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Wisconsin Brain Injury Lawyer

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Brain injuries are, to put it lightly, not always the easiest type of injury to assess. Since the brain is such an extremely complex organ, and since injuries to it can affect many different aspects of bodily function, from motor skills and coordination to cognitive processes, it may be hard to determine whether an accident has caused a brain injury or not. This is one of the many reasons why brain injuries are so devastating to both the victim and their families.

Fortunately for Wisconsinites, there are a variety of resources available to victims of brain injury and their families, not least being the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin, Inc (BIAW). The BIAW is committed to serving advocacy, education, prevention and support services to all members. Resources like the BIAW help spread the knowledge on brain injury, as well as assist sufferers of brain injury; however, immediately following a brain injury, victims should also take the necessary legal steps in order to ensure that rehabilitation and other expenses are adequately covered. Finding a Wisconsin attorney specialized in brain injury law can help assist this process.

Including skull and facial fractures, there are around 2 million head injuries every year in the United States. One and a half million of those 2 million are nonfatal traumatic brain injuries, not requiring hospitalization, while 300,000 brain injuries are severe enough for hospitalization, and 99,000 of those result in a long-lasting disability. Every year, 56,000 people die because of a traumatic brain injury, accounting for 34 percent of all injury deaths in the United States. Traumatic brain injuries affect males at twice the rate they affect females, with a higher mortality rate, too. People who are aged 15-24 have a high risk of traumatic brain injuries, as well as people aged over 60.

Depending on the accident involved, an injury to the brain can be as simple as a headache that requires only some over-the-counter pain relievers, or as complicated and devastating as complete paralysis or loss of mental function. The severity of the impact to the brain and the area of the brain that is affected will determine the nature and extent of the brain injury. If you have suffered any kind of trauma to the head during an accident, you need to be evaluated by a qualified health care practitioner immediately.

There are many different causes for traumatic brain injuries, with motor vehicle accidents causing around 28 percent of them, though it is considered they are the reason for 49 percent of brain injuries; sports and physical activity for 20 percent; assaults for 9 percent; 43 percent for other reasons.

The brain is a particularly vulnerable part of the body, and does not have the same ability as other parts to heal itself after an injury. Even if the injured person does recover from a traumatic brain injury, it is likely that there will be permanent changes or damages to their cognitive or physical functions. Effects of injury to the brain are more complex, more serious, and more long-lasting than other injuries. In some cases, the full extent of the victim's incapacitation, or the life-altering effect it has, may not even be understood until years after the initial trauma.

There are many different types of brain injuries, including open head injury when it has been penetrated and there is a break in the skull bone; closed head brain injury, a result from the slamming back and forth of the brain inside the skull, which tears blood vessels and tissues; deceleration injuries, where an abrupt stop causes the skull to stop, but the brain to continue traveling, bruising it and causing brain swelling and nerve cell damage; hypoxia, or lack of oxygen; and then there are infections caused by viruses and bacteria.

The costs of a traumatic brain injury can be very high, with a lifetime cost for one person surviving from a severe traumatic brain injury reaching $4 million, and the direct and indirect costs of traumatic brain injuries estimated at $48.3 billion annually in the United States.

If you have experienced any kind of accident or injury which may have affected your brain, it's imperative that you see a doctor as soon as possible for a full evaluation of your physical and mental processes. You should also consult a qualified brain injury attorney. If your accident was due to the negligence of someone else, you may have a valid personal-injury lawsuit. Your attorney can help you determine the type and amount of compensation to which you may be entitled for the suffering you have undergone as a result of your brain injury. Let a qualified Wisconsin brain injury lawyer help you today.