Types of TBI

Our California Brain Injury Lawyers Can Help You Obtain the Maximum Compensation for Your Accident

Traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, can occur and present itself in various ways. Depending on the type and severity of the accident, the victim of a head injury may be diagnosed with different types of TBI. These injuries can be life-threatening and cause all kinds of disorders, including memory loss or sudden changes in mental condition.

Suffering a concussion in a negligent accident can have significant consequences for victims physically, emotionally, and financially. Holding the responsible party accountable is the best way to seek justice and alleviate this pain. If you or a loved one has experienced any of the common types of TBI listed on this page, please do not hesitate to call us.

At Adamson Ahdoot, our brain injury lawyers have extensive experience handling cases involving TBI. Call us today at (800) 310-1606, or reach out to us through our website to find out how you can take legal action for your accident.

California’s Most Experienced TBI Law Firm

As a Los Angeles personal injury law firm, we see many different types of brain injuries. However, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can be some of the most devastating to victims and their families.

As humans, we rely on our brains for day-to-day physical and mental functions. But, what happens when the brain suffers a concussion that results in a mild traumatic brain injury? Unfortunately, any trauma can pose a threat to your health. Even the most common types of TBI can affect your quality of life. That is why it is important to seek compensation for any brain and spinal cord injury. Especially if the injury was caused by someone else’s negligence.

Learn what we mean by a TBI injury, the impact it can have on your life, and how a personal injury attorney can be of great value in your recovery from the concussion process.

What Are the 8 Common Types of TBI?

What is traumatic brain injury? TBI injuries include a variety of conditions that result from trauma (i.e., a collision or other event that alters the brain). Generally, a TBI is either an open or closed head injury. This is depending on if there was any penetration of the skull. Below are the eight most common types of TBI injuries:

• Concussions
• Contusions
• Intracranial hemorrhages
• Intracranial hematomas
• Coup-contrecoup brain injury
• Diffuse axonal injury
• Penetrating brain injury
• Second impact syndrome

The Most Common Cause of TBI

Concussions are the most common type of TBI and account for approximately 3 out of 4 TBI’s yearly, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In best-case scenarios, this head injury is the least severe type of TBI. However, it can become more dangerous in extreme cases or if you suffer from multiple concussions. But, how long after a head injury can symptoms occur? Traumatic brain injury symptoms may include a brief loss of consciousness and feelings of confusion that persist over a day. You may also have trouble with focusing or with your memory retention.

How is The Severity of a TBI Determined?

Medical professionals and brain injury specialists will use various methods to assess and diagnose the severity of a TBI. These methods include:

• Measuring the duration of the patient’s loss of consciousness (if any)
• Seeing if the patient shows any sign of posttraumatic amnesia or confusion
• Reviewing the results of neuroimaging scans (e.g., a CAT scan or an MRI)
• Looking at the patient’s score on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

The GCS and How It Rates the Types of TBI

The GCS is a framework for evaluating the seriousness of a TBI through a scoring system that measures critical functions like eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. GCS scales from a score of 15 to 1, with a lower score indicating a more serious brain injury. The GCS then divides the 1-15 scoring scale into three grades that further reflect the severity of the TBI and allow medical staff to properly monitor the improvement or worsening of the injured person’s condition.

The 3 Grades of TBI

What are the three types of TBI grades? The three grades of head injuries include:

• Mild: This grade reflects injuries like minor concussions where you only experience a brief loss of consciousness and other temporary effects (e.g., dizziness, confusion, etc.).
• Moderate: Loss of consciousness is longer-lasting (i.e., 30 minutes or more), and other side effects also have a longer duration compared to a mild TBI.
• Severe: Your loss of consciousness lasts more than a day, and neuroimaging will likely confirm alterations to the brain (e.g., bleeding or swelling).

What Is an Intracranial Hemorrhage?

