Brain Injury Attorneys in NJ
Proudly serving all of New Jersey
Compensation for Brain Trauma
Recovering from a brain injury or seeing your loved one struggle presents many challenges. At Lependorf & Silverstein, P.C., our New Jersey catastrophic injury lawyers are dedicated to preventing negligent parties from escaping liability for their wrongdoing. The physical and emotional aftermath of brain injuries can be devastating, but our experienced legal team will work tirelessly to help you gain the financial compensation you or your loved one deserves. Call us at (609) 240-0040 today to find out more about how we can help.
We are so confident in our abilities that we offer our services on a contingency fee basis. This means that if we’re not able to get you any kind of coverage, then we will charge you nothing for our services. So what are you waiting for? Get started on your claim case by contacting our Princeton office now.
Whether mild or severe, brain injuries can have long-lasting effects on an individual and his family. The damages may leave a person unable to return to work or even take care of himself. Legal action may not erase the trauma, but holding a reckless driver or a negligent employer liable can help reduce the financial hardship that you or a loved one may face after an injury. In the event that you have lost a loved one, you may still be entitled to compensation for funeral expenses, loss of consortium, and other damages.
TBI-related emergency department visits have increased by 70% in the last decade.
Common Causes of Brain Injury
There are many types of brain injuries that can occur, but the most common are concussions and traumatic brain injuries. These are often caused by:
- Traffic accidents: Car, truck, motorcycle, and bicycle accidents all frequently result in serious head trauma and brain injuries. The force of a collision can jerk the head back and forth and drive it into parts of the car or slam it on the ground. Even with a helmet, it’s possible to sustain severe damages.
- Slip and falls: Slip-and-falls can be much more dangerous than many people realize. If the head slams into the ground or hits anything on the way down, the brain can be significantly harmed.
- Falls from heights: Falling from several feet in the air typically occurs in workplace accidents, especially in industries such as construction. Again, this usually leads to the head striking the ground, with the impact leaving catastrophic results.
Types of Brain Injuries
Although there are different brain injuries that can occur following an accident, these are the most common:
- Concussion: Concussions are the most common “mild” traumatic brain injury. They occur as a result of a sudden impact or change in momentum to the brain. This could happen in a direct blow to the head from an attack, or striking the head against the inside of a vehicle in a collision. Concussions can cause a brief loss of consciousness (though this does not always happen) and result in temporary or permanent brain damage.
- Contusion: A contusion is a bruise, caused by bleeding, on the brain itself. These brain bruises happens as a direct result of an impact to a person’s head. A contusion can occur with a concussion, and a severe contusion will require medical treatment. In some cases, surgery may be required to remove the contusion, particularly if it is quite large.
- Coup-contrecoup injury: When the head is hit forcefully, it causes the brain to strike the inside of the skull on the opposite side, which creates bruises both at the impact point and where the brain hit the skull on the opposite side. Since two contusions form, medical treatment is more likely and close observation is required.
- Closed brain injury: This form of traumatic brain injury happens when someone’s head strikes an object and brain damage is caused by the violent impact or shaking, rather than anything actually entering someone’s head. Contusions and concussions often occur, and if the impact is strong enough, damage to the brain can result in disabilities, depending on the part of the brain damaged.
- Open brain injury: An open brain injury refers to a traumatic brain injury caused by an object actually entering a person’s head and striking the brain. This is the case, for example, if someone is shot in the head and the bullet penetrates the brain, or if someone is stabbed in the head in a construction site accident. These injuries require immediate medical treatment.
Treatments for Brain Injury
Depending on the severity of the trauma, there are a variety of treatments available for patients diagnosed with a brain injury. Initial treatment usually involves hospitalization and stabilization of the patient. This is a priority right after the injury has taken place.
Acute treatment focuses on minimizing the risk of second injury and keeping the patient alive. Surgeries may be used to help keep blood and oxygen flowing to the brain while reducing swelling and pressure. Rehabilitative care then helps patients resume normal everyday activities. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychological support may also be needed in the long term.
