New Orleans Brain Injury Attorney
If you or your loved one suffered a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, you might be entitled to compensation. At Koch & Schmidt, our personal injury legal team fights hard for brain injury victims throughout the greater New Orleans area. We have assertive negotiators, and we use our decades of trial experience to help our clients receive the compensation they deserve.
Traumatic brain injuries can cause death and severe injuries. Those who experience brain trauma often find it difficult to sleep and engage in their normal day-to-day activities. Many people who suffer from brain injuries require part-time or around-the-clock care, which can add up. Contact our law firm to schedule your initial consultation with a New Orleans brain injury lawyer today.
Common Causes Of Brain Injuries In New Orleans
Many traumatic brain injuries happen after a jolt or violent blow to the head or body. Or, a foreign object can penetrate the tissue of the brain and cause a traumatic brain injury. Brain injuries range from mild to severe. Serious traumatic brain injuries result in death or other serious long-term complications. The following events are common causes of serious brain injuries in New Orleans:
- Slip-and-fall accidents on the stairs, in the house, or on icy sidewalks
- Motor vehicle collisions involving motorcycles, trucks or cars
- Pedestrian accidents in which a motor vehicle or bicycle strikes a pedestrian
- Acts of violence including gunshot wounds, child abuse and domestic violence
- Shaken baby syndrome in infants
- Sports injuries from soccer, boxing, football, lacrosse and other extreme sports
- Explosive blasts from mining accidents, gas explosions or military service
- Combat injuries received as active-duty military personnel or first responders
- Medical malpractice
Symptoms Of Brain Injuries
Brain injury symptoms vary depending on the person affected and depending on the severity of the brain injury. In a mild traumatic brain injury, a person might experience a short loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes. Or, the person might experience no loss of consciousness, but they may feel dazed, disoriented, or confused. In moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries, the symptoms may only appear hours or even days after the head injury. Moderate to severe brain injuries include the following symptoms:
- Loss of consciousness for several minutes to hours
- A headache that remains persistent or worsens
- Clear fluids that drain from the person’s nose or ears
- An inability to wake up from sleep
- Loss of coordination
- Seizures or convulsions
- Repeated nausea or vomiting
- Profound confusion
- Slurred speech
- Agitation, combativeness, or other unusual behavior
- Coma or other consciousness disorders
Symptoms Of Brain Injuries In Children
Children are at the most risk when it comes to suffering a traumatic brain injury. The most likely people to suffer a traumatic brain injury are very young children, from birth to 4 years old. In children, the symptoms of brain injuries do not always present the same as adult brain injuries. They include the following:
- Change in the child’s ability to pay attention
- Change in sleep habits
- Seizures
- Depressed or sad mood
- Sleeping too much or not sleeping enough
- Loss of interest in favorite activities or toys
- Drowsiness
- Inability to be consoled or persistent crying
Complications Caused By A Traumatic Brain Injury
Many people who suffer moderate to severe brain injuries must live with the complications for a long time, or even for a lifetime. Sometimes people with traumatic brain injuries develop dangerous seizures through a condition called post-traumatic epilepsy. When someone develops a serious seizure disorder, they may need costly around-the-clock care, or they may become unable to work.
Hydrocephalus is another common complication of traumatic brain injuries. When the brain becomes injured, cerebrospinal fluid may build up in the cerebral ventricles. Fluid build-up can cause pain, pressure, and swelling. Individuals may need brain surgery to place a shunt to relieve the fluid build-up. Living with a shunt comes with its challenges. Not only is shunt surgery a risky process, but many people also need multiple shunts placed over their lifetimes. Hydrocephalus can also cause migraines and an inability to work regular hours, or at all.
Bringing A Brain Injury Lawsuit In New Orleans
Brain injuries often have a significant impact on a family. Victims of brain injuries often require expensive surgeries, hospital stays, rehabilitation and at-home care. When severe brain injuries happen, victims often require medical care for the rest of their lives.
Victims of severe brain injuries may be unable to work for their entire lives. If you’ve suffered a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligent or intentional behavior, you may have a right to file a personal injury lawsuit in New Orleans. You will need to prove, with the help of your personal injury attorney, that another person’s actions or inactions caused your brain injury.
Recovering Damages For Your Brain Injury
Successful personal injury plaintiffs are entitled to economic and non-economic damages for their brain injuries. At Koch & Schmidt, our New Orleans brain injury attorneys know how to hire the experts needed to calculate the cost of your medical care, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. We will talk to your doctors and loved ones to understand the full extent of harm that your brain injury has caused you physically and emotionally.
After understanding the extent of your brain injury, we will fight hard for you to receive the compensation you deserve. Our experienced New Orleans brain injury lawyers know how to negotiate aggressively with the defendant so you can receive a favorable settlement. Should the case proceed to trial, our trial-ready lawyers will fight for you throughout the trial process. Contact us to schedule your initial consultation today.