Get Help From a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer Near You
After sustaining a traumatic brain injury, your life may never be the same. Beyond simply damaging an individual’s ability to communicate, exert emotional regulation, or maintain concentration, head and brain injuries can also impact how the body functions. Since this can have such a dramatic effect on victims’ lives and their family members’ lives, it is crucial they get the compensation they deserve from the liable parties.
That is where Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. steps in. To discuss your TBI or head injury case with one of our Chicago brain injury attorneys, call (312) 236-2900 or reach out online. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers offer free initial consultations and work on a contingency fee basis.
How a Chicago Brain Injury Attorney Can Help
In the midst of seeking medical care and trying to understand the injuries you’ve sustained in an accident, contacting a Chicago brain injury lawyer may seem like an unnecessary step. However, you have to think about the myriad ways in which a brain injury can impact your life. Between medical bills, lost wages, and rehabilitative care, a TBI can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now, think about what would happen if you accept a settlement from the insurance company. It is extremely likely that the offer will not be enough to cover your actual losses from the car accident, especially since the effects of many TBIs cannot be fully known until a patient has been in treatment for several months. When you accept a settlement, you waive your right to sue. If you run out of settlement money and want to ask for more, you have no more leverage.
Before you accept a settlement, you have plenty of leverage. Without a traumatic brain injury attorney, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to use that leverage effectively. Your lawyer will know what evidence is needed to prove your case, what negotiation tactics work with insurance companies, and how much you’ll likely need to cover your medical bills and other expenses.
Hiring a TBI lawyer isn’t an attempt to game the system or get more than you’re entitled to, despite how the media treats accident victims. It’s simply a way to ensure that profit-centered insurance companies treat victims fairly.
Common Types of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries are often categorized into different types and levels. TBIs fit into one of these three levels:
- Mild. A mild traumatic brain injury involves a brief loss of consciousness or no loss of consciousness. However, the person does have a change in mental status at the time of the accident. They score 13 to 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale.
- Moderate. Encompassing those who score 9 to 12 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, the moderate level includes those whose loss of consciousness lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. Patients experience behavioral, psychological, cognitive, and physical impairments.
- Severe. Those who suffer severe brain injuries rarely return to a level of pre-accident functioning. Short-term and long-term losses to thinking, emotion, language, and physical sensation can occur.
Types of brain injuries include contusions, those caused by the brain hitting the side of the skull, concussions, and penetrating injuries.
Common Causes of Brain Injuries
Many types of accidents can lead to brain injuries. In fact, the brain injury itself can cause further brain injuries. Consider, for example, a shaking injury that causes immediate damage. As the injury continue to limit blood flow to the brain, the patient may subsequently suffer hypoxia or anoxia, causing even more damage.
Causes of initial brain injuries include:
The Brain Injury Claim Process
After suffering a head or brain injury, the process of seeking compensation begins. In general, the process for head injury claims goes like this:
- You contact an attorney. Your attorney will take a look at the general details of your accident and determine whether or not you have a case.
- Your attorney investigates the accident. If you hire the attorney, they begin investigating the accident itself and the injuries you have sustained. This may involve contacting witnesses, digging into medical records, speaking to witnesses, and looking at physical evidence.
- A demand is made and negotiations begin. Once they know how much your injuries are worth, the attorney will send a demand letter to the insurance company. The insurance company will come back with a counteroffer. Negotiations carry on until either an agreement is reached or one side withdraws.
- The claim is settled, expenses are paid, and you receive compensation. If an agreement is reached, the insurance company sends out paperwork and the check. The attorney’s fees are paid and any other claims on the money are paid out. You receive your money.
- …or you begin preparing for court. If no agreement can be reached, your attorney will file a lawsuit and start getting ready for court.
- The case goes to court or the case is settled. The case can be settled at any time prior to or during the court process. Otherwise, your case goes to court and the jury decides whether or not you receive compensation.
Contact Our Chicago Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys Today
TBIs can place enormous strain on your mental and physical health, and trying to communicate with insurance adjusters adds even more stress. Instead of trying to take this on alone, let our Chicago brain injury lawyers help. Schedule your consultation with a no win no fee injury lawyer now by filling out our contact form or calling us at (312) 236-2900.
