Traumatic Brain Injury from Truck Accidents

It’s not uncommon for a truck accident to cause severe, life-threatening injuries. The sheer size and weight of a tractor-trailer increases the likelihood of sustaining a catastrophic injury. One type of serious injury that truck accident victims might suffer is a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Severity Levels of a Traumatic Brain Injury

TBIs can range from mild to severe. In many circumstances the injury is mild with full recovery expected.

Even with a mild TBI, the individual could experience problems such as:

• headache;
• short-term memory loss;
• confusion; and
• even a brief loss of consciousness.

A moderate TBI could impact someone for several months or even permanently. Oftentimes there is bleeding or swelling in the brain. There could be behavioral, physical or cognitive impairments. The person might have experienced an extended loss of consciousness for several minutes or even hours.

With a severe injury, the person may be in a coma. This can last for days, weeks, months or even longer. If the person does recover, there may be permanent and life-altering impairments. Of course, a severe TBI could also be fatal.

Complications of Traumatic Brain Injury

As mentioned, some patients may be in a coma following a head injury. Others may be in a vegetative state, where the person has no awareness but is otherwise awake. In a minimally conscious state, the patient may have some degree of awareness.

Other complications of TBI are:

• infection (especially in cases of a skull fracture or penetrating injury);
• seizures; and
• nerve damage.

Some complications can impact the person’s behavior, cognition and ability to communicate. Some experience psychological effects like depression.

Legal Matters Regarding TBI and Truck Accidents

Patients are left with significant medical bills and may be unable to perform work for a substantial period, if they ever return at all. Fortunately, victims of truck accidents have recourse to recover compensation for their damages.

Liability may lay with a truck driver who caused the accident, though victims and/or their families may also hold the trucking company responsible. Third parties like truck manufacturers and loaders or shippers may be liable in some cases. Much depends on determining the cause and factors that contributed to the accident. An attorney can help claimants collect, organize and present relevant evidence that demonstrates liability.

A Denver truck attorney might prove liability by compiling:

• the trucker’s hours-of-service logs;
• a police report;
• physical evidence from the scene; and
• witness statements.

Claims or lawsuits must also establish the types and extent of the victim’s damages like medical bills, in-home care, lost wages, and more. Pain and suffering and other emotional damages may also be recoverable.

Contact D.J. Banovitz for Legal Help in Denver

If you find yourself struggling with medical bills, lost wages, or other damages related to a traumatic brain injury you suffered in a truck accident, seek legal help. Contact D.J. Banovitz today at 303-300-5060 to set up your consultation and start discussing your case and right to legal action.