Seattle Car Accident Brain Injury Attorneys
One of the most devastating injuries you can suffer in a Washington car accident is a brain injury. Drivers and passengers may suffer catastrophic brain injuries if their head collides with the dashboard, side door or steering wheel. Even when an airbag properly deploys, there is the risk of a serious head injury if the victim's head violently shook back and forth. Brain injured victims and their families often endure a lifetime of financial and emotional burdens. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, financial compensation may be available for the damages sustained in the crash.
Types of Brain Injuries and Brain Damage
The brain is immensely complex. Exactly where the damage is located may affect the symptoms suffered by the victim.
- Frontal Lobe (directly behind the forehead): When someone's head slams into a dashboard or a windshield, the frontal lobe may be damaged. The resulting symptoms from this type of injury may include paralysis, a loss of flexibility in thinking, an inability to focus and changes in social behavior.
- Parietal Lobe (near the top and back of head): When the top of the head is struck in a Washington car accident, there is the potential for damage to be caused to the parietal lobe. This trauma could result in serious issues with reading, writing and drawing.
- Occipital Lobes (back of the head): Damage to the back of the head may result in serious issues with vision, identifying colors and word blindness.
- Temporal Lobes (above the ears on the sides): Victims of this type of brain injury may suffer from short term memory loss, increased aggressive behavior and difficulties with understating spoken words
- Brain Stem: This part of the brain controls crucial functions such as breathing, swallowing and balance.
- Cerebellum (base of skull): Victims of a damaged cerebellum may lose their ability to walk and also suffer from tremors and dizziness.
Seeking Compensation for a Brain Injury Accident
Negligent car drivers who cause Seattle brain injury accidents may be held liable for their actions. Injured victims and their families will have to prove that the at-fault driver caused the crash. Was the other driver speeding or driving distracted? Did the other motorist fail to yield right-of-way or fail to obey a traffic control device? Was the other motorist drunk or under the influence of drugs?
Victims of Washington car accidents may pursue financial compensation for their losses by filing a personal injury claim. Damages that may be covered include therapy fees, lost wages, medical bills, physical pain and mental anguish. In the case of traumatic brain injuries, compensation may also be sought for long-term treatment and care. Understanding just how much compensation is available and how to hold an at-fault driver responsible often requires the help of a skilled personal injury attorney.
The Seattle brain injury attorneys of Hardwick & Pendergast handle all types of injury accidents throughout Washington. We understand the financial and emotional burdens a brain injury can impose on the victim and his or her family. If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic injury, please contact us for a free consultation.
