Brain Injury Lawsuits in Florida
Do you need a Brain Injury Lawyer in Florida?
If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury (TBI) in Florida, you know that this condition can have a life-altering and long-lasting effect on you and your family. When these injuries are caused by an accident that was someone else’s fault, you and your family may have legal rights to compensation.
If you or someone close to you has suffered a TBI, you need a dedicated, experienced attorney who will fight to pursue the compensation you deserve. The Florida brain injury lawyers at Brooks Law Group have 20-plus years of compassionate experience representing and supporting people who have suffered TBIs in accidents caused by negligence.
We are ready to bring our knowledge and skill to your case. We will aggressively seek compensation that will not only cover your expenses now, but will also account for the impact this injury will have on your life in the future.
Our consultations are always free, and we represent clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will pay us nothing up front. We will cover all of the expenses associated with your case. We will only take payment if and when we win your case.
Turn to our team for help by calling us or reaching out to us online now to schedule your consultation.
Common Causes of Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries have numerous causes. Oftentimes, the careless acts of other people lead to these head injuries. Common causes due to the wrongdoing or negligence of others may include:
- Falls from heights
- Worksite accidents
- Assaults
- Sports accidents
Talk to an experienced Tampa brain injury attorney about the details of your case today.
Compensation for a Traumatic Brain Injury
If you have suffered a TBI due to someone else’s deliberate acts or negligence, you may be entitled to certain kinds of compensation. Typically, compensation for personal injury is categorized as economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages for a traumatic brain injury may include:
- Medical expenses – This could include hospital stays, doctor’s visits, surgeries, medication, medical equipment, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, emotional therapy, and much more.
- Lost wages – If you missed time on the job owing to a TBI, you may be entitled to claim the wages and income you lost. If your injury prevents you from returning to your old job or at your prior skill level, you may be able to collect the difference in pay from your pre-injury income.
Non-economic damages may include:
- Pain and suffering – This covers the physical and emotional distress caused by your injury. Additional damages include the loss of quality of life and inability to participate in pre-injury activities.
- Loss of companionship – Your spouse or your family may be entitled to claim compensation for the loss of your companionship, society, and services to your spouse or family due to your injury.
In rare cases, you might be awarded additional financial compensation called punitive damages if your injury was caused by intentional or wantonly reckless acts of another party.
When Can You File a Personal Injury Claim in Florida after a TBI?
Under Florida law, you have a limited period of time following a traumatic brain injury to file a personal injury claim against the persons or entities responsible for your injury. This time limit is known as the statute of limitations.
In Florida, a victim has four years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim for a TBI. If you fail to file your traumatic brain injury claim within the statute of limitations, you may be forever prevented from pursuing a traumatic brain injury lawsuit.
In some narrow circumstances, the law may authorize a pause (or “tolling”) of the statute of limitations. The discovery rule is the most common basis for tolling. Under this rule, the statute of limitations is put on hold until an injured person knows or should know the facts essential to their claim. If the victim is a minor, Florida law also can increase the statute of limitations to seven years under certain limited circumstances.
Although you and your Florida head injury attorney have a relatively finite window within which to file a personal injury lawsuit for a TBI, there is no need to rush a settlement. It may be advisable to wait until you and your legal counsel better understand the full breadth of the medical, rehab, and other necessary and possibly extensive expenses going forward. Once your case is resolved by settlement or at trial, it’s essentially a done deal, and further claims for the same injury are off the table.
Look to Brooks!
Call us today
1-800-LAW-3030
Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury
According to the Mayo Clinic, TBIs can cause a wide variety of both physical and psychological symptoms of varying severity. These symptoms may appear immediately after an injury or may take days or weeks to manifest.
In a relatively mild TBI, some of the symptoms may include:
- Brief loss of consciousness up to a few minutes
- Being dazed, confused, or disoriented
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue or drowsiness
- Speech problems
- Excessive sleeping
- Dizziness or balance issues
- Sensory problems, like blurred vision, ringing in the ears, a bad taste in the mouth, or changes in smell
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Memory or concentration issues
- Mood swings or changes
- Depression or anxiety
In a moderate to severe TBI, additional physical symptoms may include:
- Loss of consciousness for several minutes to hours
- Long-lasting headache or a worsening headache
- Repeated vomiting or nausea
- Convulsions or seizures
- Pupil dilation
- Clear fluids draining out of the nose or ears
- Inability to be awoken from sleep
- Finger or toe weakness or numbness
- Loss of coordination
- Acute confusion
- Agitation, combativeness, or other unusual aggressive behavior
- Slurred speaking
- Coma or other consciousness disorders
Children who have suffered TBI may also display certain unique symptoms, such as:
- Nursing or eating habit changes
- Unusual or easy irritability
- Persistent crying and inability to be consoled
- Attention span changes
- Sleep habit change
- Seizures
- Sadness or depression
- Drowsiness
- Sudden loss of interest in toys or activities
Seek immediate medical attention to obtain a diagnosis and treatment.
How a Brain Injury Can Change Your Life
With rest and time, some mild traumatic brain injuries can resolve with no permanent effects. However, moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries can leave victims with permanent, life-altering effects even after a full period of healing.
Long-term consequences may include the following:
- Motor skills deficits, like paralysis, difficulty walking, and loss of fine motor skills
- Physical issues, such as sleep disorder, loss of stamina, appetite changes, and chronic pain
- Cognitive problems, including issues with attention and concentration and memory, confusion, altered mood, and impulsiveness
- Speech and language issues, like slurred speech, speaking very fast or very slow, aphasia (difficulty with talking and understanding language or ideas), and problems with reading comprehension
- Sensory issues, such as vision loss, hearing loss, diminished taste and smell, and difficulty perceiving touch or temperature
Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury
Treatment protocols for a TBI depend on the severity of an injury. For a mild traumatic brain injury, the course of treatment may only involve rest and over-the-counter pain relievers to treat headaches.
TBI treatment also involves monitoring the injured person for any persistent, worsening, or new symptoms that may indicate a more severe injury. After suffering a mild TBI, the victim should limit physical and cognitive activities until cleared by a doctor.
Moderate and severe TBIs usually require emergency care. Such injuries require ensuring that the victim has adequate blood supply to the brain and preventing any further complications or harm.
Treatment for moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries can include:
Medication
This regimen may include diuretics, which reduce fluid pressure inside the brain, anti-seizure medication, or coma-inducing drugs to reduce the brain’s need for oxygen and nutrients if there are blood flow problems.
Surgery
This form of intervention may be performed to stop bleeding in the brain, remove clotted blood, repair skull fractures, or open a window in the skull to relieve pressure on the brain.
Rehabilitation
This may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and emotional therapy to help an injured person relearn basic skills.
How Our Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer in Florida Can Help
If you or a loved one has suffered a TBI caused by someone else’s actions or negligence, you may have legal rights and options to pursue a wide range of compensation for your losses.
The brain injury attorneys in Florida at Brooks Law Group can take on the burden of collecting the evidence critical to proving your claim, calculating your losses, building a case, negotiating with insurance companies, and, if necessary, pursuing your claim to trial to seek the compensation you deserve.
With our TBI lawyers in Florida taking charge of your claim, you can focus 100 percent on recovering from your injury. We have deep compassion for our clients and the families of those who have sustained this type of injury.
Don’t wait another day to start pursuing the compensation you deserve and need for your recovery. Contact our Florida brain injury lawyer today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your rights and options and learn more about how we can help you.
Call Brooks Law Group, fill out our website response form, send us an email, or speak with us via live chat now.
