A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating injury that can change your life in an instant. A TBI can take away the work, activities, and life you love while leaving you with piles of medical bills for the treatment and assistance you need.
However, after an accident that was someone else’s fault, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses. The right brain injury lawyer can help you seek the resources you need.
If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury in North Myrtle Beach, let the experienced personal injury attorneys at Jebaily Law Firm help you. Our firm has represented injury victims throughout the Grand Strand area since 1969. Together, our attorneys have more than 100 years of combined legal experience. We care about the communities we live in, and we’re here to help TBI victims in North Myrtle Beach and surrounding areas of South Carolina.
Don’t wait to get the legal support you deserve. Get in touch with a local law firm that’s dedicated to client care. Contact Jebaily Law Firm for your free consultation today.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a traumatic brain injury is a type of injury that can interfere with the brain’s functions. It can be caused by a blow to the head or by an injury that penetrates the skull.
Signs and Symptoms of a Brain Injury
Even a relatively mild traumatic brain injury can lead to a variety of serious symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, TBI symptoms could include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Headaches
- Confusion
- Depression
- Irritability
- Inability to concentrate or pay attention
- Fluids draining from the nose or ears
- Seizures
- Slurred speech
- Trouble understanding others
- Memory problems
- Tinnitus also known as ringing in the ears
- Loss of coordination
- Vertigo
- Double vision
- Coma or an inability to wake up from sleep
What to Do After a TBI in North Myrtle Beach
When you’re recovering from a TBI, your health and your well-being come first. That means reducing your stress while putting your energy into your recovery. Several things you can do to help with that process include:
- Talk with a North Myrtle Beach TBI attorney. Following an accident, an attorney can advocate for your rights and your compensation while you heal. A TBI can be exhausting, but an attorney can give you the legal support you need during this difficult time.
- Keep any medical records and bills related to your injuries. Brain injuries may require hospitalization, expensive scans, major surgeries, extensive rehabilitation, and more. That can mean lots of records and bills related to the injury. Hold on to anything you get and keep records in a safe place.
- Save any communications or information from work. People who suffer TBIs may be out of work for weeks, months, years, or even for the rest of their life. Following an accident, hold on to any communications, pay stubs or other information about your job.
- Don’t discuss your case online. When you’re injured, you may want to share information about yourself with friends through social media and other online platforms. But these communications could cause problems later.
- Write down how you feel during your recovery. When you’re going through TBI treatment, keeping a journal could help. It can provide a record of your experience and help you organize your thoughts about the injury that has impacted your life.
Types of Brain Injuries
The types of traumatic brain injury can vary a lot depending on the type of accident. But generally, TBIs fall into two major types:
- Closed brain injuries are a type of TBI that happens when the skull strikes an object or is struck by something else. In these types of injuries, the skull is intact, but the brain is injured. The brain may strike the inside of the skull leading to bruising, bleeding, and tears. Examples of closed brain injuries include:
- Concussions, when a jolt causes the brain to shift rapidly back and forth
- Contusions, or bruising of the brain,
- Coup-contrecoup injuries, when the brain is injured at the site of impact and on the opposite side due to the brain’s impact with the skull.
- Diffuse axonal injury, one of the most severe closed TBIs, occurs when the brain twists inside the skull and tears nerve fibers.
- Penetrating brain injuries occur when an outside force damages the skull. Severe blows can break a person’s skull, exposing the brain to infection and even sending bone fragments into the brain leading to bleeding and long-term damage.
Causes of TBIs
There are several different factors and different types of events that could lead to a devastating brain injury.
However, some of the leading causes of TBIs include:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
Treatment for TBIs
When it comes to TBI treatment, different methods may be used depending on the severity and type of brain injury involved. In mild TBI cases, doctors may use medications to manage symptoms while the brain heals itself. With more acutely severe TBIs, such as penetrating brain injuries, doctors may need to perform surgeries and administer antibiotics to manage infections. In both cases, doctors may recommend specialized rehabilitation to help injury victims regain skills.
Recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury
After consulting with doctors, people with less severe injuries may be able to do their TBI recovery at home. Doctors may prescribe medication to reduce nausea and other symptoms while they recover. However, some victims may need to spend time in an inpatient or outpatient facility in more severe cases. The process can be long, taking months or even years. Some injury victims may improve over time, but many will be left with lasting impairments.
Damages Available to Brain Injury Victims in North Myrtle Beach
Following an accident, a traumatic brain injury lawyer could help you seek compensation for your injuries.
Types of compensation may include:
- The cost of your medical treatment and rehabilitation
- The cost of any long-term care you need
- Lost wages and lost income due to your injuries
- Damage to your future earning potential
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
Get Help from Our North Myrtle Beach TBI Lawyers Now
If you’ve suffered a TBI in an accident due to someone else’s fault, contact Jebaily Law Firm now. Our experienced attorneys are ready to listen to you, answer your questions, and help you make the right decision after an accident. We’re here to help you when you’ve been injured in North Myrtle Beach.
Contact us today for a free consultation about your case.