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Our Car Accident Attorneys Austin Explain Traumatic Brain Injury Claims
The impact seemed survivable—airbags deployed, you walked away from the wreck. But in the days and weeks that followed, something was wrong. Headaches persisted. Concentration became impossible. Your personality changed in ways family members noticed before you did. A traumatic brain injury had occurred, invisible but devastating, altering your life in ways that continue unfolding months and years after the accident. Our car accident attorneys Austin have represented numerous TBI victims, understanding both the medical complexity of these injuries and the legal strategies required to secure compensation reflecting their true impact.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries range from mild concussions to severe trauma, causing permanent disability. Our Austin car accident lawyer team helps clients understand their injuries and their implications.
How Car Accidents Cause TBIs
Car accidents cause brain injuries through several mechanisms. Direct impact occurs when a head strikes a steering wheel, window, dashboard, or other surface. Acceleration-deceleration injuries occur when the brain moves within the skull during rapid changes in speed, even without direct impact. Penetrating injuries occur when objects pierce the skull and enter the brain tissue.
TBI Severity Levels
Brain injuries are classified by severity:
Mild TBIs include concussions that may involve a brief loss of consciousness or an altered mental state. While called “mild,” these injuries can cause lasting symptoms.
Moderate TBIs involve extended unconsciousness and more significant symptoms.
Severe TBIs cause prolonged unconsciousness, coma, or persistent vegetative states with major long-term impairment.
Our car accident lawyers Austin handle TBI cases across the severity spectrum.
Common TBI Symptoms
Brain injury symptoms vary based on injury location and severity, but commonly include:
Headaches that persist or worsen over time. Cognitive difficulties, including memory problems, concentration issues, and slowed thinking. Mood changes, including irritability, depression, anxiety, and personality alterations. Sensory problems, including vision changes, light sensitivity, and balance issues. Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or excessive sleeping. Physical symptoms include nausea, fatigue, and coordination problems.
Why TBI Cases Are Complex
Traumatic brain injury claims present unique challenges that our car accident attorney, Austin, has learned to navigate.
Invisible Injuries
Unlike broken bones visible on X-rays, brain injuries often don’t appear on standard imaging. CT scans and MRIs may appear normal despite significant functional impairment. This invisibility allows insurance companies to dispute the existence of an injury.
Our Austin car accident attorneys gather comprehensive evidence—neuropsychological testing, functional assessments, symptom documentation—that proves brain injuries insurance companies try to deny.
Delayed Symptoms
TBI symptoms often don’t fully manifest immediately after accidents. Symptoms may develop or worsen over days, weeks, or months. This delay creates a causation dispute that insurance companies exploit.
Subjective Symptoms
Many TBI symptoms—headaches, concentration difficulties, mood changes—are subjective experiences difficult to verify objectively. Insurance companies minimize these symptoms as exaggerated or fabricated.
Our car accident lawyers in Austin document subjective symptoms through multiple sources—medical records, neuropsychological testing, witness observations—that establish their reality.
Long-Term Uncertainty
The long-term trajectory of brain injuries often remains uncertain. Some victims recover substantially; others suffer permanent impairment. This uncertainty complicates damage calculations.
Pre-Existing Factors
Insurance companies blame TBI symptoms on pre-existing conditions—prior head injuries, mental health history, and learning disabilities—rather than accidents. Our Austin car accident lawyer team differentiates accident-related symptoms from any pre-existing factors.
Building Strong TBI Claims
Successful TBI claims require comprehensive medical evidence and strategic legal presentation. Our car accident attorneys Austin employ proven approaches.
Specialized Medical Evaluation
We connect clients with neurologists, neuropsychologists, and other specialists who can properly diagnose and document brain injuries. These specialists provide credible opinions insurance companies can’t easily dismiss.
Neuropsychological Testing
Comprehensive neuropsychological testing objectively measures cognitive function, documenting deficits that might otherwise remain unproven. Testing results provide concrete evidence of brain injury effects.
Symptom Documentation
We help clients maintain detailed records of symptoms, documenting their nature, frequency, and impact on daily functioning. This documentation creates compelling evidence of ongoing impairment.
Witness Testimony
Family members, friends, and coworkers observe changes in TBI victims that the victims themselves may not recognize. Their testimony about personality changes, cognitive difficulties, and functional limitations supports claims powerfully.
Life Care Planning
For severe TBIs, life care planners assess long-term needs and associated costs. Their analyses support substantial damage claims reflecting true lifetime impact.
Compensation for TBI Victims
Brain injury victims deserve compensation reflecting the full impact of their injuries. Our car accident lawyer Austin pursues maximum recovery in every category.
Medical Expenses
TBI treatment costs can be enormous—emergency care, hospitalization, rehabilitation, ongoing therapy, medications, and potential future surgeries. We document all treatment costs and project future medical needs.
Lost Income
Brain injuries frequently prevent victims from returning to their previous employment. We calculate lost wages and, when injuries cause permanent work limitations, pursue substantial lost earning capacity damages.
Pain and Suffering
The physical discomfort, emotional distress, and diminished quality of life that brain injuries cause warrant significant non-economic damages. We fight for pain and suffering awards reflecting TBI’s true impact.
Loss of Enjoyment
Brain injuries rob victims of activities they previously enjoyed. Hobbies abandoned, relationships strained, and pleasures lost all represent compensable damages.
Future Care Needs
Severe TBIs may require lifetime care—attendant care, residential facilities, and ongoing therapy. We ensure settlements and verdicts account for these substantial future costs.
The Stakes in TBI Cases
Because brain injuries can cause permanent, life-altering damage, the stakes in TBI cases are exceptionally high. Inadequate settlements leave victims without the resources they’ll need for decades. Our Austin car accident lawyers understand these stakes and fight accordingly.
If you’ve suffered a brain injury in an Austin car accident, contact our car accident attorneys Austin for a case evaluation. We’ll review your medical evidence, assess your damages, and explain how we can fight for the compensation your injury deserves.