Tennessee Brain Injury Lawyer
Brain injury lawyers help victims get the compensation they need to cope with the tremendous costs of their injury. If you’ve suffered an injury through no fault of your own, you should know that you are entitled to compensation.
The Tennessee brain injury lawyer John Colvin helps his clients get the care they need, and he fights for the compensation they deserve. If you’re interested in exploring your legal options, don’t hesitate to contact John Colvin today by calling (931) 962-1044 or completing our online contact form.
How Brain Injury Cases Work
No two cases are the same, but many brain injury cases tend to follow a similar pattern. First, your attorney will work with you to determine how much payment you should be given. Then, your attorney will begin advocating on your behalf to demand compensation from the at-fault party and their insurance company. If the other side is willing to cooperate, negotiations will begin, with the goal of reaching a settlement offer.
If an offer meets your needs, then a settlement is reached. You will begin receiving payment according to the terms agreed to in negotiations. However, if a settlement isn’t reached, then the dispute can be taken to trial. In a trial, both sides make their case before a jury. The jury will determine whether the person you name in a lawsuit is at fault and, if so, how much you should be awarded.
This is just a snapshot of what happens during a brain injury case. If you choose to work with a skilled, experienced brain injury lawyer, your attorney will be doing many other things while the process unfolds, including…
- Investigating the circumstances of your injury
- Determining who was at fault for your injury
- Conducting interviews with witnesses
- Consulting expert witnesses to strengthen your case
- Preparing presentations that demonstrate your suffering and the impact of your injury on your life
- Corresponding with insurance companies and attorneys on your behalf.
As you can see, there are many processes that attorneys will handle for their clients. During this time, you can focus on your health and prioritize your recovery. If you’re considering filing a personal injury claim after suffering a brain injury, we encourage you to contact John R. Colvin to speak to our team. Simply fill out our contact form or call us at (931) 962-1044 to get started with a free consultation.
Settlement or Trial in Brain Injury Cases
There are a couple of potential paths your case might take. If both sides in a claim come to an agreement, then a settlement will be reached and there’ll be no need for a trial. If there is an impasse during negotiations, then the matter might proceed to trial. You might be wondering which path is better for you, and the answer will depend on your specific needs and circumstances.
We prepare every case to be trial-ready. We know how important it is to present the strongest case possible at all times, so we operate on the assumption that the other side will be uncooperative. Ultimately, many personal injury cases result in a settlement, but the best settlements involve a legal team that is thoroughly prepared and committed to take a case all the way, if necessary.
What You Are Entitled To
The costs you face after suffering a brain injury are referred to as damages. Damages include the financial consequences of an injury and the “non-economic” damages, which means the ways in which an injury has impacted your quality of life.
Common damages in brain injury cases include…
- Medical expenses (hospitalization, ongoing care, rehabilitation, medications, etc.)
- Loss of past or future income due to brain injury
- Pain, suffering and other factors that impact your quality of life.
It’s very important to factor in all the ways your injury affects your life. This means considering not only the costs you have suffered, but the costs you will suffer throughout the rest of your life. This task might seem daunting, but your attorney will be able to help you figure out the true costs of your brain injury.
Car Accidents and Brain Injury Cases
Vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries in the United States. When a careless driver strikes you or your vehicle, you are within your rights to pursue compensation for all the costs of the injuries you’re facing. When a driver fails to do what is expected of them, they are being negligent. Common examples of driver negligence include…
- Fatigued or drowsy driving
- Distracted driving
- Impaired driving
- Speeding
- Failure to obey street signs or signals
- Failure to use turn signals
- Following another driver too closely
- Failure to adjust driving habits to bad weather or heavy traffic.
If you suffered a brain injury due to the actions of a negligent driver, you deserve payment for the costs you’ve encountered. John R. Colvin has been helping car accident victims for more than 20 years. He knows how to make sure his clients get the compensation they’re entitled to.
Schedule a free consultation with John R. Colvin by calling (931) 962-1044 or filling out our online contact form. Let us hear more about your case and help you determine the best path forward.
