What Happens Immediately After a Brain Injury?

Help From an Experienced Brain Injury Lawyer

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when victims suffer from a blow to the head after a car accident, assault, slip and fall, and other unfortunate circumstances. It can leave victims with bruised brain tissue and tear blood vessels. Specific areas of the brain that are typically affected are the frontal and temporal lobes.

Closed Head Injuries 
A closed head injury is very dangerous. When the brain suddenly thrusts back and forth, it's prone to stretch and injure neuronal axons. They are long, threadlike arms of nerve cells that link cells to each other, along with the rest of the body. The damage can interrupt communication between the brain and other parts of your body. It can be challenging to detect this type of injury through an MRI or CAT scan; however, it is very noticeable based on one's ability to function.

Open Head Injuries
Open head injuries are another classification of TBI, which occurs when the skull gets penetrated by a bullet or objects that pierce through the bone. These types of injuries are typically focal and can be just as severe as closed head injuries. Doctors can detect the damage through diagnostic testing.

Immediately After a TBI

When TBIs occur, the brain tissue reacts to the sudden internal trauma, biochemical and physiological responses. It can result in severe damage, such as destroyed brain cells, called secondary cell death. Your functioning capabilities are likely to have been impacted if your injury has caused loss of consciousness (LOC) for minutes, hours, weeks, or even months. The impact of a brain injury can be unpredictable. That's why it's best to get legal help immediately from head trauma accident attorneys in Los Angeles.

What Determines the Severity of the Injury?

The severity of the injury is determined by the level of brain tissue that has been damaged. Keep in mind that brain tissue cannot be measured directly. Instead, it is estimated based on the duration of LOC and degree of coma.

Doctors measure the depth of the coma through the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS measures the functioning of the following: eye-opening, motor response, and verbal response. As for the severity of one's injury, it is classified by three levels: mild, moderate, and severe.

How Long is Recovery?

The length of recovery depends on the severity of one's injury. It might take a few months for victims to recover from minor damages. Whereas those suffering from moderate to severe damages will need an extended recovery period from several months to a year. There are several stages of recovery for TBI injuries, although it varies on the individual. Victims can suffer from long-term complications.

Contact a Head injury Lawyer Los Angeles

At Gutierrez Law, our team is highly experienced in representing victims of traumatic brain injuries. We understand how stressful and painful it can be to deal with the repercussions of a brain injury, which is why we want you to know that we are here to help every step of the way.

Feel free to reach out to us any time to speak to a reputable personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles. We have worked on many of these cases, and our attorneys know exactly what it takes to pursue justice on our client's behalf.