saved and left to surviving family if they lived
• Lost earning capacity
• Loss of services, care, advice, maintenance, counsel, and support the deceased can no longer provide
• Mental pain and anguish

Statute of Limitations for a Traumatic Brain Injury

In Texas, the statute of limitations for an injury case allows a two-year timeframe to file a lawsuit in civil court. That means you must initiate your lawsuit within two years of the accident if you want to pursue compensation from the negligent party.

The wrongful death statute of limitations also allows a two-year timeframe for filing. However, if the date of the victim’s death differs from the accident date, the timeframe begins on the date of death.

Contact Us

The Houston traumatic brain injury attorneys of The DJF Law Firm, PLLC will be your advocates and protect your rights. We will aggressively seek the compensation you are entitled to so you can treat your injury and move forward with your life. Our legal team cares about our clients and treats each one as a priority. You can count on us to remain by your side until the end.

If you sustained a traumatic brain injury in an accident someone else caused, call The DJF Law Firm, PLLC at 832-529-3476 right now for your free consultation.