Brain Injury Lawyers, San Antonio Texas

Brain injury is a common cause of disability among young adults throughout Texas. They can cause problems with memory loss and communication. In some cases brain injuries can lead to inappropriate behavior. Brain injury can be caused from a variety of events; most commonly brain injuries are caused by blunt trauma to the head during auto accidents, including SUV rollovers and roof crush, commercial trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents and sports accidents. The lawyers of the Law Offices of Pat Maloney are skilled San Antonio personal injury lawyers who have experience in cases of brain injuries that result from auto accidents, construction accidents and oil field accidents.

Victims of head trauma do not always suffer damage to the brain. In some cases, immediately after getting hit in the head, a person may loose his or her memory or difficulty with speech, but over time these problems recede. But, if during the head trauma a vessel is punctured in the brain or if brain tissue is directly damaged, the permanent brain injury may be present. The important question to determine is whether the symptoms are improving over time, or getting worse. If getting worse then the brain injuries may have occurred.

Delayed Brain Damage

When a brain vessel develops a hole during a head injury, then each time the heart beats and pumps blood, blood will leak out of this vessel hole into the brain. If it is a small hole, then brain damage could take days to appear. This is why immediately after head trauma, brain scans may not pick up any damage. Also, this is why it is important for someone who has suffered head trauma, not to be left alone immediately after the incident, even if the person feels fine. Of course, if a larger vessel hole develops during the head injury, then the vessel would gush blood on each heart beat and the brain could fill up quickly and the damage would be immediate.

In addition to head trauma, brain injuries can also be caused by toxins that enter the blood stream and damage the brain. These toxins could be naturally occurring or manmade toxins that appear at work sites or as a result of a manufacturing process. Lack of oxygen can cause brain injuries as well. Lack of oxygen can occur due to breathing apparatus malfunction, or if ventilation in closed areas in not functioning properly.

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Symptoms of Brain Injuries

There are key symptoms that indicate a brain injury has occurred.

Headache: The victim has headaches. The headaches are caused as the fluid inside the head increases, but because the skull cannot expand, the increasing pressure causes pain in the head area.

Seizures: Seizures are a common symptom of brain injuries. Seizures occur when the brain injury has caused blockage of the natural flow of electrical currents through which the brain cells communicate. The resulting bursts of electrical activity can cause seizures.

Nausea and Vomiting: Nausea and vomiting can also occur due to the build-up of pressure on the brain.

Vision and Hearing Loss: Vision and hearing problems are a common symptom of a brain injury. The visual and auditory systems require large areas of the brain to function properly. If a brain injury has disrupted blood flow or caused scarring in one of these areas, then hearing and/or vision can be impaired.

Behavioral and Cognitive Problems: Behavioral and cognitive symptoms can also occur with brain injuries. Common among these would be speech problems, sudden mood swings, memory loss, language problems or changes in personality.

Balance Problems: An inability to maintain constant balance can also be a sign of brain injuries.

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Treatment for Brain Injuries

Currently, there is great focus on new treatments for brain injuries. Because of diseases like Alzheimer's and other degenerative brain disease, considerable scientific work is underway to develop drugs to protect brain cells from damage after a head injury. For example, such a drug could be used at an accident scene and protect a car accident victim from brain damage due to a head injury. These drugs are designed to block or impede the body's natural processes after a head injury has occurred. For example, the brain may release large amounts of a chemical to stop the bleeding or to fight inflammation in the brain after head trauma. But these same chemicals can also be the cause of damage to specific brain cells. This work could potentially prevent the disability normally associated with brain injuries and head trauma.

If a person has suffered a brain injury due to negligence by another party, then the victim or the family members may be entitled to compensation. Brain injuries and other serious personal injuries can be caused by defective automotive design, such as poor crashworthiness, construction accidents, oil field accidents and other events.

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