Head Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles

Helping Clients Recover After a Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are often permanent and constantly life-changing. Suffering from cognitive damage, financial difficulties, and emotional trauma can affect victims and supporting family members. The road to recovery won't be easy, which is why you should entrust our personal injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Oscar H. Gutierrez, APC. We are not afraid to take on negligent property owners, public entities, major corporations, or manufacturers that brought on these severe injuries.

Meticulous Head and Brain Injury Lawyers at Gutierrez Law

At Gutierrez Law, we will work tirelessly to make sure we have built the strongest foundation for your accident claim. We meticulously arrange details of your claim, medical evidence, and legal documents before presenting your case to a judge in court. For over 40 years we have advocated for victims all over the state of California. We're always motivated by the knowledge that our verdicts and settlements have helped clients improve their quality of life.

Common Causes of Brain Injuries 

Brain damage can happen from abrupt physical or non-physical impact. Unlike other organs, the brain does not heal like a deep wound would. It requires extensive treatments to return to its normal functionality. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries:

Falls: They account for 40 percent of all TBIs. A person can slip or trip in unkempt spaces, such as a faulty staircase, a place of business with slick floors, or nursing homes with inadequate staffing.

Getting struck by an object: Getting struck in the head by an object or having your head strike an object account for 15.5 percent of all brain injuries.

Motor vehicle accidents: Motor vehicle accidents are 14.3 percent responsible for all brain injuries. Head trauma can occur when a person's head suddenly jerks forward and back during the collision.

Assaults: Assault or acts of malicious intent account for 10.7 percent of all traumatic brain injuries.

Other: Unknown causes account for 19 percent of brain injuries.

Determining Compensation

Accidents can happen when we least expect them. Even if an incident seems minor, you might be walking away with underlying and undetected damage. To determine how much the negligent party owes you, we need to review the type of injuries you've suffered. Our skilled attorney fully understands the medical challenges victims face after a brain injury and how to seamlessly make the legal connection.

Common Examples of Brain Injury Accidents

  • Oxygen deprivation from drowning accidents
  • Acts of violence or aggression causing head trauma
  • Inhalation of chemical vapors
  • Electric shock

Without a proper diagnosis, the symptoms and conditions could worsen. Paralysis, insomnia, memory loss, fatigue, chronic headaches, emotional disturbances, and decreased strength are just a few concerns to also look out for. Should any of them start to appear after you've received an emergency evaluation, let us know. It's important that we document additional health concerns to secure a proper settlement amount.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Blast injury – this type of brain injury occurs after an explosion at work, on a construction site, or elsewhere.

Closed head injury – closed head injury TBIs can cause concussions, internal bleeding, pressure, or other trauma. These are the most common types of brain damage, as the skull is still intact.

Penetrating head injury – resulting in a skull fracture or break. It could be due to blunt trauma from a foreign object.

Any victim of a head and brain injury might require continuous medical care, occupational/physical therapy, assistance with daily tasks, as well as other life-care services.

Related Articles About Traumatic Brain Injuries 

What Happens Immediately After a Brain Injury?
Immediately following an accident or fall, you will not know whether you have a traumatic head injury. Symptoms can take days to months to appear. But when it happens, the brain tissue reacts to trauma along with biochemical and physiological responses.

Warning signs fall into four categories:

  • Difficulty thinking
  • Slowed movements
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Inability to remember new information

Head damage can cause brain cell loss or secondary cell death. It can also severely impact how you function, from worsening headaches to slurred speech and changes in pupil size. In critical cases it's not uncommon for victims to lose consciousness for minutes, hours, weeks, or even months.

The moment you experience a head injury never take matters into your own hands. A doctor should assess the severity of the damage before referring to treatment options.

Damages Recoverable for Brain Injuries
Head injuries are among the most substantial traumas that can happen after an accident. If you choose to bring a lawsuit against the defendant, a lawyer will discuss how much your case is worth to recover compensation.

