If you or someone you love has suffered a traumatic brain injury because of another party’s negligence, The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs is here to help. After an accident, we usually think to check for bleeding or broken bones, but sometimes the worst injuries are the invisible ones. The human brain is an incredibly complex organ, one that controls every part and process in our body, but it is also extremely vulnerable, with only the skull protecting it from the outside world. A blow to the head, or even a sudden jerk with no impact whatsoever, can cause serious or even fatal injuries to the brain. Even those who suffer no long-term damage may face a long and arduous road to recovery, along with a blow to their finances.
At The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, we have been serving personal injury victims in Lakewood, Tacoma, Olympia, Puyallup, Chehalis, and Bremerton for over sixty years, and over that time, we have seen our fair share of traumatic brain injuries. Our Lakewood traumatic brain injury lawyers have the experience and know-how needed to fight for you and increase your chances of winning financial compensation from the party responsible for your injuries. Contact us at (253) 588-6696 to learn more about how we can help you or your loved on after a serious brain injury.
Do I Need an Attorney for My Traumatic Brain Injury Accident?
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are just that. They are not like twisting an ankle or spraining a wrist. This is not an injury that you want to take lightly. A TBI can severely impact your cognitive function and quality of life. Severe TBIs can result in a loss of consciousness, coma, or even death. If someone injures you or someone you love and causes a TBI, hiring an attorney to pursue an injury claim should be one of your top priorities.
An insurance company might tell you that an attorney isn’t necessary or ask why you would want to split your settlement check with a lawyer, but these are underhanded tactics to get you to accept a settlement that is less than what you deserve. We know these tactics and how to counter them. An experienced attorney can do more than just help make sure your claim is complete.
We will take the lead at the negotiating table and make sure any settlement offers are fair and commensurate with your injuries, including non-economic losses like pain and suffering or emotional distress. We do the hard work and build you a comprehensive, fact-based claim backed up by evidence, bringing the full weight of our knowledge and skills to bear on your case.
In injury claims, reputation matters, and when an insurance company sees a demand letter on our letterhead, it holds more weight than a demand letter coming directly from the claimant. Hiring an attorney lets the insurance company know that you are serious about obtaining compensation, and if they don’t offer a fair settlement amount, we will take your case to court.
The most important reason to hire an experienced attorney for your traumatic brain injury accident is that data shows having an attorney can mean both better chances of getting a settlement or award and obtaining a greater amount of compensation. A 2016 survey from the Martindale-Nolo research group showed that those who retained legal counsel before filing an injury claim had a 40% better chance of getting a settlement and received over four times as much compensation as those who represented themselves. Hiring an attorney doesn’t just make things easier. It can actually mean more money for your claim.
Why Hire The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs for My Traumatic Brain Injury Accident?
The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs knows injury law. Since 1952, we’ve helped thousands of Puget Sound residents get the help they need to move on after an injury, and we know how to make the system work for our clients. From auto accidents to slip and fall accidents, we’ve seen it all.
Our nearly 70 years of experience gives us a distinct advantage, and we’ve used it to obtain positive results for our clients. We’ve helped them recover millions of dollars in settlements and awards, and we can do the same for you.
But there’s no need to take our word for it. Have a look at our Reviews page, and hear how The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs has helped some of our clients get their lives back after an accident or injury.
Types of Accidents Resulting in Traumatic Brain Injuries
Any kind of accident that results in either a blow to the head or rapid movement of the head and neck, known as whiplash, can leave the victim with a traumatic brain injury. Here are some of the common types of accidents resulting in a traumatic brain injury:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
Whatever type of accident resulted in your traumatic brain injury, if it was caused by another party’s negligence, the Lakewood, Washington personal injury lawyers of The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs are ready to help you seek compensation for your injuries.
Levels of traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injuries can vary in severity. Typically, more severe injuries result in worse symptoms and less desirable recovery outcomes. Here are the three levels doctors use to measure the severity of a traumatic brain injury:
- Mild traumatic brain injury: Also called a concussion, these injuries usually result in a very brief loss of consciousness — no more than a few minutes — and sometimes up to an hour of amnesia. Most patients with this type of injury have normal brain scan results.
- Moderate traumatic brain injury: These injuries result in loss of consciousness for one to 24 hours and can come with one to 24 hours of amnesia. A moderate injury will probably show up as abnormal on a brain scan.
- Severe traumatic brain injury: These are the worst brain injuries, and result in over 24 hours of unconsciousness, or even a coma. Patients may experience over 24 hours of amnesia. This type of injury will produce an abnormal brain scan.
In general, the more severe the brain injury, the worse the complications will be, and the longer recovery will take, if the patient is even able to recover. If you think you may have experienced a brain injury, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible. Getting medical attention will not only increase your chances of making a full and healthy recovery, but will also give you the evidence you need if you wish to make a personal injury claim later.
If it is simply a concussion, your doctor may do some basic tests for vision and balance and then go ahead and make a diagnosis. There is no cure for a concussion; you will simply have to wait it out. If you have a more severe brain injury, your doctor may conduct a brain scan to determine the extent and type of your injury. At that point, you may need additional medical assistance.
Complications of traumatic brain injuries
Traumatic brain injuries can have long-lasting consequences, though these are more likely when the injury is more severe. Mild traumatic brain injuries can result in the following symptoms, which can last for days, or even weeks:
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Headaches
- Seeing spots
- Difficulty sleeping
- Trouble concentrating
- Tingling feelings and nerve pain
- Nausea
Moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries, in addition to a longer loss of consciousness, can cause a person to experience these symptoms and complications in addition to those above:
- Memory loss
- Coma or vegetative state
- Loss of motor function
- Temporary or permanent cognitive disability
- Death
Any of these symptoms and complications of traumatic brain injuries, even the mildest, can make your life extremely difficult. Your road to recovery may require scores of doctor visits and time off work. If you want compensation for these difficulties, you may want to consider taking legal action.
Recovering Damages in a Personal Injury Claim
A traumatic brain injury can impact every area of your life. Fortunately, through a successful personal injury claim, you can win compensation for most of these expenses, including:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages from time off work
- Future lost income, if you can’t return to work
- Property damage
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Other miscellaneous costs
- Wrongful death
If you and your lawyer can successfully prove that another party’s negligence caused your injury, you could win any number of these damages, either in a court judgment or an out-of-court settlement. The Lakewood injury lawyers of The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs can help you to determine which types of damages make the most sense for your case.
Contact Us
Recovering from a traumatic brain injury can be both difficult and extremely frustrating. You may not look injured to the outside world, but even after you’ve regained consciousness, you may be unable to complete even the simplest tasks, like reading or writing, without experiencing terrible symptoms. You don’t have to face this alone.
If you or someone you love has experienced a traumatic brain injury because of another party’s negligence, The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs is here to help. Our Lakewood, Washington traumatic brain injury lawyers have years of experience fighting for injury victims just like you, spanning a variety of accident types. For more information on how we can help, call us now at (253) 588-6696.
