Missouri City Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer

Traumatic brain injury is the term that encompasses a spectrum of brain damage caused by a blow to the head. Mild traumatic brain injuries might have little lasting impact, although they can be debilitating while they heal. Moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries are life-altering and are considered a catastrophic injury.

Most traumatic brain injuries result from accidents, and the injured person can seek compensation from the person, business, or government agency whose negligence led to the injury. Consult a Missouri City traumatic brain injury lawyer as quickly as possible after the accident to investigate your legal options.

What Happens When the Brain Sustains an Injury?

Most traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur when someone receives a forceful blow to the head. Violent shaking can cause TBI, especially in children. Car accidents, falls, falling objects, full contact sports, and projectiles like a bullet or a baseball could cause a TBI. The impact can force the brain to slam against the skull, tearing brain tissue, causing bleeding and swelling, and releasing chemicals that can cause further damage.

A concussion is a mild TBI. The person suffering the concussion might lose consciousness briefly or not at all. They might experience headache, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, and other symptoms. A concussion might resolve within a few days, or the person might experience symptoms for weeks or months. Subsequent concussions are likely to produce more severe symptoms, and multiple concussions can cause permanent changes to the brain, leading to dementia-like symptoms.

A moderate TBI is a permanently debilitating condition. Depending on the area of the brain affected, it can cause mobility problems, speech impairment, mood disorders, personality changes, and other severe symptoms. Symptoms may improve somewhat over time, but the debility is usually permanent. A severe TBI is often fatal, and survivors display reduced consciousness, such as a coma or a vegetative state. A severe TBI even results in a significantly reduced lifespan.

Holding the Responsible Parties Accountable

Traumatic brain injuries often result from incidents like car accidents, explosions, sports injuries, and significant falls. In most cases, someone’s negligence created the scenario that allowed the accident to occur. Negligence in the legal sense means failing to act as a reasonably cautious person would in similar circumstances.

An attorney in Missouri City would investigate the situation that caused the TBI to determine whose negligence might have contributed to it. In many cases, multiple parties may have been negligent. According to Texas law, each party that contributed to an accident is responsible for paying a portion of the injured person’s losses that reflects their degree of fault.

A moderate or severe TBI can prevent the injured person from holding gainful employment and could even prevent them from living independently. Finding multiple responsible parties and making claims against them can ensure there is sufficient insurance coverage to provide a decent life for a severely injured person.

Strict Time Limits Apply

Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003 requires an injured person to file a lawsuit seeking compensation from negligent parties within two years of the event that caused the injury. Someone who misses the deadline loses the opportunity to bring their case to court. Most importantly, the threat of a lawsuit is the leverage that propels a responsible party to negotiate in good faith to reach a reasonable settlement.

When the person who suffered the TBI is a minor, the two-year clock does not start running until their 18th birthday. However, waiting to sue is unwise. A child’s parent or guardian could bring a lawsuit on the child’s behalf. If there are damages that the parent’s lawsuit did not seek, the child could pursue those damages when they reach adulthood.

Sometimes a local government has full or total responsibility for a TBI. This situation could arise if the injury resulted from an accident involving a municipal vehicle like a garbage truck or police car. When a local government is a potential defendant, the injured person must file a notice of claim within a short period, often within three months—or six months if the state of Texas is the defendant. A Missouri City brain injury attorney could ensure the appropriate notices are filed timely to preserve the injured person’s rights.

Pursue Damages After a TBI With a Missouri City Attorney

A mild TBI can lead to medical expenses, lost time at work, and significant temporary disruption to your quality of life. A more severe TBI could lead to severe and permanent disability and death.

The parties responsible for your personal injury must pay compensation for the harm they caused. Contact a Missouri City traumatic brain injury lawyer today to learn how to hold them accountable.