Examples of economic damages your lawyer can recover are as follows:

  • Past, current, and future medical bills
  • Costs of surgery
  • Expenses associated with assisted living devices
  • Expenses for rehabilitation and continuous treatment
  • Loss of wages
  • Loss of earning capacity
  • Property damage

The non-economic damages you can claim include:

  • Mental distress and anguish
  • Pain and suffering
  • Loss of companionship
  • Loss of reputation

4 Reasons Why You Need a Lawyer for A Traumatic Brain Injury
You should focus on healing after a minor or severe accident. You are not alone and do not have to deal with insurance companies on your own. Pursuing legal counsel is important because:

  • Damages can be hard to establish
  • TBIs require extensive medical knowledge and expert testimony
  • Insurance companies will try to take advantage of victims without lawyers
  • Brain injuries are life-threatening

Traumatic Brain Injury Caused by Slip and Fall
According to the CDC, there were 39.5 million physician office visits for unintentional injuries in the U.S. From that, over 39,000 people have died annually from accidental falls.

If the accident was minor, most victims opt-out of seeking emergency treatment. Try to avoid the mistake of not seeing a doctor after you've been injured. Depending on the nature and impact of the fall, it can require surgical intervention and a long recovery time.

Slip and fall accidents are never straightforward. The lawyer you hire will investigate, coordinate with local law enforcement and witnesses for photographic evidence and testimonials. For example, if you fell in a grocery store, the company can face liability for failing to warn customers of unsafe conditions or failing to adhere to safety regulations.

Frequently Asked Questions About TBIs

  1.  What constitutes a brain injury?
    A brain injury is often caused by a direct impact to the head. It can temporarily or permanently reduce your brain's ability to function normally. Signs of brain injury are not always apparent. You may not show symptoms until weeks or years later.
  2. How often do brain injuries happen in the U.S.?
    According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), up to 2 million people suffer from brain injuries each year. Although most of them are minor cases, close to 300,000 adults and children require hospitalization, and nearly 50,000 die each year.
  3. How can brain injuries affect my life?
    This will all depend on the nature and extent of the injury.A traumatic or acquired injury can force you out of your current occupation. If your job requires a great deal of concentration, reasoning, memorizing, and critical thinking, you may have to leave it. If things are bad enough you may require help to perform the most basic mental tasks as some injuries impede your ability to walk and move.Certain brain injuries can have a serious effect on emotions. You may become oversensitive and experience unwarranted emotional outbursts. If your brain injury adversely affects your emotions, you may find it challenging to be in social situations or see a change in your relationships.
  4. Can I make a claim if the accident occurred many years ago?
    That depends! In California, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a claim for compensation. If you discovered your injury a few years later, a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer would tell you that the statute begins from the moment you were aware of the brain damage.Keep in mind that any personal injury lawsuit launched years after the accident will be difficult to pursue. We can help you gather the evidence necessary to link your current condition to the accident. Your legal counsel should know what to look for and how to put together a convincing and compelling case.
  5. How do doctors diagnose brain injuries?
    When you receive emergency medical treatment, a doctor is likely to perform a diagnosis that identifies all the symptoms associated with your injury.

    • A full neuro exam and imaging (CT scans, X-Rays, etc.)
    • An assessment of your ability to see, move or speak

    It might take a while before the brain recovers, and your full cognitive functions are restored.

Free Consultation at The Law Offices of Oscar H. Gutierrez:

Have you suffered from a traumatic brain injury? Is a loved one still recuperating from head trauma? Have you lost someone to wrongful death due to another person's negligence? If yes, you should contact an experienced legal professional who can help you navigate the complexities involved in pursuing legal action against the entity, municipality, corporation, or person(s) responsible for your injury.

Contact us to retain the services of an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyer with a track record of success in recovering compensation for head and brain injury claims. Feel free to give us a call at (323) 999 – 3500. We will discuss the particulars of your case during a consultation and work vigorously to make certain you receive damages owed for what you endured.