Eagan Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer

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Experienced Brain Injury Lawyers Serving All of Minnesota

The brain is one of the most complex and vital organs in the human body. It controls everything from basic bodily functions to our thoughts, emotions, and memories. When a traumatic brain injury occurs, it can disrupt any of these processes, resulting in a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments.

At Sieben Polk P.A., we’re dedicated to helping traumatic brain injury victims and their families seek justice and rebuild their lives. If you or a loved one has suffered a TBI in Minneapolis or the surrounding areas, we can help you determine if you have a viable case and lead you through the legal process to seek compensation for your losses.

Recovering Damages After a Minneapolis Traumatic Brain Injury

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s negligence—such as road rage, drunk driving, brake checking, tailgating, or failure to keep properties safe for visitors—you may have the right to seek compensation for the losses you suffered as a result of the injury. These losses can include both economic and non-economic damages.

Both types of damages may be available through a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the liable party and their insurance company. The best way to determine which damages you’re entitled to and start taking legal action is to consult with an experienced traumatic brain injury lawyer at our law office.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are tangible and monetary in nature. Financial documentation such as receipts, bills, and pay stubs can support their monetary value.

Brain injuries often require extensive medical treatment, including emergency care, hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, and medications. These costs can add up quickly and become a huge financial burden for accident victims and their families. You may be eligible to recover compensation for past medical expenses as well as future medical needs related to the brain injury.

The effects of brain injuries often prevent victims from being able to return to work or perform their jobs at the same level as before. Your economic damages may include compensation for lost wages and loss of earning capacity to make up for the income you would have earned had the injury not occurred.

Suppose your traumatic brain injury occurred in a car accident or other incident that caused damage to your personal property, such as your vehicle. In that case, you may be entitled to compensation for the cost of repairs or replacement.

In cases of wrongful death, economic damages may also include things like funeral/burial expenses and lost income the decedent might have contributed to their surviving family.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are intangible and more difficult to assign a monetary value to due to their subjective nature. They represent the physical, emotional, and psychological toll that the brain injury has taken on the victim’s life. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Brain Injury Statistics

Approximately 190 TBI-related deaths and 586 TBI-related hospitalizations occur each day in the United States. Another 2,700 Americans are treated for TBIs in hospital emergency departments on any given day.
An estimated 5.3 million people live with TBI-related disabilities in the United States.
Approximately 25 percent of adults with TBI are unable to return to work a year after their injury.
Male TBI victims are almost twice as likely to be hospitalized and three times more likely to die than female TBI victims.
People aged 75 years and older represent around one-third of all TBI hospitalizations and deaths.
The highest rate of brain injury occurs in people aged 15-24 years.

What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, occurs when an external force causes damage to the brain. This can happen from a blow or jolt to the head or from an object penetrating the skull and entering the brain tissue.

TBIs vary in severity, but nearly all involve some form of physical damage to the brain, which can result in short-term or long-term changes in brain function. These changes can affect a wide range of abilities and behaviors, such as thinking, movement, sensation, and emotions. Other serious injuries, such as neck and back injuries, burn injuries, and amputation injuries, may also accompany a TBI, adding to the complexity of recovery.

Common Causes of TBIs and Head Injuries

TBIs can happen to anyone, at any age, and for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries and other head injuries include:

Falls – Slips and falls are the leading cause of TBIs among adults 65 years and older.
Motor vehicle accidents – Car accidents and other motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of TBI among the general population, accounting for roughly half of all TBI incidents. Airbag injuries, whiplash, and other types of head impact are all potential causes of TBIs from car accidents.
Sports injuries – Nearly 300,000 sports-related TBIs occur each year.
Workplace accidents – Certain occupations, such as construction work and factory jobs, can put individuals at a higher risk of suffering a TBI.
Assaults – Physical altercations and violent attacks can also cause serious brain injuries.
Explosive blasts – Military personnel and civilians living in war zones are at risk for TBIs from explosive blasts.
Shaken baby syndrome – Infants and young children can suffer TBIs from being shaken by caretakers.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

There are two main types of traumatic brain injuries—closed and open:

Most TBIs are closed injuries. Specific types of closed head injuries include:

Concussion – A concussion is a mild form of brain injury that occurs when the head suffers a sudden impact that causes it to move rapidly back and forth.
Coup-contrecoup – Because the brain is suspended in a fluid within the skull, a coup-contrecoup TBI injury occurs when an outside impact on one side of the head (coup) causes the brain to strike the opposite side within the skull (contrecoup).
Diffuse axonal injury – This is a severe TBI that occurs when shaking or strong rotation of the head causes widespread tearing of axons in the brain, which are responsible for transmitting messages between neurons.
Intracranial hemorrhage – Some TBIs result in a layer of blood forming in the brain tissue or underneath the skull, known as an intracranial hemorrhage, which can create pressure against the brain and result in tissue damage.

