Closed Head Injuries

Among the many serious injuries you can suffer in an accident, one of the most concerning is a brain injury. The effects of the injury may eventually subside, but there are other situations in which a victim is left with permanent disabilities that have a devastating impact on the victim and his or her loved ones. A brain injury may also be very frustrating to the injured person because she knows what she is suffering through, but her injury may not be visible to friends and family. They only know that the person isn’t the same as she used to be.

A traumatic brain injury may arise from a wide variety of accidents, including car and truck accidents, slip and falls, motor cycle accidents, incidents caused by dangerous products and almost any accident in which you strike your head or even simply get whipped around in a so-called “whiplash injury.” This may cause your brain to be banged against the inside of your skull, causing bruising, bleeding or other damage. These injuries can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms do not always manifest immediately after the accident or all at the same time. Emergency room staff and physicians may also believe that the symptoms will go away relatively quickly so they don’t treat symptoms as seriously as they should. At Rubin Guttman & Associates, our Cleveland brain injury lawyers have proudly assisted many Ohio residents by recognizing the possible signs of a closed head brain injury, which is a type of brain injury in which the victim’s head was not penetrated or the skull fractured by, for example, striking a car window or other object. Instead, the brain is jarred inside the skull by this external impact. We then help our clients by investigating their potential lawsuits and understanding their right to compensation following a closed head injury.

Regardless of the way that a closed head injury occurs, a victim may be facing a very serious situation. If you suffer some type of head trauma, it is essential that you receive medical attention as soon as possible to learn more about the nature and extent of your injury. There may be more serious conditions taking place that require immediate medical attention, such as internal bleeding. In most cases, the medical professionals who treat you will likely conduct a neurological exam and perform a variety of diagnostic and other tests to learn more about your injury. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, It is not uncommon for medical professionals to keep patients who have suffered either closed or penetrating head injuries at the hospital for additional observation because the symptoms that indicate a traumatic brain injury sometimes resolve relatively quickly. Or they may worsen with time.. Once you are discharged from either the emergency room or the hospital you may be asked to keep a diary regarding things like your memory, ability to sleep, mood shifts, concentration, and general cognitive or so-called “executive function.” If your diary indicate a pattern of things like sleeplessness, lack of focus, concentration, or mood shifts, you may be experiencing the aftermath of a serious head injury. This injury can be challenging for both for the victim and his or her loved ones since your behavior may have changed but there is no visible evidence of injury. Also, while injuries like torn muscles and broken bones usually heal over time, the disabilities associated with a closed head injury may be more prolonged, more difficult for friends, families and employers to understand and may even be life-altering and permanent.

If you were involved in an accident that caused a concussion or another type of closed head injury, your attorney must first conduct a thorough investigation to gather evidence and prove that the other party was legally responsible for your injury. This process can include interviewing witnesses, visiting the scene, obtaining photographs of the scene and the vehicles involved and, in the right case, having an accident reconstruction expert recreate the scene to show what happened and who was at fault.

To prove that the other party was at fault, you, as the plaintiff, must prove that the defendant was negligent, that they did not use the appropriate degree of care that he or she should have used in the situation that gave rise to the accident. For example, this can involve failing to yield the right of way at an intersection, speeding, texting or using a cell phone while driving, failing to repair a broken step which they knew about, or providing inadequate instructions regarding the use of a dangerous drug or consumer product. You must show that you would not have been hurt if the defendant had used the appropriate care. Known as proximate cause, this is a critical and often legally complicated aspect of the case, which is why it is essential to speak to a seasoned trial lawyer as soon as possible. If you are able to prove this causal link, the final step in the lawsuit involves showing that you are entitled to the damages that you requested. There are many items of recovery that you may seek in a personal injury action involving a closed head injury, such as past, present, and future medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

Understanding your rights after a serious accident can seem daunting. At Rubin Guttman & Associates, we have aggressively represented victims in communities such as Beachwood, Cleveland, Parma, Lakewood, Euclid, Cleveland Heights, Strongsville, Akron, Canton, Columbus, Chardon, Toledo, Youngstown, Ravenna, Lorain, and Mentor and throughout Ohio. Our team of personal injury lawyers can guide you at each step of the process and offer the responsive counsel that you deserve. To schedule your free consultation with an attorney, call us now at (888) 488-8529 or contact us online.