San Antonio Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms

The effects of a traumatic brain injury can be both significant and long-lasting. Although most serious brain injuries in Texas are mild or moderate, there are plenty of instances of severe TBIs that can affect a person for the rest of their life or even result in wrongful death. When on the milder side of the spectrum, these injuries often resolve themselves within a few days. While not always deadly, injuries to the brain can have severe consequences for the victim. If you or a loved one has suffered from a brain injury due to someone else’s carelessness, it is critical that you speak with an experienced San Antonio traumatic brain injury lawyer right away. Symptoms of moderate or mild TBIs may include:

• Dizziness
• Amnesia
• Confusion
• Disorientation
• Lightheadedness
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Speech impairments
• Inability to focus or concentrate
• Seizures
• Slurred speech
• Problems with memory
• Inability to taste or smell
• Extreme mood swings and fits of temper
• Permanent confusion or disorientation
• Loss of consciousness
• Permanent coma or vegetative state

States Of Abnormal Consciousness Following A Traumatic Brain Injury

Many people are familiar with the seriousness of traumatic brain injuries, but fewer know that there are different levels of TBIs. There are actually five abnormal states of consciousness a person may experience following a serious brain injury:

1. Stupor

Someone who is unresponsive may still be aroused by a stronger stimulus, such as pain. The majority of traumatic brain injuries associated with serious car accidents involve stupor.

2. Coma

Someone is in a coma when they are unresponsive and unconscious for more than 24 hours. They cannot be awakened by any external stimuli and do not have normal sleep cycles.

3. Vegetative State

When someone lapses into a vegetative state, they become unconscious and unresponsive to outside stimuli such as light or pain. However, they may still experience sleep cycles and reflexively respond to their environment in other ways, like making noises or opening their eyes.

4. Persistent Vegetative State

If an individual remains in a vegetative state for more than 30 days, they are then considered to be in a persistent vegetative state. According to studies, adults have approximately a 50% chance of recovering from a persistent vegetative state within the first six months while children boast slightly better odds at 60%. However, as time goes on and an individual spends more time in this unresponsive condition, their likelihood of making any sort of meaningful recovery decreases.

5. Locked-In Syndrome

Lastly, locked-in syndrome is a condition where an individual is conscious and awake but unable to move due to paralysis caused by damage in the lower part of their brain and brain stem. Most people with locked-in syndrome communicate through blinking or moving their eyes since that’s the one body part not impacted by paralysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Common Are Traumatic Brain Injuries?

BrainLine’s recent study discovered that 2.8 million people in the United States suffer from a traumatic brain injury yearly, with 50,000 of those individuals dying because of it and another 282,000 being sent to the hospital for care. Though traumatic brain Injuries are the underlying cause of injury-related deaths for one-third of individuals in the US, medical professionals treat and release approximately 90% of patients in hospital emergency departments. The hidden costs of lost productivity create a yearly price tag to society of $60 billion annually.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Traumatic Brain Injury?

Depending on the severity, symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can differ. However, there are certain general symptoms you need to be cognizant of if you’ve been in a severe accident recently. The Brain Injury Association of America, classify traumatic brain injuries as being either mild, moderate or major. Common symptoms associated with TBIs can comprise:

• A headache that persists and will not go away
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion, slurred speech, inability to form sentences
• Eyes are unable to focus
• Lack of balance, difficulty walking
• Memory loss
• Mood swings and abrupt changes in personality

What Is The Pseudobulbar Affect?

The pseudobulbar affect is a neurological disorder that causes occasional, involuntary outbursts of laughing or crying in people who have had a traumatic brain injury. These episodes can be mild and cause humiliation or frustration, or they can be very serious and cause seizure-like symptoms. Because crying is often one of the symptoms, many people suffering from this condition are believed to be depressed.

Contact A San Antonio Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney Today

Traumatic brain injuries often result in long-term consequences that may not be immediately apparent. Symptoms might not surface until weeks or even months after the initial accident. Head-on collisions and other high-impact accidents are particularly dangerous when it comes to traumatic brain injuries. If you or a loved one has experienced a comparable injury, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Law Office of J. Robert Davis. Our San Antonio traumatic brain injury attorney is passionate about personal injury cases and will exhaust every effort on your behalf during settlement negotiations and, if required, we will fearlessly fight for you in court. Our complimentary initial consultation allows us to get to know each other and figure out how best to move forward with your case.