An intracranial hemorrhage is a formal term for bleeding in the brain tissue. It can cause damage to the brain and create pressure inside the skull. For example, intracranial hemorrhage is a common cause of stroke.

The 4 Types of Intracranial Hemorrhages

Not all intracranial hemorrhages are the same, and doctors generally distinguish them into four different types based on where the bleeding occurs in the brain and its nature. The four types are:

• Epidural Hematoma: A bleed that can arise via an artery or vein. It and generally occurs with the meningeal artery after a skull fracture or blunt trauma to the head. 
• Subdural Hematoma: When blood enters the subdural space, usually after the blood vessel between the brain and skull either stretches or tears.
• Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Classified as any bleeding into the subarachnoid that doctors will further classify depending on if the hemorrhage is traumatic versus non-traumatic and aneurysmal versus non-aneurysmal.
• Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage: Any bleeding into the parenchyma proper, which can come from a variety of causes such as infection, hypertension, aneurysm rupture, or a tumor.

Symptoms and Causes of Intracranial Hemorrhages

Common signs and symptoms that you may be experiencing an intracranial hemorrhage could include:

• Weakness or numbness on one side of your body (similar to stroke symptoms)
• Seizures
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Vision loss or loss of consciousness

Many different factors can cause or contribute to the onset of an intracranial hemorrhage. Some causes may relate to your family and medical history (e.g., prior history of stroke, age, race, gender, etc.). Other causes could be hypertension, drug and alcohol use, or other brain conditions like a tumor or infection. Of course, trauma from an external source could also lead to brain bleeds, such as a fall or collision.

How Can a Moderate or Severe TBI Impact Your Life?

More serious traumatic brain injuries can have some of the most damaging and long-lasting impacts on a person’s life. Depending on the severity, you may never fully recover from the injury and live the life you had before the accident. The most harmful impacts can include diminished mental capacity, paralysis, reduced motor function, and even death. Besides affecting your health, a TBI may negatively affect your social life and relationship with your spouse, family, and friends. It may also limit your ability to continue in your line of work and earn a living.

TBI’s can have many negative impacts on your life. It can affect your mental and physical abilities in a way that interferes with your family, work, and quality of life.

Is There a Link Between TBI and Spinal Cord Injuries?

How does a spinal cord injury affect the brain? The physical connection between your brain and spine means that a link can exist between TBI and spinal cord injuries. Depending on the source of the trauma for the injury, it’s possible to have both a brain and spinal cord injury. Especially where the two parts of the body meet at the neck area.

Why Is It Important to Hire a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer?

As explained above, traumatic brain injuries can have a negative and permanent effect on a person’s quality of life. Recovery can be long and not guaranteed. Although disability benefits may be available, you might not be able to work and sustain the income you were accustomed to before the TBI. Depending on the nature of your injury, you might have legal recourse options through insurance or a brain injury lawsuit against any party responsible for causing the accident.

Working with a brain injury attorney like the ones at Adamson Ahdoot may provide you with several key benefits when trying to receive owed compensation for your TBI. One of our California brain injury lawyers could be helpful in all steps of the process, from identifying liable parties, gathering evidence, advising on settlement options, and advocating for you at trial, if necessary. Personal injury cases involving catastrophic injuries like TBI can be complex and highly litigious because of the seriousness of the injury and the potential damages at stake. Having an experienced attorney on your side can help you better understand your rights and make informed decisions for your recovery.

Find the Right California Brain Injury Attorney for Your TBI Injury Case

We are a personal injury litigation law firm with offices throughout the state of California. Our attorneys at Adamson Ahdoot represent injured parties in all types of legal actions involving different types of traumatic brain injury and other serious bodily harms that result from accidents such as those caused by motor vehicles, slips and falls, and other catastrophes. We handle every aspect of the litigation claim and do our best to take an aggressive approach that centers around the goals of our client – whether that be a fast settlement or seeking justice at trial.

Schedule a free consultation to speak about your traumatic brain injury case with our attorneys by calling (800) 310-1606.