Other Kinds of Traumatic Brain Injuries

In addition to the tripartite classification into mild, moderate, and severe, TBIs can also be organized based on other impacts they have on a person’s well-being and level of consciousness:

Coma – A prolonged state of unconsciousness in which external stimuli cannot awaken the patient.
Vegetative state – A state of wakefulness without meaningful awareness or response to stimuli.
Persistent vegetative state – A vegetative state lasting longer than one month.
Minimally responsive state – A state of partial awareness in which the patient may exhibit inconsistent responses to stimuli.
Brain death – Complete and irreversible loss of brain function.

Long-Term Effects of Mild, Moderate, and Severe TBIs

Traumatic brain injuries often have long-term effects that can impact a person’s daily life. The severity of the initial injury plays a significant role in the extent and type of long-term effects a person may experience.

Health Effects of Mild TBIs

While most individuals recover from a mild TBI within one week to one month, some people continue to experience symptoms for a more extended period. This outcome, often known as persistent postconcussive syndrome, is more likely for individuals older than 40 years and those who did not get sufficient rest after their injury. Common symptoms of postconcussive syndrome include:

Health Effects of Moderate and Severe TBIs

Moderate and severe TBIs often cause permanent damage to the brain that can lead to a lifetime of challenges. The most extreme cases result in death, with a moderate to severe TBI reducing a life expectancy by nine years.

Though fatal TBIs can take years to unfold, people with TBIs are significantly more likely to die from seizures, drug poisoning, infections, and pneumonia compared to those without. In addition to an increased risk of death, moderate and severe TBIs can also cause life-altering impairments in thinking, learning, motor skills, hearing, vision, emotion, mood, and behavior.

The exact effects a person experiences often depend on the part of the brain that was injured. The frontal lobe, for example, is responsible for reasoning, problem-solving, planning, and impulse control. Damage to this area can result in difficulty making decisions, controlling emotions and behavior, and solving problems. Other potential effects of moderate and severe TBIs include:

Memory loss
Paralysis
Balance and coordination problems
Impaired language abilities
Sleep disturbances
Fatigue
Seizures

Changes in sensory perception
Increased aggression or anger
Personality changes
Depression
Trouble with learning skills
Difficulty with thinking clearly

Contact a Minnesota Brain Injury Attorney Today

At Sieben Polk P.A., our personal injury lawyers bring more than 50 years of experience to litigating traumatic brain injury cases. Our brain injury attorneys’ success has led to many large settlements and verdicts on behalf of our personal injury clients. We’re ready to fight for you and provide the high-quality, individually tailored legal services you deserve.

If you or a loved one is a victim of a traumatic brain injury, schedule your free consultation with the experienced Minnesota traumatic brain injury lawyers at Sieben Polk P.A. by calling (651) 437-3148 or filling out our online contact form. You pay nothing unless we obtain compensation on your behalf.

Sources

“Brain Injury Facts – International Brain Injury Association.” International Brain Injury Association, Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

“TBI Data.” CDC, Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion, 7 Sept. 2023.

“Brain Injury Statistics.” Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance, Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

“Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 28 Nov. 2023.

“Facts About Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury.” CDC. Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

“Traumatic Brain Injury.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

Payne, William, et al. “Contrecoup Brain Injury.” NIH NLM, 22 May 2023.

Tenny, Steven, et al. “Intracranial Hemorrhage.” NIH NLM, 17 June 2022.

“Complications of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Veterans and Military Personnel: A Systematic Review.” NIH NLM, 1 Jan. 2013.

“Brain Injury Severity.” Brain Injury Association of America, Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

“Recovering from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion.” Michigan TBI Services and Prevention Council, Apr. 2008.

“Glasgow Coma Scale.” NIH NLM, 12 June 2023.

“Postconcussive syndrome.” NIH NLM, 28 Aug. 2013.

“Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury is a Lifelong Condition.” CDC, Traumatic Brain Injury, Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

“Long-Term Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury.” University of Utah Health, 6 Dec. 2021.

“Potential Effects of a Moderate or Severe TBI.” CDC, Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion, 10 Apr. 2023.