Traumatic Brain Injury in Texas

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability among very young children and young adults in the United States. The CDC estimates that a total of 1.5 million United States Citizens survive a TBI every year. Those aged 0-19 are the most affected age group in the United States, with an average of 62,000 hospitalized for brain injuries annually. Very often, injuries to the brain that occur in sports activities, abusive nursing homes or daycare centers, auto accidents, and the workplace are due to someone else’s negligence.

Was your accident caused by negligence? Our TBI attorneys can help you find out. Contact Carabin Shaw today at 800-862-1260.

Traumatic brain injuries come in varying levels of severity, from mild to moderate. It is important to understand that even though an injury to the brain can be described as "mild," recovery after a brain injury can be a long and painful process for the victim.

Mildly Traumatic Brain Injury – a brain injury is usually considered mild when the sufferer losses consciousness for a brief period. However, confusion or dizziness is enough by itself. Brain scans and testing may also be normal as long as the victim has had a change in mental status for any period of time.

Moderately Traumatic Brain Injury – a brain injury is considered moderate when the victim losses consciousness for several minutes to hours. Symptoms of confusion and disorientation may last for several days or weeks. Behavioral or cognitive impairments can be permanent or last for several months. Victims of moderately traumatic brain injuries normally can make a full recovery or learn to live a somewhat normal life with their impairments.

When does an injury to the brain evolve into a traumatic brain injury? Trauma to the head that leads to brain injury is one of the most devastating and life-altering injuries one can experience. The CDC defines traumatic brain injury as “an injury to the brain that affects how the brain functions.” They can be obvious right away, especially after a serious auto accident. Sometimes, however, one can experience a brain injury that evolves into a life-threatening TBI without knowing it. Common symptoms of brain injury are everyday symptoms that can be mistaken for something else, like headaches and general irritability. They can also occur in everyday scenarios like a sports accident or a sudden, hard stop on a rollercoaster. It is important that if you've been in an auto accident or experienced any of the above symptoms to get checked out by a doctor just in case.

The first concern for any injury to the head is a brain injury. While the skull’s function is to protect the brain, it cannot reduce or protect from the effects of hard impact or fracture. Especially for the tissue directly below the point of impact, a hard blow to the head can lead to bruising of internal brain matter and even internal bleeding. Additionally, even a blow to another area of the body can cause the brain to ricochet back and forth and around the skull, causing serious damage. It is no surprise then that auto accidents constitute half of all brain injuries annually, and sports-related injuries 20% of all brain injuries. Especially for the very young and very old, even the sudden, jarring impact of a simple fender-bender can mean serious life-altering injury. Or a slip at the skating rink or a simple fall in a grocery parking lot can leave the victim crippled by brain damage for the rest of their lives.

If you or a loved one has suffered a TBI as a result of a fall or auto accident, it may be due to another party’s negligence. Contact the Carabin Shaw legal team today to find out.

Unlike a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), an Acquired brain injury is often the result of non-external forces, though it may also be a result of medical malpractice. There are two major kinds of acquired brain injuries: Anoxia and Hypoxic injuries. Anoxia is a type of injury that occurs when the brain receives no oxygen causing it to cease functioning. There are three levels of severity for Anoxia.

• Anoxic Anoxia – the brain receives no oxygen at all, causing severe injury
• Anemic Anoxia – the brain receives too little oxygen, causing severe injury
• Toxic Anoxia – oxygen to the brain is blocked by toxins or metabolites, which do not allow oxygen to reach the brain tissue

Hypoxic injuries are also a result of too little oxygen to the brain. However, the cause of this lack of oxygen is reduced blood flow to the brain. This is why it is also referred to as Ischemic Insult or Stagnant Hypoxia.

Acquired brain injuries are sometimes a result of medical malpractice. If you or a loved one has suffered an acquired brain injury while under the care of a medical professional, contact our acquired brain injury attorneys in San Antonio.

Whether it was the result of a slip-and-fall accident, an auto accident, a workplace incident, a daycare center, a nursing home, a sports injury, or medical malpractice, a TBI or acquired brain injury is often caused by the negligence of a careless third party. Our legal team at Carabin Shaw knows this all too well. There are many factors that must be evaluated when determining the cause of an injury, and some of these factors may even be unrelated to the accident itself. After suffering from a TBI or acquired brain injury, you and your family want to focus on recovery, not complicated legal battles. That’s where we come in. The Law Office of Carabin Shaw has thirty years of experience fighting for the victims of TBIs and acquired brain injuries in San Antonio and across Texas. If you or a loved one have suffered a TBI or acquired brain injury, let us help you. Contact us today at 800-862-1260 for your free consultation. We look forward to serving you.