brain

Free Consultation

Brockton Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers

Strong advocacy when accidents cause TBIs

Just one forceful blow to your head can change your life forever. TBI victims often live with constant pain, emotional suffering, and cognitive challenges. TBI victims may need months, years, or a lifetime of expensive treatments and prescriptions. At The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan, we are respected by former clients, insurance companies, and defense lawyers for our compassionate, tough representation of our clients and our record of impressive settlements and verdicts when accidents cause injuries – including TBIs. Our trusted Brockton traumatic brain injury lawyers help prove who is responsible and work with neurologists and other specialists to show just how devastating your traumatic brain injury (or that of a loved one) is. Call us now to hold the responsible parties accountable.

Free Consultation

How we can help

Boxer Dog blue

What is a traumatic brain injury?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 214,000 people were hospitalized in the US for TBI-related disorders, and 69,473 people died due to TBI-related conditions in 2021. The numbers are probably much higher since many TBIs go unreported.

John Hopkins Medicine defines a traumatic brain injury as occurring when a “sudden, external, physical assault damages the brain.” The damage caused by these injuries can be “focal (confined to one area of the brain) or diffuse (happens in more than one area of the brain).” TBIs are graded as mild, moderate, or severe. TBIs can cause comas, disability, and death.

Brain injuries occur in one of the following two ways:

  • Closed brain injury. This type of TBI is generally caused by “a rapid forward or backward movement and shaking of the brain inside the bony skull that results in bruising and tearing of brain tissue and blood vessels.”
  • Penetrating brain injury. This type of TBI involves a break in the skull – for example, a bullet or something external strikes the skull.

A “diffuse axonal injury is the shearing (tearing) of the brain's long connecting nerve fibers (axons) that happens when the brain is injured as it shifts and rotates inside the bony skull.”

Primary brain injury refers to the initial impact. A secondary brain injury refers to the time, hours, or days after the initial impact, when “an entire series of steps or stages of cellular, chemical, tissue, or blood vessel” causes further damage.

What are the symptoms of a TBI?

Our Brockton traumatic brain injury lawyers work with the treating physicians to determine what symptoms were present initially and what complications may result from a TBI. Common TBI effects include:

  • Cognitive deficits. These may include coma, confusion, a short attention span, loss of sense of space and time, a reduction in the awareness of others, and many other conditions.
  • Motor deficits. These conditions may include weakness, paralysis, balance difficulties, an inability to plan motor movements, spasticity, problems swallowing, and other disorders.
  • Perceptual or sensory deficits. Common symptoms and difficulties include sensory changes (all five senses), difficulty understanding where limbs are in relation to the body, and other problems.
  • Communication and language deficits. Examples include difficulty talking and understanding speech, selecting the right words, reading, writing, and other challenges.
  • Functional deficits. Examples include difficulty with daily living tasks such as eating and bathing, the inability to drive a car or operate equipment, and other disabilities.
  • Social difficulties. These challenges include problems making and keeping friends, impaired social capacity, and other disorders.
  • Regulatory disturbances. These symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, loss of bowel and bladder control, headaches, and sleep and eating changes.
  • Personality or psychiatric changes. Examples include anxiety, irritability, apathy, and depression.

Different scales are used to measure a TBI, including the Glasgow coma scale, the Rancho Los Amigos 10-level scale of cognitive functioning, functional independent measurements, and other scales.

What are the treatments for a TBI in Brockton?

Injured parties should always seek immediate medical care, even if symptoms are mild. Doctors may be required to intubate, secure the neck, or attempt other relevant emergency interventions if a TBI is suspected. Doctors may also need to prescribe specialized medicines, including diuretics, anti-seizure drugs, and prescription pain medication.

For the most serious cases, surgery may be required to remove clotted hematomas, bone fragments, or excess blood. Rehabilitation is often necessary to help victims re-learn how to use certain parts of the body.

TBI victims in Brockton often need treatment from a range of medical specialists, therapists, and providers – for the rest of their lives.

brain

What types of accidents cause traumatic brain injuries in Brockton?

