Suffering from brain trauma or brain injury due to an accident or neglectful medical care is complete devastation for those injured and their families. Not only do people have to live with the aftermath of the catastrophe, but they also have to find a way to pay for the misfortune going forward.
Continual medical care, lost wages and loss of employment due to injuries or having to care for a person suffering from a brain injury, can be very expensive, especially over a person’s lifetime.
The brain injury lawyers at SMT Legal represent people and children who have unfortunately been victims of negligent medical care or have suffered a traumatic accident resulting in brain injury or brain trauma.
We represent people and families who have suffered all types of brain injuries and head trauma, from concussions caused by work injuries and car accidents to brain trauma stemming from medical malpractice, such as cerebral palsy victims due to improper medical treatment at birth.
Types of Compensation for Brain Trauma and Head Injuries
Our brain injury attorneys are here to answer your questions and provide advice about which options may be available in order for you to try to make a recovery for your medical bills, pain and suffering or other damages.
If you or your loved one suffered from brain trauma or a head injury, you may be able to seek compensation for the following:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Current and future lost wages
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of quality of life
Causes Of Accidents Resulting In Brain Injury Or Brain Trauma
Our brain injury lawyers are available to help answer your questions in all types of accidents resulting in brain injury or brain trauma.
Some types of accidents resulting in brain injury may include:
- Birth injuries
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Slips and falls
- Work injuries
- Sports injuries
- Medical malpractice
- Misdiagnoses and failure to diagnose
- Improper medical treatment
- Hospital negligence
- Surgical errors
- Emergency room errors
- Medication errors (Overdosing and wrong prescriptions)
- Anesthesia mistakes
- Defective products
Types of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can include concussions, swelling of the brain, internal bleeding, torn tissues, damage to the brain cells, blood clots, internal bruising and skull fractures.
There are three main causes of brain injuries: traumatic, hypoxic and as the result of a medical condition.
Traumatic head injuries are the result of a physical accident resulting in a concussion, skull fracture, contusion or internal bleeding. These can stem from slips and falls, an explosion or blast, workplace accidents, car accidents, sports injuries, combat injuries, falling equipment or debris, or an object penetrating the head, such as a bullet.
Hypoxic head injuries simply means an insufficient amount of oxygen to the brain, which could be the result of chemical exposure due to defective products, a near drowning, or medical malpractice, for example when anesthesia is improperly administered during surgery.
Brain Injury Symptoms & Complications
Brain injuries can be temporary or permanent. Some brain injuries are obvious and can affect a person’s behavior and debilitate them from talking, walking, thinking, or speaking.
Some symptoms may not be evident until days or weeks after the initial trauma. If you or your loved one has suffered a head injury, it is important to speak to a doctor and a serious injury attorney as soon as possible.
General symptoms of a brain injury could include:
- Short-term memory loss and disorientation
- Loss of concentration
- Nausea and dizziness
- Headaches
- Loss of balance
- Vision impairment
- Sensitivity to light
Brain injuries can also put a person in a coma or a vegetative state, a minimally conscious state or in “locked-in syndrome” or even cause death. Oftentimes brain injuries require long-term rehabilitation and around-the-clock care from nurses.
After a head trauma some people may suffer from the following:
- Seizures
- Build up of cerebrospinal fluid, causing brain swelling
- Blood vessel damage
- Nerve damage causing facial paralysis or loss of vision
- Infections such as meningitis
- Intellectual problems, like learning, memory and problem solving
- Communication problems, like speaking, writing or organizing thoughts
- Emotional changes such as insomnia, depression or anger
- Behavioral changes
- Sensory problems – dizziness, inability to smell, ear ringing
- Early onset of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
In other instances, brain injuries may not be evident or the symptoms may not be immediate, especially with what may have seemed like a “mild” concussion.
Symptoms could include changes in personality and memory loss or other emotional changes. If a medical professional or neurologist overlooks the symptoms, a more serious injury could occur.
Medical Malpractice and Brain Injuries
Medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional (doctor or other medical professional) has been negligent or provided below standard health care or treatment resulting in a worsening condition, injury or death to the patient by either making a medical error or failing to act at all.
If you or your loved one suffered a brain injury during a medical procedure, surgical procedure or hospital visit or due to a misdiagnosis, our Pittsburgh medical malpractice attorneys may be able to file a claim against the negligent hospital or medical professionals involved.
However, in Pennsylvania, there is a statute of limitations in medical malpractice claims, which means you have a limited amount of time to file your claim.
Generally, you have two years to file a claim. If the victim is a child, the claim must be filed within two years of the child turning 18. There are certain exceptions to the law, but it is important to speak to a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible about the injury.
Too often people wait too long before taking action and filing a claim against the negligent party. Symptoms may take a while to develop and people may trust what their doctor says about the new unusual symptoms before they start to suspect the injury was caused by medical mistreatment.
Don’t wait to call for a free case evaluation. Our lawyers can meet with you in your home, at the hospital or in our downtown Pittsburgh location.
How SMT Legal Can Help
Whether you or your loved one was injured in an accident or is the victim of medical malpractice, we are here to guide you and your family through a difficult time.
Everyone has unique situations and we take the time to really listen to the details of your case to fully understand the surrounding circumstances.
We are compassionate attorneys who will fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
We will aggressively push the car insurance companies and health insurance companies to get the maximum coverage they owe for your injuries. If applicable, we will take action against any negligent medical care workers.
At SMT Legal, we will evaluate your claim thoroughly and retain the medical experts needed to evaluate and validate your case. Our job is to thoroughly investigate your case and speak with neurologists, psychologists, doctors and other medical professionals to build a strong and winnable case. We will meticulously go over your medical records and consult with the medical experts to determine if the brain injury was preventable and whether it derived from a medical mistake or substandard health care.
If you were in an accident, we will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident in order to hold those responsible for your injuries, and their insurance companies, accountable for the money they owe you. Proving fault of the accident and demonstrating the medical costs for the lifetime of a brain injury patient requires extensive neurological and medical knowledge. You will need a qualified team of experts and lawyers to present a strong case. Contact us to find out your options.
Our Pittsburgh injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning that you will not pay us anything unless we win your case. There is no fee in simply talking to us and letting us hear your story. We are here to listen and answer your questions.