New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers

Traumatic brain injuries occur when the head sustains a violent blow, causing swelling, bleeding, bruising, or tearing of the brain tissue. The brain controls all the body’s functions, and injuries, great or small, have the capacity to alter the brain’s ability to control these functions, depending on the extent of damage. Brain injuries can range from a mild concussion to death, and are classified by levels of severity, such as:

• Mild: blows to the head with less force are considered mild brain injuries, which may or may not be accompanied by loss of consciousness, confusion, and disorientation.
• Moderate: a moderate brain injury includes an extended loss of consciousness and confusion that may last several weeks. Moderate brain injuries present physical, cognitive, or behavioral complications that can range from temporary to permanent and require specified treatment programs.
• Severe: excessively forceful or crushing blows, or penetration to the skull and brain result in severe life-threatening injuries. Those receiving severe injuries typically suffer from major limitations, permanent disabilities, comas, or death.

Given the level of severity, brain injuries have a wide range of symptoms, such as seizures, confusion, memory loss, nausea and vomiting, imbalance, incoordination, mood changes, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, vision changes, ringing in the ears, and clear liquid draining from the nose or ears, among others.

In addition, traumatic brain injuries are often accompanied by dangerous secondary injuries, such as brain swelling, epilepsy, brain infection, hypoxia, high or low blood pressure, and significant changes in the potassium and sodium in the brain’s neurotransmitters.

Regardless of the severity, a medical professional should evaluate any head trauma to determine whether a brain injury exists and to what extent. The symptoms of traumatic brain injury may not present for hours or days, many of which can be life-threatening if left untreated. As damaged brain tissue cannot be reversed, traumatic brain injuries can result in severe and lifelong challenges, such as:

• Coma or permanent vegetative state
• Personality changes, increased aggression, lack of impulse control, depression, anxiety, inappropriate actions, and loss of social skills
• Changes in, or lack of, empathy, understanding or expressing feelings and emotion
• Amnesia, impaired memory and reasoning, and short-term memory loss
• Sensory loss of hearing, vision, touch, taste, and smell
• Imbalance and vertigo
• Difficulty communicating, speaking, forming sentences, word recognition, remembering words, forming sounds, or forming and expressing ideas

It's important to seek medical attention if you think you may have a TBI, even if you don't have any obvious symptoms.

Traumatic brain injuries can occur from any trauma to the head, including vehicle and motorcycle accidents, falls, being struck by a heavy or falling object, sports-related, acts of violence, explosions, military bombs, and more. More than half of all brain injuries are due to vehicle accidents, roughly 300,000 are sports-related, and falls are the leading cause of brain injury in those over the age of 65.

During a car accident, the occupants are traveling at the same speed as the vehicle. At impact, the vehicle and the body abruptly stop. The brain, suspended in protective fluid, continues to move, being forced against one side of the skull and back into another with excessive force. The devastating blow injures the brain’s neurons and dendrites, affecting mobility, bodily function, and the senses, depending on the location and severity of the injury.

The brain injury lawyers at the law offices of Harold J. Gerr have thorough medical and legal knowledge and experience recovering financial damages for clients suffering traumatic brain injury complications.

There are many qualified doctors who specialize in treating traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). It's important to work with a doctor who has experience treating TBIs and who can provide the best possible care for your specific injury. Your TBI lawyer can recommend medical professionals who can help you recover from your injury and document your medical treatment for your legal case.

If your TBI was caused by someone else's negligence or intentional actions, you may be able to file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for your injuries.

Traumatic brain injuries have a tremendous impact on not only the injured but the entire family. The costs associated with brain injuries are exorbitant, plunging many families into massive debt and facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. The most serious cases require lifelong medical and personal care, devastating most families financially. If you have suffered a brain injury at work, in a car accident, or due to another’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for the following:

• Medical expenses: the costs of medical treatment associated with a brain injury add up dramatically, including emergency care, hospitalization, diagnostic testing, medication, potential at-home care and assistance, and follow-up visits, any of which may be lifelong.
• Rehabilitation: a brain injury causes permanent brain damage, ranging from mild to severe or debilitating, and causes loss of motor function and difficulty with simple tasks. Those with brain injuries often require extensive rehabilitative care, such as occupational, physical, speech, and behavioral therapy.
• Long-term care: severe brain injuries can leave patients in a coma or permanent vegetative state for weeks, months, or permanently, requiring nursing home placement and care. Even less severe brain injuries can require lifelong medical care and personal assistance, requiring daily in-home care.
• Home modification: brain injuries are frequently life-altering, even if full recovery is expected. Once the medical emergency has passed and patients are permitted to go home, new challenges arise, such as climbing stairs, cooking, and self-hygiene, that may require home modifications such as wheelchair ramps, railings, lower cabinets, or constructing a bathroom on the main floor.
• Hired services: managing day-to-day tasks, such as cooking, laundry, driving, childcare, and banking can be difficult for those with brain injuries and may require hiring personal assistance.
• Income loss: quite often the brain damage caused by the injury is significant enough to interfere with the ability to work in the same, or any, capacity, reducing or eliminating a source of income.

Each of these expenses alone is significant. For patients requiring multiple services, or all of them, the combination of costs is catastrophic and largely the basis for filing a claim for compensation.

It can be difficult to get disability for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as it requires a thorough evaluation of the individual's medical condition, work history, and other factors. Our TBI lawyers can help you navigate the disability claim process and ensure that your rights are protected throughout the process.

In New Jersey, you can file a lawsuit for a brain injury for up to two years following the date of the accident. The claim will be denied if you file after the two-year point has passed. Ideally, you should consult a personal injury attorney regarding a lawsuit for damages as soon after your accident as possible to receive compensation earlier.

It's highly recommended that you work with an experienced TBI lawyer who can help you navigate the legal process and ensure that your rights are protected. A lawyer can also help you build a strong case and negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf.

Individuals with brain injuries who hire attorneys recover more compensation than those who do not retain their services. The head injury lawyers at the law offices of Harold J. Gerr have a proven track record of receiving compensation for clients totaling more than $1 million.

At the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr, we work on a contingency fee basis, which means we don't get paid unless we win your case. Our fees are based on a percentage of the compensation we recover for you, and there are no upfront costs or fees to work with us.

There is no average payout for a traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the amount of compensation awarded in a TBI case can vary widely depending on the severity of the injury, the impact on the victim's life, and other factors. At the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr, our TBI lawyers work hard to maximize the compensation our clients receive for their injuries.

The timeline for settling a TBI case can vary widely, depending on the circumstances of the case. Some cases may be settled in a matter of months, while others may take several years. The Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr has years of experience handling TBI cases, and we are dedicated to helping our clients achieve a timely and fair resolution to their case.