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Brain Injuries

We like to think head injuries and traumatic brain injuries don’t happen very often. Unfortunately, such injuries are far more common than we realize: about 1.5 million cases yearly in the U.S. alone.

If you are reading this, chances are that you or someone you know has suffered brain trauma and need help. If you live in Northern Virginia or in Washington D.C., that help can be nearby. At Shevlin Smith law offices in Fairfax, Virginia, you will find attorneys who understand brain injuries, who understand the sophisticated medical issues relating to such injuries, and who understand the long and arduous path back to a normal or near-normal life. You will find lawyers who have decades of experience of handling claims that have allowed people with brain damage or trauma to get the compensation they deserve and, more importantly, to get the compensation that they NEED for appropriate care and treatment.

How does brain damage happen in the first place?

It is frequently caused by trauma. Sometimes that trauma is clearly visible, for example, when the skull has actually been damaged by fracture. Many times, however, the trauma is internal. For example, the brain can be injured when it violently collides against the skull. This can occur from shaken baby syndrome and from concussions sustained in automobile collisions or falls. In all of these types of cases, the injury to the brain causes swelling and/or bleeding within the skull. As a result, pressure within the skull increases and effectively squeezes shut the arteries in the brain, thereby preventing adequate blood flow to the brain.

In other types of cases, the brain can be injured in a less traumatic way. Again, the mechanism of injury is the same as with traumatic brain injuries – the blood flow to the brain is blocked and the brain does not receive its needed supply of oxygen. Examples include strokes where a clot forms inside an artery and blocks blood from getting past the clot and traveling to the brain; internal bleeding where a leak in a blood vessel prevents sufficient blood and oxygen from reaching the brain; cardiac arrest where the heart stops beating and, as a result, blood is no longer pumped to the brain; and overmedication, where the central nervous system doesn’t tell the heart to pump blood to the brain.

While most brain injuries are caused by accidents or physical violence, there are many that are caused by negligent medical care, that is, by medical malpractice. For example, if there is a delay in diagnosing a stroke, the clot that forms may grow big enough to totally block blood flow to a portion of your brain. In cases where anesthesia is used, if a patient is not carefully monitored, their breathing may become ineffective and the flow of oxygen to the brain severely diminished. In cases of child birth, the umbilical cord to the fetus can become pinched thereby diminishing blood flow and oxygen to the fetus.

The manifestations of brain injuries can be subtle, such as a change in personality or increased forgetfulness. In other cases, the manifestations may be profound, like coma. Regardless, treatment and rehabilitation are extremely costly.  Consequently, cases involving a brain injury are often the most fiercely contested by insurance companies.

Therefore, it is extremely important to have an attorney with many years of experience, who really understands the subject and can build and argue a successful case. Such lawyers are rare, but you’ll find three of them in your own backyard: at Shevlin Smith in Fairfax, Virginia.

The attorneys at Shevlin Smith are familiar with the state-of-art testing that is being employed to diagnose brain injuries. Such testing can confirm the presence of a brain injury that is not otherwise objectively verifiable. They have relationships with professionals in the brain injury treatment field who can assist in rehabilation, care and treatment. A multi-disciplinary team of medical and rehabilitative specialists is required to tend to their physical and emotional needs.

In short, brain injuries compromise a person’s ability to work, play, and even function by themselves. Sometimes, the full repercussions are not even detectable until later. The result: huge costs to the patient, huge costs that the insurance companies would rather not pay.

Don’t let that intimidate you, and don’t wait too long either. Instead, find a lawyer with plenty of experience and a solid track record, a lawyer who, once he has decided to take on your case, will be on your side all the way. A lawyer like the ones you will find at Shevlin Smith in Fairfax, Virginia. So if you’re in the area, in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, the District of Columbia, Fredericksburg, Prince William County, Loudoun County, or Manassas, call us for a free consultation and find out if we can help you.

Blog for Brain Injuries

• Recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury
• CDC’s New Brain Injury Study Shows Increasing Traumatic Brain Injuries in the U.S.
• Concussions Can Cause Severe Brain Injury

Library for Brain Injuries:

• Long-Term Conditions Caused by Traumatic Brain Injuries   
  Description: Traumatic brain injuries can result in physical disabilities, cognitive impairments, behavioral changes, and emotional difficulties. Learn more about your rights to recover damages for these significant injuries from Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia traumatic brain injury lawyers.
• How to Recover from Depression after a Traumatic Brain Injury   
  Description: A new study by the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that many traumatic brain-injury victims suffer from untreated major depressive disorder. The Washington D.C. and Virginia brain injury lawyers of Shevlin Smith are committed to helping traumatic brain-injury accident victims recover from their injuries and overcome their depression. Call Shevlin Smith today for more information.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries are Increasing in the U.S. According to 2010 CDC Report   
  Description: A 2010 CDC report indicates that traumatic brain injuries are increasing in the United States and that children and the elderly are at the greatest risk for TBIs. If you, or a loved one, have suffered a traumatic brain injury then the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. brain injury lawyers of Shevlin Smith may be able to help you with your financial recovery. Call a Virginia brain injury attorney today at 703.591.0067 to discuss your case.

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Case Results for Brain Injuries:

• $6 Million Settlement For Stroke Victim

Awarded: $6,000,000.00

• $3.3 Million Verdict For Wrongful Death Of 3-Year Old At Inova Fairfax Hospital

Awarded: $3,300,000.00

• Brain Injury Caused By Epidural During Cesarean Section Settled For $1.45 Million

Awarded: $1,450,000.00

• $1.375 Million Settlement Due To Nursing Error

Awarded: $1,375,000.00

Web Resources for Brain Injuries:

• Centre for Neuro Skills

  Description: The Centre for Neuro Skills was founded in 1980. Its mission is "to reduce disability, maximize independence, and achieve the maximum possible quality of life for clients who have suffered brain injury within the client existing financial constraints." Its website provides information and additional resources for people who have personally suffered a brain injury, or who have had a loved one suffer a brain injury.

• Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association

  Description: The Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association (NVBIA) is a non-profit organization whose mission
  is to improve the quality of life of brain injury survivors and to promote the prevention of brain injury. Its website is a terrific resource for information concerning brain injury, treatment and prevention.

• Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation

  Description: For each of the last three years, Kessler Institute has been named one of the nation's top 2 Rehabilitation Hospitals. It is recognized for its level of care for patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. If you or a someone close to you has suffered a brain injury, this website will hopefully provide you with answers to some of the many questions you are facing.

• Brain Injury Association of America

  Description: Founded in 1980, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is the leading national organization serving and representing individuals, families and professionals who are touched by a life-altering, often devastating, traumatic brain injury (TBI). Together with its network of more than 40 chartered state affiliates, as well as hundreds of local chapters and support groups across the country, the BIAA provides information, education and support to assist the 5.3 million Americans currently living with traumatic brain injury and their families.

• Harvard Medical School - Whole Brain Atlas

  Description: This site is a collection of MR images of the brain. It shows images of the normal brain and the diseased brain including cerebrovascular disease, neoplastic disease, degenerative disease, and inflammatory/infectious disease. For the lay user, the neuroimaging primer explains some of the different tools used to collect these images. For the more sophisticated, the site provides tours that demonstrate and explain the progression of brain injury and disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, and herpes encephalitis.

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Do I Have A Case? A Patient's Guide to Virginia Medical Neglingence La

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