Some of the common causes of brain injuries include:

  • Slip and fall accidents. Falls are a leading cause of TBIs. Falls are much more likely to occur among children and the elderly.
  • Car accidents. Traffic violations like speeding, running red lights, or driving under the influence of alcohol may cause an accident and result in catastrophic head trauma. TBIs can occur when a driver or passenger strikes a dashboard, another occupant, or a windshield or when the impact causes the violent shaking of their head.
  • Truck accidents. Given their size and weight, commercial trucks can exert a tremendous force upon passenger vehicles in an accident.
  • Pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents. Pedestrians have no protection when they are struck by a moving vehicle. A pedestrian’s head can easily be severely injured as the pedestrian is struck violently by a vehicle or hits the ground. Bicycle riders have no protection either unless they are wearing a helmet, which doesn’t always protect them.
  • Construction accidents. Construction workers are at constant risk of TBIs due to falling objects. Other risks are falls from heights and construction vehicle accidents on the job site.
  • Medical malpractice. Patients in Brockton may suffer a traumatic brain injury due to the failure to properly diagnose a stroke or heart attack, failure to prevent excessive blood loss during procedures, and failure to follow proper intubation procedures.
  • Workplace injury. Employers are obligated to provide their employees with safe working conditions and reasonable accommodations. If you suffer an accident due to unsafe working conditions, your employer may be responsible for your TBI and any other injuries you suffer. Recovery for workplace injury claims is generally handled through workers’ compensation claims.
  • Product liability. Product manufacturers have the responsibility to ensure their products are safe for use. For example, if a ladder is not manufactured correctly, a greater risk of a fall accident and a TBI might occur.
  • Premises liability. Property owners have a duty of care for people who are on their property. For example, If a business owner does not notify customers of a wet floor in his store, and a patron slips and falls, the owner may be held liable for the resulting TBI or other damages. Property owners may also be liable if a violent assault on their property causes a TBI.

Sporting accidents such as football injuries are a common cause of traumatic brain injuries.

We file personal injury and wrongful death claims against everyone responsible, including drivers, property owners, physicians, manufacturers, and others. Our attorneys can also file workers’ compensation claims when employees suffer injuries.

How do your lawyers fight for TBI victims?

Our Brockton brain injury lawyers will help you with your TBI claim by:

  • Investigating the causes, symptoms, and other effects of your injury
  • Collecting evidence to prove your injuries and support your claim
  • Interviewing eyewitnesses and expert witnesses for supporting statements
  • Working with you to understand your circumstances before and after the injury
  • Estimating potential future costs, so you never have to pay expenses out-of-pocket
  • Determining all the damages you have and will have – and placing a value on those damages
  • Dealing with insurance companies to negotiate fair and full settlements
  • Taking your case to trial if the insurance company will not agree to a reasonable settlement

Our goal is to give you peace of mind in knowing that your medical bills will be covered. We do all of this at no up-front cost to you. Because we work on a contingency fee basis, we only get paid if you win your claim or your case settles.

How much is my traumatic brain injury case worth?

We can review your medical care with your treating doctors and with life planners who can estimate your long-term needs. Our team can also speak with your employer, financial experts, and other witnesses who can help place a value on your claim.

Our Brockton traumatic brain injury lawyers will pursue compensation for all your damages, including your current and future:

  • Medical bills
  • Rehabilitation expenses
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Lost wages
  • Lost future earning potential
  • Loss of companionship

How much time do I have to file a TBI claim in Massachusetts?

Generally, you have three years to file a personal injury claim. Some exceptions may apply to governmental, medical malpractice, and other claims.

Don’t wait. Please contact us immediately.

Do you have a traumatic brain injury lawyer near me in Brockton, Massachusetts?

Yes. Our attorneys meet TBI victims and families at our office located at 555 Pleasant Street, Brockton, MA 02301. Our lawyers conduct conversations by phone and by online video (Zoom, for example). If you can’t drive to our office because of your traumatic brain injury, we’re available to discuss alternative arrangements.

Our lawyers will answer your questions and fight for all the compensation you deserve.

Boxer Dog

Get help from our Brockton traumatic brain injury lawyers today

For over 35 years, The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan has been fighting for the victims of serious accidents. We understand how life-changing traumatic brain injuries are. Our Brockton traumatic brain injury lawyers have the skills and working relationships with medical professionals to help you obtain the compensation you deserve. If you or a loved one has sustained a TBI, call us today or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation.