Accidents involving vehicles are one of the leading causes of brain injuries. Collisions involving two vehicles may be the main cause, but pedestrians being hit by cars is also a common cause of this often debilitating injury.
At the beginning of summer 2017, a bakery manager was one block away from her workplace while on her break. As she was walking across the intersection at SE 80th Avenue and Pine Street one afternoon, a dark vehicle hit her and fled the scene.
Not all brain injuries are fatal, but in this case, the manager’s injuries were substantial and she, unfortunately, passed away a few weeks after the crash.
Steps to Take If You Suspect a Brain Injury
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that close to 1.4 million Americans suffer from some type of brain injury every year. This may be in the form of a concussion, a “closed” head injury, or it may be an acquired brain injury (i.e., when brain cells are deprived of oxygen).
Any time you suspect that you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, it is critical that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible – even if you believe that the accident was minor. Symptoms of a brain injury can take hours, days, or even weeks to appear, so a proper medical evaluation is necessary to treat your injury before it can get worse.
Seeking medical advice is also important if that injury is the result of the negligence of another. The medical report will be used by your brain injury attorney to establish the severity of harm you have suffered.
Negligence may not be so straightforward. In some instances, it can be hard to prove who was negligent in a brain injury case. If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, were they partially at fault (such as if they were jaywalking)? Was there a product which should have protected an individual but it failed to do so, resulting in a head injury (such as if you are involved in a motor vehicle crash, and your airbag did not deploy)?
Effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury can have both short term and long term effects on the impacted individual, depending on the severity of the event. Some signs appear immediately after impact, while other symptoms show up days or weeks later. Some physical symptoms of brain injury are loss of consciousness, dilation of the pupils, vomiting or nausea, persistent and/or sever headaches, weakness or numbness in the fingers and toes, and loss of coordination. Confusion, slurred speech, marked changes in behavior, and coma are cognitive symptoms of a TBI.
Why Contact Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, PC
Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, PC is a statewide personal injury firm here in Oregon which has experience handling brain injury claims. We have the knowledge, the resources, and the expert investigators necessary to prove the full value of your claim so that you can receive maximum damages for your injury.