Understanding Your Rights: Concussions from New York Car Accidents
One of the severest and most disabling injuries in an auto accident is a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. The most common type of traumatic brain injury is a concussion. This is also the most commonly known type of TBI since people have heard about “concussion protocol” and awareness in professional sports. While a concussion may be the most commonly heard of TBI and the most commonly caused TBI, it is unfortunate that most people think a concussion is also the mildest type of TBI. That is simply not true. The effects of serious concussions from New York car accidents could result in devastating and catastrophic disability, including being unable to work, speak or communicate clearly, or even be able to independently care for oneself. There is nothing mild about these symptoms.
At COHEN & COHEN PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS, P.C. , our New York car accident lawyers understand how serious concussions from New York car accidents can be for victims and their families. Our compassionate team can help answer questions about what to do next as we start to investigate your claim by requesting medical records, police reports, and possibly using experts to evaluate the scene of the accident and your files. We take all personal injury cases seriously and offer FREE consultations to anyone who has been seriously injured by the reckless, careless, or negligent acts of another. Even if your doctor diagnosed you with a “mild” concussion, the effects could still be much more significant. You have rights under New York law, let us review your case for free and tell you what they are to ensure your rights are protected.
What is a Concussion?
There are many definitions of a concussion but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have the best definition in terms of understanding the brain damage due to auto accidents. Specifically, the CDC defines a concussion as “a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twisting the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching are damaging brain cells.”
It is this shock and impact which causes a concussion to the brain. The damage to the brain results in a type of dysfunction which affects how the brain works. Think of it like a muscle bruise which makes the muscle weaker and sore until it heals. The only thing different is that the brain does not heal like a muscle.
Concussions could range from mild to severe which all depend on the force of the impact and the extent of the damage to the brain. Mild concussions are less likely to result in permanent injuries and have permanent or debilitating effects. However, severe concussions typically cause permanent brain damage and have prolonged disabling effects on a person.
Symptoms of Concussions from New York Car Accidents
An individual may suffer a concussion even without hitting his or her head on anything inside of a motor vehicle during a car accident. The violent whiplash motion could result in serious damage to the brain. In addition, some of the symptoms of a concussion are not always completely manifested right after a collision. It may take days, weeks, or even months for the full symptoms of a concussion to occur. This can make it trickier to diagnose, especially because a concussion does not always show up on an imaging study like a broken bone.
Some of the most common symptoms of concussions form New York car accidents include the following:
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Memory loss
- Severe headaches
- Debilitating migraines
- Speech impairments
- Seizure disorders including epilepsy
- Brain bleed
- Difficulty eating, drinking, or swallowing
- Hazy or foggy thinking
- Cognitive functioning issues such as problem-solving difficulties
- Balance for coordination issues
- Tremors or shakes
- Inability to work in one’s prior career
- Need for nursing care or living assistance, and
- Many other common injuries, symptoms, signs, and issues caused by a concussion.
Compensation for Concussions from New York Car Accidents
Victims who suffered traumatic brain injuries such as concussions from New York car accidents may be entitled to “damages.” Under New York law, damages are the measure of relief that a victim may be entitled to any lawsuit. In personal injury actions such as motor vehicle accidents, trucking wrecks, slip and falls/trip and falls, or pedestrian knockdowns, the measure of relief that victims may be entitled to is monetary compensation. Our Queens car accident lawyers may be able to recover the following for victims suffering a concussion after a New York car accident:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical bills, both past medical bills and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Loss of consortium or relationships with loved ones
- Lost future earnings from being unable to return to the same job due to disability which results in a cut in pay
- Expenses for assisted living care and treatment
- Physical therapy, vocational therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other types of physical or emotional therapy
- Costs for a guardian in severe cases to help manage money and affairs (mortgage, vehicle loans, etc.)
- Medication costs
- Property damage, and
- Other expenses related to the New York car accident.
Ask Our Queens Car Accident Lawyers for Help if You Suffered a Concussion from a New York Car Accident
A concussion is not a mild head injury but a serious traumatic brain injury. Even if a doctor claims that your concussion is “mild,” have our experienced Queens car accident lawyers review your case with our experts. What makes COHEN & COHEN PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS, P.C. different than other law firms is that we do not charge you any upfront money to begin representing you. Rather, we only take a percentage of what we recover for you in a settlement or court award—and only once we recover it for you. Learn more about how we can help protect your rights to compensation by calling 800-247-8164 for a FREE case evaluation or use our convenient and easy-to-use contact us box available here.
