Head Injuries FAQs, Questions, Answers, NC Personal Injury Attorneys, Closed-Head Injury, Concussion

Head Injuries FAQs

What is the most common cause of a head injury?
What is the statute of limitations in a head injury case?
What is traumatic brain injury?
What are the most common causes of brain injury?
What are some of the effects of brain injury?
How is brain injury diagnosed?
What happens after a brain injury?
What types of medical exams are conducted to determine a brain injury?
What are cerebral contusions?
If a brain injury should occur, should an attorney be contacted?

What is the most common cause of a head injury?
Motor vehicle accidents account for more than half of all head injuries that occur in the US. Other injuries are caused by falls, sporting accidents and violence.

What is the statute of limitations in a head injury case?
That depends. The statute can be either 2 or 3 years. It depends on other particulars.

What is traumatic brain injury?
Traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by an external physical force. This force may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness, resulting in an impairment of cognitive abilities or physical functioning. It can also result in the disturbance of behavioral or emotional functioning.

What are the most common causes of brain injury?

Motor vehicle crashes - roughly 1/2 of all injuries
Firearm-related incidents
Slips and falls
Violence-related injuries - abuse, Shaken Baby Syndrome
Recreational Accidents - bicycle falls, playground equipment falls, all-terrain vehicle accidents

What are some of the effects of brain injury?
Cognitive effects:

Short term memory loss
Trouble concentrating
Difficulty with communication
Spatial disorientation
Impaired judgement
Unable to do more than one thing at a time

Physical effects:

Seizures
Muscle spasticity
Double vision or blindness
Loss of smell or taste
Speech impairments
Headaches
Fatigue
Balance problems
Pain

Emotional effects:

Difficulty completing tasks
Increased anxiety
Depression
Mood swings
Impulsive behavior

How is brain injury diagnosed?
If there is evidence of gross damage to the brain, such as hemorrhaging, swelling or contusions, these physical findings are detected by CT scan or MRI. Where the damage is minimal, a diagnosis is made by obtaining history from the patient, the symptoms reported by the patient and the results of neuropsychological testing.

What happens after a brain injury?
After a brain injury, a variety of other damages may occur including:

Hematoma (epidural, subdural and/or intracerebral)
Brain swelling/edema
Increased intracranial pressure
Cerebral vasospasm
Intracranial infection
Epilepsy

What types of medical exams are conducted to determine a brain injury?
Patients with brain injury require proper assessments and diagnostic tests. These include:

Neurological Exam: A series of questions and simple commands to see if the patient can open their eyes, move, speak, and understand what is going on around them. There are also more sophisticated procedures used in this evaluation process.
X-ray: A picture that looks at bones to see if they are broken (fractured).
CT scan (CAT scan): An X-ray that takes pictures of the brain or other parts of the body.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan: A large magnet and radio waves are used, instead of X-rays, to take pictures of the tissues of the body.
Angiogram: A test to look at the blood vessels in the brain. Using a catheter, dye is put into an artery that supplies blood to the brain. This test can tell if the blood vessels are damaged.

What are cerebral contusions?
Cerebral contusions are bruises on the brain caused by the brain striking the wall of the skull. A severe contusion will involve swelling of the brain. If swelling is severe, these injuries can cause a severe headache, dizziness, and vomiting. One pupil may be larger than the other. Depending on which area of the brain is damaged, the ability to think, control emotions, move, feel, speak, see, hear, and remember may be impaired. The person may become irritable, restless, or agitated.

If a brain injury should occur, should an attorney be contacted?
Yes. It is important that a lawyer be contacted to evaluate a case as soon as possible. Often, the circumstances of an accident or injury must be investigated promptly or valuable evidence is forever lost. In addition, there may be a statute of limitations governing how long after an injury or accident that you can bring a complaint against the other party. Ted A. Greve & Associates, P.A. would be available to discuss any potential claim. We have a team of highly trained personnel. Contact us to discuss your claim.

For more information, visit our page on Head Injuries.

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