Not that long ago we posted about the general causes and consequences of suffering a traumatic brain injury, but what about some of the specific kinds of such injuries? How many variations are there, and how may they relate to possible negligent causation?
Most often, traumatic brain injuries are those resulting from a fall (about 40 percent), or from another source of a blow to the head, including vehicle accidents or physical assaults. Depending on where they happen, injuries resulting from falls may give rise to premises liability, related to claims of negligence if the injury takes place on the property of another; brain injuries from traffic accidents may contribute to an action for negligence; and physical assault-related injuries can result in a civil cause of action for battery.
The types of traumatic brain injuries that one can incur are numerous, and go beyond simply striking one’s head against an object as with a concussion, contusion, coup-contrecoup injury or even follow-up traumatic injury. Brain injuries can be the result of a fracture or penetration of the skull, or a violent shaking of the head such as that seen in shaken baby syndrome. Injuries need not always be the result of trauma, such as anoxic or hypoxic brain injuries that occur when the brain is either completely or partially starved of oxygen.
Questions concerning brain injuries, traumatic or otherwise, generally fall into two categories, both of which a Texas personal injury law firm can help to investigate: the type of injury and its symptoms, and what led to it.
While this post cannot provide a detailed treatment of these questions and is not intended as legal advice in itself, in any instance of a suspected brain injury having the assistance of an attorney can be essential when it comes to determining the nature of the harm suffered and how to measure that harm in terms of money damages should someone else be at fault for causing it.
