Did you or a loved one recently suffer a brain injury in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana? Do you think the injury was due to someone else’s negligence? If so, you might have the legal option to pursue compensation for the injuries you’ve suffered. Contact Kenny Habetz Injury Law at (337) 399-9000 for a free consultation.
Traumatic brain injuries can have a serious impact on your life, potentially resulting in the loss of mobility, altered personality, and long-term medical complications. When you are facing such an uphill battle, you need a Breaux Bridge brain injury lawyer who can help you navigate the legal process, pursue compensation for the damages you’ve sustained, and rebuild your life.
Why Should I Choose Kenny Habetz Injury Law for My Brain Injury Case in Breaux Bridge, LA?
Brain injuries can be devastating and affect every facet of your life. An experienced attorney from Kenny Habetz Injury Law can be your trusted legal advocate during this challenging time in your life.
With over a decade of experience, we have earned recognitions such as National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyer, National Trial Lawyer Top 40 Under 40, and we are members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. We have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients, and we are ready to fight for you.
Contact us today for a free case review with an experienced Breaux Bridge personal injury lawyer.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury is an acquired brain injury, meaning that it occurs after birth and is not hereditary, congenital, or degenerative. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are typically caused by a sudden jolt or blow to the head. This sudden force causes the brain to move inside the skull, stretching, twisting, or tearing brain cells or nerves in the process.
How Common Are Brain Injuries?
Brain injuries are one of the most serious injuries a person can suffer. These statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Brain Injury Association illuminate the seriousness of these injuries:
- About 70,000 people died due to traumatic brain injuries in 2021.
- Nearly 215,000 people were hospitalized for TBI in 2020.
- One million Americans are treated and released from hospital emergency departments due to a TBI.
- People aged 75 and older have the highest numbers and rates of TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths, representing about one-third of such hospitalizations and about 28% of TBI-related deaths.
- Males were nearly two times more likely to be hospitalized and three times more likely to die from a TBI, compared to females.
- Approximately 5.3 million Americans are living today with a disability related to TBI.
TBIs are particularly individualized. Each brain injury victim may have unique symptoms and experiences.
Classifications of Brain Injuries
Healthcare providers classify traumatic brain injuries into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe. Mild TBIs include concussions and often heal on their own. However, because suffering a TBI can make subsequent TBIs more likely to occur in the future, it is important that your condition is properly diagnosed and treated. Medical providers may instruct TBI patients to refrain from certain physical activities to protect their healing brain.
Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries require more healing time and more invasive medical intervention, such as surgery. Moderate to severe TBIs can cause long-term side effects and result in disability or the loss of normal bodily functions.
Common Causes of Brain Injuries
Some of the leading causes of brain injuries include the following:
- Sports injuries: Football, boxing, and other contact sports can result in TBIs due to the impact to the brain.
- Motor vehicle accidents: Car, truck, and motorcycle accident victims can sustain a serious head injury due to the force of the impact. Their head may hit a hard surface, such as a steering wheel, door, or dashboard. Even if they don’t hit a hard object, they could still suffer from a serious brain injury when their brain crashes into the interior of the skull.
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents: When bicyclists or pedestrians are struck by a motor vehicle, they may suffer serious injuries, including brain injuries.
- Slips and falls: Slips and falls are a leading cause of TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths.
- Defective products: Dangerous products can explode on the user or fail to operate as intended, which can cause brain injuries.
- Criminal acts: Criminal acts such as battery, nursing home abuse, and assault due to negligent security can result in a brain injury.
- Workplace accidents: Workers may be injured on the job due to falls, falling objects, or crushing accidents.
Regardless of the cause, brain injuries can have devastating and long-lasting effects, making it essential to understand your legal rights and seek immediate medical and legal assistance after an incident.
Long-Term Effects of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can affect physical and cognitive abilities. Damaged brain cells typically do not recover over time, so brain injuries can result in various health problems. Brain injury victims can suffer physical disability or impairment, memory loss, and declines in their health.
Severe brain injuries can impede executive brain function, which can impact their ability to work, learn, remember new skills, and have normal social interactions. Brain injuries can also alter a victim’s personality, mood, and behavior, leading to irritability, depression, and mental health struggles.
Other long-term effects of TBI can include:
- Memory loss
- Problems with language skills
- Increased risk of stroke or seizure
- Decreased cognitive function
- Balance problems
- Partial paralysis
- Numbness or weakness in the arms and legs
- Sexual dysfunction
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
These effects can impair a victim’s ability to work and maintain their standard of living. They can also affect their relationships with loved ones.
Financial Compensation for a Brain Injury Case
Louisiana personal injury victims have the right to pursue compensation for their damages, which might include payment for economic and non-economic damages, such as:
- Medical expenses: Brain injuries can be expensive to treat. You or your family member may require emergency medical treatment, hospital stays, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, and other related medical services that can add up to a large sum.
- Lost wages: You have the right to be compensated for wages you lost while you were seeking medical treatment or recovering from your injuries.
- Reduced earning capacity: If you are unable to return to the same line of work or suffered a permanent disability, you can pursue compensation for your long-term income loss.
- Pain and suffering: You may have suffered emotional and physical pain and suffering that disrupts your daily life and routine.
- Reduced quality of life: Your quality of life can be drastically affected by a brain injury. You have the right to recover compensation for these reductions in your quality of life.
An experienced brain injury lawyer can gather the evidence necessary to help prove your personal injury claim.
What Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
Every brain injury case is different. The potential value of your case can depend on factors such as:
- The classification of your brain injury
- How the injury occurred
- Who is responsible for your injuries, and their insurance coverage
- Whether you can return to work
- The type and duration of medical treatment you received
- How the injury affected your life and relationships with loved ones
Our experienced legal team can evaluate your case and determine the value of your claim.
How Is My Personal Injury Claim Affected If I Contributed to the Accident?
Louisiana follows a pure contributory negligence system, so even if you were primarily responsible for causing the accident, you can still recover compensation for your injuries as long as another party shared fault. However, your compensation is reduced by your degree of fault. So, if you’re 10% at fault for the accident, your damages are reduced by 10%.
What Is the Deadline to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Louisiana?
Louisiana recently extended its statute of limitations for filing personal injury lawsuits from one year to two, giving more time to accident victims who suffer serious injuries, such as TBIs, to seek justice and compensation. However, if you miss this deadline, you can forfeit your right to recover compensation through the civil courts, so it’s essential that you reach out to an experienced brain injury attorney for help as soon as possible.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Breaux Bridge Brain Injury Lawyer
If you or someone you love has sustained a brain injury, the experienced legal team at Kenny Habetz Injury Law is here to help. A dedicated Breaux Bridge brain injury attorney can review your case, explain your legal options, and guide you through the next steps—at no cost to you. Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.
