Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney in West Covina, CA
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are some of the most devastating personal injuries you can suffer as a result of an accident. In severe cases, they can lead to coma or death, and even in less serious cases, TBIs can dramatically impact a victim’s ability to function. If you’ve suffered a TBI as a result of an accident, contact a West Covina traumatic brain injury lawyer to discuss your options.
Trust Thon Beck Vanni Callahan & O’Connor
The team here at Thon Beck Vanni Callahan & O’Connor is here to help you with your traumatic brain injury claim. For more than 40 years, our award-winning attorneys have represented clients in the Los Angeles area and recovered hundreds of millions in settlements. We’re intimately familiar with TBI laws and how they apply to different situations, and we’ll be happy to leverage our knowledge of the law to get you the maximum settlement possible.
Why Hire a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer?
According to a CDC analysis, there were 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020. The Brain Injury Association of America estimates that at least 11.4 million Americans who have suffered a TBI in the past are now living with an ongoing disability. The same research shows that five years after a moderate to severe TBI, over half of formerly employed adults no longer have jobs.
As you can see, TBIs can have a serious impact on a victim’s life, leading to substantial hospital bills and lost wages. You may be able to recover some of the costs of your TBI when you hire a traumatic brain injury lawyer. A West Covina traumatic brain injury attorney can help you collect evidence to support your claim, file essential paperwork, and argue your case in settlement negotiations to get you a more substantial compensation package.
What Is a TBI?
Traumatic brain injuries occur when external forces move, hit, or pierce a person’s head. These injuries can be open, which means that they involve a skull fracture, or closed, in which case they do not. The most common types of TBI include:
- Open-wound head injuries. These may involve puncture wounds or blunt-force bone fractures.
- Diffuse axonal injuries. This form of neuronal injury occurs when a person’s head rotates or shakes rapidly.
- Concussions. Concussions are the mildest form of TBI and usually cause only temporary damage.
- Hematoma. Hematomas form when bleeding occurs in or around the brain, placing pressure on the brain and causing damage.
- Cerebral hypoxia. Cerebral hypoxia occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen.
Each type of TBI ranges in severity, and all of them can cause extreme suffering for the injured person.
Common Causes of TBIs
It’s often the case that another person’s intentional act or negligence leads to an accident causing a TBI, which is where traumatic brain injury claims come into play. Some of the most common examples include:
- Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Being struck by falling objects
- Assault and battery
- Medical malpractice
- Sports injuries
If your TBI was caused by another person, that person may be legally liable for paying your hospital bills, making up for your lost wages, and covering other damages resulting from the accident.
Symptoms of a TBI
If there is any chance at all that you have suffered a TBI during an accident, you should head to an emergency room like the one at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital immediately. Fast access to care can make a difference in some cases. Common immediate and long-term symptoms of TBIs can include:
- Loss of consciousness. Victims sometimes lose consciousness for only a few seconds. Others go into a coma.
- Memory loss. It’s often the case that TBI victims don’t clearly remember the accidents that caused their injuries.
- Mood or psychological issues. People often develop mental health symptoms after a TBI, including depression, anxiety, or mood swings.
- Numbness. If the areas of your brain that process sensation have been damaged, you could experience ongoing numbness in one or more areas.
- Paralysis. In extreme cases, TBI victims can experience full paralysis. This occurs when the motor centers of the brain are impacted by a TBI.
- Personality changes. TBIs can affect the parts of the brain that shape personality.
FAQs
What Is the Average Payout for Traumatic Brain Injury?
There is no average payout for traumatic brain injury because every case is different. Your settlement depends on factors such as the type of injury you’ve sustained, its severity, and whether your doctors anticipate any lasting disability as a result of your TBI. More experienced lawyers may also be able to get you a more substantial compensation package.
What Is the Legislation for Traumatic Brain Injury?
The legislation for traumatic brain injury is primarily focused on the federal TBI Act of 1996. The TBI Act established federal programs for brain injury prevention and research. Its most recent reauthorization was the Dennis John Benigno TBI Reauthorization Act in 2024, which includes provisions for continued CDC surveillance and new studies.
Is TBI a Protected Disability?
TBI is a protected disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act as long as it limits major life activities. The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination. If you’ve suffered a TBI, you may be eligible to collect Social Security Disability benefits and should be entitled to reasonable workplace accommodations from your employer.
How Long Do TBI Settlements Take?
How long TBI settlements take varies, depending on the particulars of the case. In a straightforward case that can easily be settled outside of court in settlement negotiations, the process can be quite fast. If your case needs to go to trial, that can drag it out for substantially longer. Ask your lawyer about ways you can expedite your claim.
Your West Covina Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
TBIs can have a dramatic negative impact on victims’ lives. If you’ve suffered a brain injury due to another person’s intentional actions or an accident caused by their negligence, you may be able to work with a West Covina traumatic brain injury lawyer to recover compensation.
Thon Beck Vanni Callahan & O’Connor can help you file your traumatic brain injury claim. Our attorneys are dedicated to providing justice for all our clients. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation.