Boca Raton brain injury attorneys

A brain injury caused by someone’s negligence that leads to long-term and life-altering changes in your personal and professional life may qualify you to receive compensation from the at-fault party. 

A Boca Raton brain injury lawyer at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath has the knowledge and experience to help you receive the financial compensation you deserve for the losses and injuries you’ve suffered. Contact us online or call (561) 655-1990 today to schedule your free consultation.

Continue reading to learn more about how our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers can help you.

Deep dive into TBI: Definitions, symptoms, and treatment

Defining TBIs

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be caused by any head injury that damages the soft tissue in the brain. A TBI can have dramatic and long-lasting impacts on your life. The most common causes of TBIs are:

• Falls, which are the cause of nearly half of TBI-related hospitalizations
• Car accidents 
• Violent attacks 
• Workplace accidents often involve machinery or equipment.

Traumatic brain injuries can be mild, medium, or severe. A mild TBI is most commonly referred to as a concussion, but even those can vary in severity and can lead to changes in the chemistry of your brain that impact your ability to focus, your level of irritability, and can even lead to changes in your personality–all either on a temporary or permanent basis. 

Moderate and severe brain injuries are more likely to have long-term and life-altering effects. They often result in a decrease in motor skills and cognitive function, permanent disability, and some can be fatal. 

If you or a loved one has been in an accident or incident that resulted in a bump, blow, or penetrating wound to the head, it is essential to seek out immediate medical attention, particularly if you have any of the following symptoms.

Symptoms

Immediate medical care following a head injury is critical because early medical intervention can often reduce further brain trauma. If someone sustains a head injury, seek prompt medical care if the following symptoms are exhibited: 

• Loss of consciousness for any amount of time, especially if it lasts for more than a few minutes
• Dizziness
• Confusion 
• Disorientation
• Seizures or convulsions
• Blurred vision or tired eyes
• Fatigue or lethargy
• Ringing in the ears
• Nausea or vomiting
• Change in sleep patterns 
• Numbness or weakness in limbs
• Headache that worsens or won’t go away
• Mood or behavioral changes 
• Concentration and memory problems.

Long-term consequences

Any brain injury can persist for months or years and might cause long-term and lifelong changes in brain chemistry, including progressive brain atrophy of gray and white matter. Long-term consequences also include an increased vulnerability to certain neurodegenerative disorders such as Dementia, CTE, and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).

Some long-term consequences of TBI that require ongoing treatment include:

• Seizures 
• Demyelination 
• White matter pathology
• Decreased neurogenesis
• Inflammatory events
• Excitotoxicity 
• Apoptosis.

Additional secondary pathological conditions that can emerge as a result of a TBI include:

• Sleep disorders 
• Neurodegenerative diseases 
• Psychiatric problems
• Neuroendocrine dysregulations.

Permanent disabilities resulting from a TBI can decrease a person’s quality of life and increase their likelihood of developing other conditions and earlier mortality. Although some brain trauma can’t be undone, early intervention is vital to prevent worsening irreparable damage.

Treatment

Some symptoms of TBI, such as headaches or ringing in the ears, cannot be treated and take time to subside. However, other aspects of a TBI can’t be cured but can be aided and managed, particularly when cognitive function and development are affected or stunted.

In these instances, various types of rehabilitative therapy can help improve functions that may have been lost.

For example, if a TBI causes speech regression, speech therapy might be helpful for teaching the person how to speak. If they experience weakness in an arm, they may engage in physical therapy to build the muscles and learn how to use their arm again.  

The Journal of Neurotrauma reports that therapeutic interventions are being developed to help improve patients’ outcomes following a moderate or severe TBI. Gaining access to the most cutting-edge and effective treatments is expensive, even with insurance.

That’s why attorneys at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath consider it our duty to help you recover the maximum amount of monetary damages to which you’re entitled. 

How can our Boca Raton brain injury lawyer help you?

It can be challenging to know where to start if you want to file a claim for damages, especially when dealing with the aftermath of a TBI. Our team of expert attorneys will help you collect compensation for your injuries by: 

• Identifying the liable (financially responsible) party or parties who caused your injury
• Gathering and preserving evidence to prove their liability
• Calculating your claim for damages
• Gathering strong evidence to support your claim for damages, including from medical personnel and other experts
• Filing an insurance claim or lawsuit against the liable party
• Negotiating a settlement with the insurance company or liable party
• If the settlement is unfair and unreasonable, take the liable party or their insurer to trial.

Liability in brain injury cases

To collect compensation for your injuries, you’ll need to prove that another party was liable for the injury through negligence, recklessness, or an otherwise legally actionable reason.

Proving liability is a crucial element of your case and requires thorough knowledge of the applicable law and experience with TBI cases. You might only have one chance to recover damages–don’t risk that opportunity by hiring anyone other than Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, the leading Florida brain injury attorneys. 

What are potential damages you could claim?

You may be entitled to a broad range of damages, however the specific damages and the amount depends on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the severity of your TBI and the related or resulting injuries.

You must prove that you’re entitled to the damages you’re requesting, which is why it’s essential that you promptly hire a Boca Raton brain injury lawyer so that they can gather the appropriate evidence you need to support your claim.  

Economic (special) damages are easily quantifiable. They’re easily traced with a “paper trail” of bills, invoices, estimates, and other tangible costs, including:

• Medical expenses related to the accident
• Anticipated future medical costs
• Lost wages
• Anticipated lost future wages. 

Non-economic (general) damages are more challenging to prove because they’re usually not associated with a tangible bill or expense. Non-economic damages include:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Loss of consortium or companionship (when a spouse or partner dies) as a result of the accident.

Fatal injuries

If you lost a loved one due to a TBI, you may have a wrongful death claim which is intended to compensate the family of the deceased to help lessen the financial burden associated with their loss. 

The compensation available through a wrongful death claim includes:

• The lost financial contribution to your household 
• Damages for the loss of their emotional contribution to the household 
• Compensation for the loss of services and other household contributions 
• Funeral, burial, and other related costs 

Additional damages or actions may be available to you, such as a survival action, a claim that allows for the recovery of the same damages the deceased would have been eligible to receive if they had survived after their injury. 

Resources for Brain Injury Survivors in Florida

Palm Beach County has higher rates of TBI-related injuries than the general average in Florida. Recreational activities also contribute to the number of TBI-related injuries that happen in sports, water activities, and fights. 

There are several support groups and networks in Palm Beach County and the surrounding area for survivors of TBI and their families, including:

• Southwest Florida Trauma Survivors Support Group – Fort Myers
• Endless Possibilities – Lake Worth
• Spinal Cord Injury Support Group (SCISG) – Miami 
• West Palm Beach SCI Group – West Palm Beach

Have you or a loved one suffered a brain injury in Boca Raton? Our firm can help.

Recovering from a traumatic brain injury is already a challenging experience, even before trying to put together your claim against an insurance company. With an experienced Boca Raton brain injury lawyer from Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath’s lawyer by your side, you’ll obtain justice and closure.

If you or a loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, call us at (561) 655-1990 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.