What Are My Rights: Queens Personal Injury Lawyer Explains Brain Injuries After Being Hit by a Car in NYC
One of the most catastrophic types of personal injuries is a brain injury. There are several different types of brain injuries, with most serious brain injuries being classified as a traumatic brain injury or TBI. While there are many different ways that a victim could sustain a brain injury, one of the most common ways is when a victim is hit by a car. This is because, as a pedestrian, a person is not protected by an airbag, seatbelt, helmet, or even just the steel walls of a motor vehicle. Rather, a pedestrian is fully exposed to a motor vehicle accident. The NYC DOT statistics and reports find that pedestrians are 10 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident than an occupant of a vehicle. This is why brain injuries after being hit by a car in NYC is a very common type of injury that our Queens personal injury lawyer sees.
Victims who suffer brain injuries after being hit by a car in NYC may have rights under New York law to compensation for their personal injuries. This includes for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, lost future earnings, loss of consortium, property damage, and other types of damages related to being hit by a car. For brain injuries, victims may also need around-the-clock nursing home care and treatment as well as future surgery. This is because TBIs are very significant injuries, which is why victims and their families need to hire an experienced Queens personal injury lawyer like ours at Cohen and Cohen Law Group, P.C. We work hard for victims and their loved ones to ensure that their rights to compensation are protected when a negligent person, business, or government entity causes them reckless, careless, or avoidable injury.
What is a TBI?
Pedestrians are likely to suffer a brain injury after being hit by a car in NYC. The most severe type of brain injury is known as a traumatic brain injury or TBI. The CDC defines a TBI as an injury to the brain which disrupts its normal functioning due to a shock, impact, blow, or impact to the head. When a pedestrian is hit by a car, a TBI could be caused by the pedestrian being thrown to the ground or from the impact with the car to the windshield or hood—or both. Damage to the brain could occur anywhere and to any structure of the brain. From the photo of the brain diagram, you can see that there are many different structures in the brain and they all have different functions.
Types of Brain Injuries After Being Hit by a Car in NYC
Victims who suffer serious or catastrophic brain injuries after being hit by a car in NYC should contact our Queens personal injury lawyer. This is because most types of TBIs permanent affect how a person’s brain will function. This means that the person’s brain will be unable to heal and could even deteriorate further causing worse disability.
Some of the most common brain injuries after being hit by a car in NYC include the following:
- Concussions – even though concussions have been in the news lately for sports, this does not mean that a concussion is mild or common. In fact, a concussion is a very serious brain injury which many feel sports have previously done a poor job of protecting athletes. Even just one concussion could result in permanent injury to the brain, including causing debilitating headaches, sensitivity to light, and issues with cognition. Concussions are dangerous because they not only cause a physical jolt or shock to the brain, but they can cause chemical changes in the brain which future result in serious injury. Concussions can cause permanent damage even in a “mild” concussion, although there is no such thing as a mild concussion. Therefore, if you or a loved one suffered any type of concussions from being hit by a car or in any other type of bodily harm accident, call our NYC personal injury lawyer for help.
- Coup-contrecoup TBIs – most people have heard of whiplash, which is when the head whips back and forth in an impact like a whip (hence the name). But in this type of impact, the brain can also whip back and forth. This is because the brain sits in cerebral spinal
fluid (CSF) inside of the hardened skull. This means that a forceful impact can shift the brain forward and backwards in the skull causing it to strike the inside of the skull. This can result in a serious impacts to opposite ends of the brain which cause life-threatening swelling. Victims can also suffer permanent damage from even a low-speed collision if the impact causes a whiplash injury. - Diffuse axonal brain injury – this type of TBI is incredibly disruptive because it is when brain tissue actually shreds and tears resulting in serious permanent injuries. This is due to the force of an impact which physically tears and damages tissue from the violent impact. Connections and structures in the brain can be damaged and never repair, resulting in debilitating disability.
- Brain bleed – when there is bleeding in the brain, it is always dangerous. This is because it can increase the intracranial pressure in the brain which can cause physical damage to
the brain. But it can also become caustic to brain tissue, as blood around the brain can result in chemical changes which are damaging and disruptive.
Pedestrians With Brain Injuries From Being Hit by a Car in NYC Should Get Our Help
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a pedestrian accident in NYC, especially if you suffered a brain injury or TBI, call our Queens personal injury lawyer at Cohen and Cohen Law Group, P.C. to learn how we can help protect your rights to compensation under New York law. We offer FREE consultations and do not take any money upfront to bring to represent you in a personal injury case. Rather, we accept cases on a contingency fee agreement which means we only get paid a percentage of what we recover for you in a settlement or court award. There is no upfront cost to having Cohen and Cohen represent you. Learn more about your rights by calling 800-247-8164 for a FREE case evaluation or use our convenient and easy-to-use contact us box available here.
