How Did the Accident Happen?

The most common cause of a brain injury is a traffic collision. Whether you were passenger, driver, motorcycle rider, cyclist, or pedestrian, our attorneys will use every resource necessary to get to the bottom of the cause. Determining exactly what happened is critical for placing legal blame, or liability, on the responsible party. Other causes of brain injuries that may be the fault of another party include slip and falls, premises accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability accidents.

Types of Brain Injuries

There are seven main types of brain injuries that could be the result of a car crash, according to the Brain Injury Association of America, and your physician may have already explained your specific injury to you. All brain injuries should be treated with the utmost care and concern. People react and respond differently to the same type of brain injury, meaning that a “minor” concussion for one person may result in serious complications for another person, such as prolonged memory loss, loss of coordination, trouble sleeping, trouble staying awake, and chronic severe headaches.

• Diffuse Axonal Injury: A diffuse axonal injury, which can be caused by a severe head rotation, results when there are extensive nerve tissue tears throughout the brain. This disturbs the brain’s chemical process and ability to communicate. Diffuse axonal injuries may result in brain damage, coma, or death.

• Concussion (TBI): Quite possibly the most well-known brain injury, a concussion is caused by a sudden blow to the head or from whiplash when no direct impact occurs. Nerves and blood vessels may be stretched or damaged, and recovery may take months or years.

• Contusion: A contusion, or bruise in the brain caused by bleeding, is usually caused by a direct impact, such as hitting your head on the steering wheel or side window during a car crash. Large contusions may need to be removed with surgery.

• Coup-Contrecoup Injury: A coup-contrecoup injury is difficult to treat and very serious because it involves an injury to multiple sides of the brain. A direct impact may cause injury to the front of the brain, and send the brain bouncing backwards towards the rear of the skull, causing injury to the back of the brain in addition.

• Penetrating Injury

  : A penetration is exactly what it sounds like–an object goes into the brain, passing through the skull. During a car crash, this may be caused by metal from your vehicle, outside debris, or any number of other items within your car.

• Anoxic Brain Injury: If you went without oxygen after the crash, you may have experienced an anoxic brain injury. Because the brain requires oxygen at all times, if you stopped breathing and your heart stopped pumping for more than a few minutes, you may have suffered anoxic brain damage.

• Hypoxic Brain Injury: Similar to anoxic brain damage, hypoxic brain damage is caused when the brain receives some oxygen, but only a limited amount. This may be the cause of reduced blood pressure or lack of blood flow to the brain.

Call the Knowledgeable and Caring Salt Lake Brain Injury Attorneys of Christensen & Hymas Today

According to Brainline.org, 85 percent of those who survive a brain injury will recover. This may take many months or even years and the economic impact of a serious brain injury is enormous. And, this unfortunately means that 15 percent of people never fully recover.

If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury, take a minute of your time to call Christensen & Hymas to schedule a consultation with one of our brain injury attorneys. Our passionate Salt Lake car accident lawyers are eager to help you today.