The brain is a delicate organ in the body responsible for so much work. When it is well taken care of, the brain helps other organs function as good as they can every single day. However, medical problems like infection, lack of oxygen and strokes, as well as accidents, can cause severe and permanent injury to the brain.
Unlike most organs, damage to the brain can be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. When a person sustains a serious brain injury, it will forever affect his bodily functions, behavior, and ability to work and earn a living. Brain injury lawyers in Los Angeles help victims fight for financial compensation. They help families have enough money for continuing medical expenses and support for everyday needs.
Traumatic brain injuries affect 1.7 million people annually, resulting in around 52,000 deaths. Some injuries cause minor and short-term symptoms, but others permanently undermine a patient’s ability to function. Here are the most common types of brain injury.
Coup-Contrecoup
This is a serious brain injury that commonly happens due to serious car accidents, acts of violence or forceful falls. The coup-countrecoup injury occurs when severe force or impact causes the brain and skull to hit the opposite side of the impact site. This causes damage to both sides of the brain and produces immediate symptoms.
Survivors of this kind of injury will require extensive support and medical procedures to recover. How well they fare depends on how severe the blow was, age, their brain health and overall health condition.
Concussion
Not to be taken lightly, frequent and recurring concussions can cause life-long damage. Concussions are caused by blows to the head or forceful impact that shakes the brain.
When this happens too frequently, as in the case of professional football players, boxers or wrestlers, they can develop what is called “chronic traumatic encephalopathy.” This kind of brain damage affects brain functions and the person’s mood and behavior.
Penetrating Injury
Penetrating injuries can be fatal because they cause severe clots, bleeding and disrupted oxygen supply to other regions of the brain. This injury occurs when a foreign object is able to penetrate or gets lodged in the skull and brain. Bullets account for the most number of penetrating brain injuries, and it kills the person 91% of the time.
In some cases, medical experts opt to leave the object inside the brain if it is too dangerous to remove surgically. Besides bullets, pellets and pieces of shrapnel are sometimes left inside to save the patient’s life. Survivors of this kind of injury require multiple surgical procedures, massive doses of antibiotics and other therapies. It leaves injuries such as impaired function, inability to walk, talk, among others.
A person who has sustained a severe brain injury will need financial and medical support for the rest of his life. This is why it is important to seek compensation if the injury was due to an accident, sustained at work or inflicted by another party. Expert attorneys can help you get the assistance you need.