Regardless of the treatment that’s required, brain injury victims often face a long road to recovery. In the midst of this, medical bills will continue to pile up and cause a great deal of worry and uncertainty about the future.
Brain Injury Causing Coma
Although any type of brain injury can have tragic consequences, a coma is one of the most difficult to deal with. This is when the victim of a severe brain injury goes into a prolonged state of unconsciousness. Comas may last for a few days, weeks, months, or sometimes even years. Recovery depends on a variety of factors, and though it’s possible for the patient to make significant improvements, he or she may still be left with permanent physical, behavioral, or cognitive impairments. Comas can substantially decrease the patient’s quality of life, creating emotional and financial hardships as well.
Brain Injury-Related Deaths
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traumatic brain injuries account for approximately 30% of all injury-related deaths. This not only shows how serious brain injuries can be, but also how often they occur. The majority of these cases are the result of someone else’s potentially negligent actions. Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, while being struck by or against an object and auto accidents are the second and third most common causes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: WHAT IS A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?
A: Traumatic brain injury is caused by an outside force and disrupts the normal function of the brain suddenly and violently. A traumatic brain injury may cause bruising, swelling, bleeding, torn tissues, and other damage to cells of the brain, leading to cell death and long-term complications for the victim.
Q: WHAT ARE SOME LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF A BRAIN INJURY?
A: While the exact effects of a brain injury depend on the severity and location of the injury, long-term effects can include physical and cognitive changes or impairments. Physical changes can include loss of senses, loss of mobility, and even paralysis. Cognitive changes include loss of speech, loss of memory, and psychological changes like depression.
Q: CAN PERSONALITY CHANGE AFTER A BRAIN INJURY?
A: Personality changes are pretty common after a brain injury, due to the damage done to the brain and dealing with those changes. Loss of memory can greatly impact a person’s behavior and relationships with friends and family. Difficulties after an injury can also create a great deal of anger and depression in some people, which may be helped by therapy.
Q: HOW LONG DOES RECOVERY TAKE?
A: It is impossible to predict how long recovery will take after a brain injury. In general, recovery time is connected to the severity of an injury – the worse it is, the longer it takes to come back from it. Serious injuries can have life-long consequences that remain in a person’s life no matter how much physical therapy and treatment he or she receives.
Should I File a Claim or Lawsuit for Damages in New Jersey?
A NJ personal injury claim or lawsuit may help you and your family obtain compensation for economic and non-economic damages.
You may not think to consult a legal representative immediately after you or a loved one has been injured, but if you suspect the injury was caused by another person’s negligence, it is important to seek legal advice as soon as possible. Many forms of evidence used to prove liability in an injury case may be time sensitive, such as medical records, police reports, or eyewitness testimonials. An experienced injury attorney in New Jersey can play a significant role in the recovery process by helping you gather evidence and build an effective case against the at-fault party.
Obstacles to Overcome
Mild, moderate, or severe brain injuries require particular care, which can be costly and emotionally overwhelming. Oftentimes, even mild brain injury victims may be advised by their doctors to stay home from work for a particular period of time in order to heal, which can negatively impact the victim’s ability to earn an income. More severe brain injuries may require costly surgeries and lengthy hospital stays.
For a handful of brain injury cases, medication may be prescribed for an extended period of time for a wide range of side effects, such as pain, anxiety, blood clots, seizures, muscle spasms, and depression. Brain injury patients may also require services from a physiatrist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and speech pathologist. On top of these expensive forms of care, brain injury treatment may also involve home health services, outpatient therapy, and independent living programs.
Effective Legal Guidance from a New Jersey Brain Injury Lawyer
For something as serious as a brain injury, you want legal representation from a law firm you can depend on. At Lependorf & Silverstein, P.C., we have helped countless adult and child victims recuperate their heavy losses and get on with their lives. Our case history, full of successes and large settlements, speaks for itself. Do yourself a favor and call us today at (609) 240-0040 to discuss your rights and legal options with one of our highly qualified legal staff.
Additional Information
The firm’s principals, Gabriel R. Lependorf and David E. Silverstein, have each been representing injured victims in the State of New Jersey for over thirty years.
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