It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the impact of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the quality of someone’s life. When this type of devastating and life-altering injury is caused by a fatigued truck driver, trucking company that fails to conduct mandatory drug testing, or inadequate maintenance of a big-rig, the emotional toll of such a debilitating and preventable injury is even more tragic. A traumatic brain injury can negatively impact every area of your life and rob you of your ability to communicate with others, earn a living, or perform even the most basic functions of daily life. The complex physiology of brain injuries combined with the staggering medical cost of care for this type of catastrophic injury makes it essential that you work with a San Francisco trucking accident law firm that handles traumatic brain injury cases. The law firm you choose to handle you TBI can have a substantial impact on the outcome of your TBI trucking accident claim. Because these types of injuries tend to be so debilitating and often involve enormous medical costs, insurance companies will fight aggressively to avoid paying these claims.
Many People’s Lives Are Dramatically Altered by Traumatic Brain Injuries
Our experienced San Francisco trucking accident attorneys work closely with medical experts to explain to a judge or jury how a trucking accident caused a TBI as well as to provide a clear explanation as to how our client’s brain injury will impact their future. Our knowledgeable Bay Area TBI accident lawyers recognize that a traumatic brain injury may devastate our clients’ lives so we provide caring, but tenacious legal representation to help our clients obtain the financial compensation they need to rebuild their lives and move past their injuries. We are well aware that no sum of money can return your ability to tell someone close to you that you love them, give you back your ability to walk, or return your reasoning skills and decision-making capacity. What we can do is help you ensure that you have the financial resources you need to maintain the highest quality of life for both you and your family.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries
Many presume that traumatic brain injuries are rare events and that it is highly unlikely that they will actually experience one during their lifetime. In reality, traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death for those under the age of 45. It has been estimated that there are approximately five million people that are currently living with traumatic brain injuries and that a new traumatic brain injury occurs about every 15 seconds. Approximately 400,000 people visit emergency rooms annually who have suffered head injuries. Almost 75 percent of those injuries are considered moderate to severe head injuries. This means that the effects of the injury persist and can result in long-term problems. The leading causes of brain injuries are motor vehicle accidents. Because of the massive size and weight of a tractor-trailer, they generate more force of impact increasing the risk of a serious head injury.
A traumatic brain injury may be focal, meaning that it affects a small portion of the brain, or it can be diffuse, meaning that a large portion of the brain is affected. Certain types of brain injuries called “closed brain injuries” occur when an outside force results in impact to the head causing the brain to be forcibly jolted against the hard bony structure of the inside of the skull. Serious traumatic brain injuries can also occur when a foreign object penetrates through the skull into the brain during a San Francisco trucking accident.
If you suffer any sort of traumatic brain injury, it is important to keep in mind that you may not feel significant symptoms immediately after the trucking accident that caused your head injury. Many times people who suffer very serious closed head injuries feel perfectly normal or have only minor symptoms immediately after the accident. Even if you experience only minor symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention because you may have bleeding into the space between the skull and brain that will continue to increase the pressure on your brain and may cause severe long-term injury or even death. If you obtain medical attention, they will sometimes drill holes in the skull to relieve the pressure on the brain.
The impact of a traumatic brain injury on the quality of someone’s life can be substantial. A serious traumatic brain injury may result in the following effects:
- Loss of motor skills and mobility
- Impaired memory and reasoning skills
- Difficulty with communication and speech
- Loss of bodily functions, control and sensation
- Damage to one’s ability to care for one’s own needs and one’s family
We know that a personal injury lawsuit cannot give you back what you have lost when you suffer a TBI in a San Francisco trucking accident or anywhere throughout the Bay Area. However, it has been estimated that the cost to treat a serious TBI over one’s lifetime ranges between a low estimate of about $500,000 and a high estimate of almost $3 million. This type of catastrophic injury can lead to astronomical medical expenses, which can cripple a family financially and also rob a family of its breadwinner. We have represented other serious trucking accident victims in throughout the Bay Area recover compensation that has enabled them to maintain the highest quality of life possible after suffering a TBI and provide for the future financial needs of their family.
Contact Us
If your are injured in a San Francisco tractor-trailer collision, our experienced San Francisco trucking accident lawyers at Zimmerman Law may be able to help. If you or someone you love has been injured or a loved one has died in a San Francisco tractor-trailer accident, you should contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.