Gettysburg Brain Injury

Gettysburg Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys, Adams County, PA

Strong advocacy for accident victims who suffer head or brain injuries

A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by the application of force on the head. Even a “mild” traumatic brain injury can affect the ability of the victim to work, function, and enjoy life.

At KBG Injury Law, our Gettysburg head injury lawyers understand just how devastating brain injuries are. We have secured significant awards on behalf of TBI victims in South Central Pennsylvania, including a $4 million brain injury verdict for a man who was involved in a brutal car accident that resulted in terrible head injuries. Let us help you with your case so you can focus on your recovery.

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How can we help?

How are head injuries and traumatic brain injuries categorized?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 223,000 people in 2018 were hospitalized for a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In 2019, about 166 people died each day due to a traumatic brain injury. About ½ of all TBI hospital admissions are due to falls.

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, a traumatic brain injury is a “disruption in the normal function of the brain.” Common causes include a blow, jolt or bump to the head, a piercing of the skull by objects such as broken windshield glass, and violently hitting an object such as a dashboard.

TBIs are generally graded as mild, moderate, or severe. A TBI can cause memory loss, muscle weakness, speech difficulties, vision loss, difficulty concentrating, and many other problems. The gradation of a TBI does not describe how much impact a TBI has on the victim’s life. A young, extremely high-functioning adult afflicted by a mild TBI may suffer far worse in the long-run, both physically and financially, than an older adult who suffers a severe TBI but regains most of his or her pre-injury function.

What are traumatic brain injury symptoms?

A traumatic brain injury can result with or without any obvious external signs of injury, like abrasions, bruising, lacerations, indents, depressions, open wounds, or penetration of the skull. The signs of a traumatic brain injury can be much more subtle. Some of the many symptoms an emergency room doctor, neurologist, or another physician will look for include:

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Dilated pupils
  • Confusion
  • Headaches
  • Amnesia
  • Vomiting
  • Blurred vision or double vision, difficulty tolerating bright light, and blindness
  • Paralysis
  • Dizziness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Cognitive problems
  • Inappropriate emotional responses
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Lack of bladder or bowel control
  • Seizures
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Slurred Speech
  • Memory deficits
  • Loss of coordination
  • Marked weakness
  • Decreased motion of extremities
  • Peripheral numbness and tingling
  • Tremors
  • Many other symptoms

Children with brain injuries may exhibit different symptoms, so seeking medical attention quickly is critical to getting your child the care he or she needs.

What types of traumatic brain injuries are there?

Brain injuries come in many forms:

  • Hematoma. This injury is a blood clot within the brain or on the surface of the brain.
    • “An epidural hematoma is a collection of blood between the dura mater (the protective covering of the brain) and the inside of the skull. “
    • “A subdural hematoma is a collection of blood between the dura mater and the arachnoid layer, which sits directly on the surface of the brain.”
  • Contusion. A cerebral contusion injury is bruising of brain tissue. Contusions normally occur at the front of the brain but can occur anywhere. Contusions include “areas of injured or swollen brain mixed with blood that has leaked from arteries, veins, or capillaries.”
  • Intracerebral Hemorrhage. This injury refers to bleeding in the brain tissue. The location and size of the hemorrhage are factors in determining whether it can be surgically removed.
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. This brain injury is caused by bleeding into the subarachnoid space.
  • Diffuse Injuries.These injuries, which can occur with or without a visible area of damage, normally don’t appear on CT scans and are scattered throughout the brain.
  • Diffuse Axonal Injury. This type of head injury refers to impaired function and gradual loss of axons. If the damage is extensive the ability of the nerve cells to work may be severely impaired and cause severe disabilities.
  • Ischemia. This brain injury references “insufficient blood supply to certain parts of the brain.”
  • Skull Fractures. “Linear skull fractures or simple breaks or “cracks” in the skull may accompany TBIs.” Fractures can damage arteries, nerves, and other structures. “If the fracture extends into the sinuses, a leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the nose or ears may occur. Depressed skull fractures, in which part of the bone presses on or into the brain, can also occur.”
  • Edema. Swelling of brain tissue.

How are traumatic brain injuries diagnosed?

After general life saving and stabilizing treatment has been administered, diagnosis and assessment of more subtle TBI’s usually begins with a basic neurological assessment to evaluate the function of a person's nervous system. Mental status may be checked for orientation to person, place, and time, clearness and coherence of speech, and unusual behavior. Motor function and balance will be checked. Senses will be evaluated to determine if they’re still intact. Reflexes may be evaluated. Cranial nerves (the twelve main nerves of the brain) will be checked for impairment with lights, sound, motion (from facial expressions to pressure against resistant), touch, and tapping or triggering.

After a neurological assessment is performed, testing may follow by x-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Further diagnostic testing may be warranted, including electroencephalograms (EEG) and more sophisticated imaging techniques that measure brain cell metabolism, such as single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and diffusion tensor imaging (TDI) can help visualize subtle injuries to the brain. It may even be necessary to measure and track intracranial pressure – which requires invasive procedures. Later, a more detailed and exhaustive type of clinical examination may take place, called a neuropsychological evaluation, to measure how well a person's brain is working with regard to reading, language usage, attention, learning, processing speed, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving, and mood and personality.

What are the treatments for a traumatic brain injury?

In severe cases, surgery may be required to minimize damage to brain tissue, including surgery to remove clotted blood (hematomas) or stop intracranial bleeding, repair of skull fractures, or opening the skull or inserting drains to reduce intracranial pressure. Medications may be administered to induce comas, control seizures, reduce intracranial pressure, and relive pain. In the long-term, therapy is likely to be required, to include vision, speech, occupational, psychological, and physical therapy to full recover – or regain maximum possible function. Therapy usually begins in a hospital setting and continues at an inpatient rehabilitation unit, a residential treatment facility or through outpatient services. The type and duration of rehabilitation is different for everyone, depending on the severity of the brain injury and what part of the brain was injured. Various physician may assist in managing care, from neurosurgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists, physiatrists, and even primary care physicians, along with teams of therapists, neuropsychologists, and social workers.

What kinds of Gettysburg PA accidents cause head injuries?

At KBG Injury Law, we handle any type of accident that causes a brain or head injury including:

What types of head injury lawsuits does your Gettysburg law firm handle?

We file personal injury claims if a non-employer causes a head injury. We demand compensation for the victim’s medical bills and lost income, physical pain and emotional suffering, damage to a vehicle, loss of consortium, functional losses, and any scarring or disfigurement – for the rest of the victims’ life.

In worker’s compensation cases, we demand payment of all the worker’s medical bills, temporary disability benefits, and permanent disability benefits.

If a loved one dies due to a traumatic brain injury or head injury, we file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the spouse, children, and parents.

Is there a Gettysburg, PA brain injury attorney near me?

You can schedule a consultation at our Gettysburg office, located at 66 W Middle Street. We meet TBI victims at their homes, in hospitals, and in rehabilitation facilities if necessary.

Speak with a seasoned Gettysburg PA traumatic brain injury lawyer today

Our Gettysburg traumatic head injury lawyers have numerous settlements or verdicts for more than $1 million for brain injury victims. We are able to obtain strong results by working aggressively to show how the accident happened, and who is responsible. We understand the daily difficulties that TBI victims endure that add up to expensive medical care, large sums of lost income, and severe pain and suffering.

Call us today for a free consultation at 717-848-3838 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We represent head trauma victims and families in Gettysburg, Lancaster, York, Harrisburg, and Hanover.