in Brain Injury, Personal Injury

Protecting Your Legal Rights After Mild Concussions

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If you’ve been diagnosed with a mild concussion following an accident, you might be unsure about what it means for your long-term prognosis. Many Pennsylvanians have misconceptions about mild concussions and what they mean. The use of the word mild in your diagnosis does not mean that you shouldn’t take your diagnosis seriously. Even a mild traumatic brain injury can have lasting effects. If someone caused your accident and your concussion, you can pursue compensation for your losses. A Philadelphia brain injury attorney at Raynes & Lawn can review your case and help you understand the next steps involved in protecting your rights.

 

Understanding Mild Concussions

Mild concussions are fairly common types of brain injuries that occur in accidents. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can occur when you receive a blow to your head or when your brain is severely shaken inside of your skull. Concussions commonly happen in slip and fall accidents, car accidents, construction site accidents, and medical malpractice cases.

 

Symptoms Of A Concussion

No matter how your brain injury happened, you might feel dizzy, disoriented, or confused immediately after your accident. Some people mistakingly believe that they do not have traumatic brain injuries because they did not lose consciousness. However, a loss of consciousness is not definitive for whether a concussion occurred.

Some of the symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury include the following:

  • Slurred speech
  • Balance problems
  • Vomiting
  • Nausea
  • Memory loss
  • Severe headache

In some cases, you might not notice symptoms of a mild concussion for several hours or days after your accident.

Some common types of delayed symptoms that you should watch for include the following:

  • Altered smell or taste
  • Blurred vision
  • Coordination problems
  • Sensitivity to noise or light
  • Sleep problems

Even a mild traumatic brain injury can cause symptoms that last for days, weeks, or months. When you retain an experienced Philadelphia brain injury attorney to help with your case, you might have a better chance of recovering compensation for your losses.

 

Types Of Concussions

Mild traumatic brain injuries typically do not involve losses of consciousness and are categorized as grade 1 concussions by doctors. Moderate traumatic brain injuries typically do not involve losses of consciousness but have symptoms lasting for more than 15 minutes. Serious traumatic brain injuries are often accompanied by periods of unconsciousness that might last for several minutes or longer.

 

How Are Mild Concussions Treated?

Each concussion injury is different and might require different types of medical interventions. Whenever you are involved in an accident, you should seek immediate medical attention to receive a prompt diagnosis of your injuries. If you have suffered a concussion, early treatment can help to prevent your injuries from worsening and aid in your recovery.

Some people’s concussion symptoms resolve faster than those of others. Each person’s brain is different, and the degree of force in a blow to the head is not always directly related to the severity of the symptoms.

You also do not have to suffer a blow to your head to suffer a concussion injury. You can also suffer a concussion injury when you have been violently jolted and your brain shifts inside of your skull. This type of jolting and movement of your brain can cause damage to the tissues and a concussion injury.

Your doctor might use imaging studies, including an MRI or CT scan, to help diagnose your traumatic brain injury and its severity. He or she will then create an individualized treatment plan to determine the most appropriate medical interventions.

How Are Mild Concussions Treated?

Factors Affecting The Value of Your Claim

If your concussion happened in an accident caused by someone else, you will have the burden of proving that the other person was negligent and that his or her negligence caused your accident, injuries, and losses. Proving that you suffered from a concussion will require you to present expert testimony from doctors.

Some of the factors that might affect the value of your claim include the following:

  • Severity and extent of your injuries
  • Your likelihood of fully recovering
  • Duration of your symptoms
  • The defendant’s actions
  • Whether you shared fault

Your injury attorney will help you gather medical records and work with experts to properly value your claim. If he or she believes your case has legal merits and agrees to accept representation, your attorney will work to build the strongest case of liability possible on your behalf. In many cases, insurance companies try to dispute or deny liability in cases involving concussions since the symptoms can be more difficult to prove. Working with an attorney might improve your chances of recovering damages for your losses.

 

Damages In A Concussion Injury Claim

The total amount of compensation you might expect to receive will depend on the factors previously noted. This means that there is not a set value your attorney can quote you without investigating your case and the factors that can impact how much it might be worth. Damages in a personal injury case include monetary compensation for your economic and non-economic losses.

These types of compensatory damages are called special damages and general damages. Special damages include compensation for your pecuniary losses in the following categories:

  • Past and future medical expenses to treat your accident-related injuries
  • Past and future rehabilitation or physical therapy expenses
  • Past and future prescription costs
  • Past and future lost wages
  • Property losses
  • Other out-of-pocket expenses caused by your accident and injuries
  • General damages include compensation for your non-economic losses and are more difficult to value. Some of the types of general damages that might be recoverable include the following:
  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Reduction in your quality of life
  • Emotional distress
  • Disability
  • Disfigurement/scarring
  • Other non-economic losses

 

Speak To A Philadelphia Brain Injury Attorney

If you have suffered a brain injury because of the actions of someone else, you should consult an experienced attorney at Raynes & Lawn. We have more than five decades of experience helping negligence victims recover fair compensation for their losses. Call us today for a free consultation at 1-800-535-1797.

 

 

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