About Brain Injuries
A car crash can cause brain injuries ranging from a mild concussion to a severe traumatic brain injury that results in permanent disability or death. These injuries may occur due to a direct impact to the head or because the force of the accident caused a rapid and irregular acceleration of the head, damaging the brain as it hits the inside of the skull.
Traumatic brain injury accounts for about 30 percent of all injury deaths every year, and motor vehicle crashes cause 26 percent of all TBI-related deaths and 14 percent of all TBIs. The prognosis for recovery from a TBI depends on many factors, such as the victim’s age, overall health, and the specific regions of the brain injured. A serious, non-fatal TBI may require surgery, extensive hospitalization and rehabilitation, as well as ongoing medical care. Even the least serious TBI – a concussion – can cause long-term health problems.
If you or someone in your family suffered a head injury in a traffic accident, you may be entitled to compensation. John R. Colvin has years of experience protecting the rights of personal injury victims in the Tennessee Valley.
About TBIs
According to The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), about half of all patients with severe TBIs will need surgery to remove or repair ruptured blood vessels or bruised brain tissue. Usually, those patients will be moved to the intensive care unit after surgery.
TBIs may affect a specific region of the brain or they may occur throughout the brain, damaging the ends of nerve cells that are essential for brain cells to communicate with one another. This complex injury can lead to severe disabilities.
Disabilities from TBI may include:
- Memory loss
- Cognitive impairment
- Loss of or impaired senses
- Speech and communication difficulties
- Weakness or paralysis
- Loss of coordination
- Depression, agitation, and poor emotional control.
When doctors treat patients for an injury such as a broken ankle, the treatment and outcome don’t vary much from person to person. But because of the complexity of the brain, no two TBIs are exactly alike, and it may be impossible to predict how a similar injury will affect two different people.
Concussion Facts
Concussion may be the mildest form of TBI, but it can still have long-lasting health effects. Sometimes, the effects of concussion may not be evident until days, weeks – even years – after the initial injury.
A concussion doubles one’s risk of developing epilepsy within five years of the injury. Lingering effects of concussion may also include vertigo, headaches, cognitive impairment, and psychological problems.
In cases of mild concussion, the primary treatment is rest. Intense physical activity can delay recovery. Children recovering from a concussion should avoid any activity that could cause a second head injury, due to the risk of second impact syndrome, a fatal brain injury in which a second concussion occurs before full recovery from the first injury.
Symptoms of concussion may include:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Confusion
- Memory loss
- Sleep disturbances
- Lethargy.
Risk Factors
While airbags can prevent many injuries in a crash, they are meant to be used in conjunction with seat-belts, not as an alternative to seat-belts. Failing to use seat-belts and failing to secure children in car seats appropriate for their size could increase the risk of a serious head injury, should vehicle occupants be involved in a crash.
Rear-end crashes are commonly associated with neck injuries like whiplash, and the same force that causes those injuries can also increase the risk of TBI for occupants of the foremost vehicle.
It’s not just vehicle occupants that are injured in traffic crashes. Every year, vehicles strike thousands of individuals, and such crashes often cause severe injuries for pedestrians. TBIs are the most common injury for pedestrians in traffic crashes, and injuries may be especially severe if a victim’s head comes into contact with a vehicle’s windshield.
Recovery Outcomes
Brain surgery can cost roughly $30,000 to $150,000, depending on the extent of brain injury. That doesn’t include the costs of rehabilitation and therapy. Families often face undue economic hardship in additional to emotional suffering when a loved one must undergo treatment for a TBI.
In 2014, an inattentive driver struck a college student who was walking across the street. The young man’s mother wrote a story about the accident for The Washington Post, in which she described his long and difficult recovery: one month in neurological intensive care; another month as a patient in a residential rehab facility; and six months of physical, occupational, and language therapy. Aside from the young man’s remarkable recovery, what stands out about that story is the fact that an inattentive driver caused him and his family so much suffering.
Contact an Experienced Tennessee Brain Injury Lawyer
Inattentive, irresponsible, and reckless drivers cause crashes every day. And sometimes those crashes lead to severe injuries. If you or someone in your family has suffered a TBI due to the fault of another driver, you may be entitled to compensation that can help you move on with your life. Contact us today via our online form or call us at (931) 962-1044 to find out what we can do for you.