What are the Long-Term Complications of Brain Injuries?
A brain injury usually causes ongoing challenges that impact many parts of your life. Symptoms rarely fade quickly with treatment and can affect daily routines for years.
Brain injury survivors often face the following long-term complications and more:
- Cognitive Impairments: Difficulty with memory, problem-solving, or concentration can drastically alter daily life and relationships.
- Physical Limitations: Many TBI victims experience motor skill issues, chronic migraines, or balance problems that require continued rehabilitation.
- Behavioral and Emotional Changes: Depression, anxiety, personality shifts, or aggressive outbursts are common and may require ongoing psychological care.
- Need for Constant Care: Some victims require around-the-clock supervision, whether through family caregivers or professional services.
- Employment Difficulties: For some with a TBI, maintaining steady employment is difficult or unsafe, leading to a need for long-term disability insurance or alternative support.
Medical providers in Los Angeles County have established advanced resources to address ongoing rehabilitation needs that follow traumatic brain injuries. Access to local rehabilitation centers and neuro-focused clinics allows for customized treatment plans and support, improving the quality of life for survivors. These centers work together with families to coordinate necessary care and plan for the future.
What Should I Do After a Brain Injury?
After receiving medical care, consider taking the following steps:
- Get medical attention right away to ensure your condition is properly evaluated and treated.
- Follow your doctor’s treatment plan and attend all follow-up appointments to support your recovery.
- Document your symptoms by keeping a journal of physical, emotional, and cognitive changes.
- Avoid activities like sports or heavy lifting that could worsen your condition until cleared by your doctor.
- Preserve evidence of the accident by keeping medical records, accident reports, and any related documentation.
- Consult a brain injury attorney if someone else’s negligence caused your injury, so you can protect your legal rights and discuss options for compensation.
In Los Angeles, accident scenes change quickly, and gathering evidence even a few days later may become difficult. If possible, take photos of the scene and collect contact information from witnesses while details are still fresh. Many area emergency rooms follow extensive diagnostic protocols for suspected brain injuries, so ask for copies of your records as soon as possible to build a solid case foundation.
How to Prove Liability in Brain Injury Cases
Proving liability in a brain injury case calls for a detailed legal strategy. The party responsible for your TBI may deny wrongdoing, making it critical to gather the right evidence and build strong claims. Our Los Angeles brain injury attorneys review every case detail to challenge defense arguments and protect your right to fair compensation.
Let us help with all parts of your brain injury claim, including:
- Evidence Collection: We gather accident reports, surveillance video, and witness statements to provide a clear record of how the injury occurred.
- Demonstrating Negligence: To hold a defendant accountable, we must show a breach of duty of care directly led to your injury. Our attorneys review each factor to find and highlight the critical link.
- Expert Testimony: Medical professionals such as neurologists and accident reconstructionists provide essential insights when explaining a brain injury’s effects to an insurance company or court.
In Los Angeles, proving liability often involves evaluating local building codes or reviewing footage from traffic cameras. Gathering and preserving evidence quickly is especially important here, where crews or property managers may alter a scene within hours. Urban cases often rely on these sources and city regulations to establish the facts.
What Impacts Brain Injury Settlement Amounts in Los Angeles?
Several factors influence brain injury settlement amounts in Los Angeles. The severity of the injury, projected costs for care, and the victim’s ability to work all make a difference. Local costs, including higher medical bills and average wages, play a role in determining compensation. Courts and insurance companies in Los Angeles apply California’s comparative negligence law, which weighs each party’s responsibility in an accident.
We use our experience in this region to explain these complex valuation factors to clients. Our team thoroughly documents immediate expenses and the long-term impact of traumatic brain injuries. By working with care planners and healthcare professionals familiar with local costs, we help make sure compensation aligns with real-world needs so our clients are prepared for what lies ahead.
Why Compensation Needs to Consider Future Care
When pursuing a brain injury claim, compensation must account for long-term needs. Recovery often takes years, and a survivor’s requirements may evolve. Many people need lifelong therapy or in-home services after a serious brain injury.
We demand fair settlements that take into account:
- Medical Care Costs: Medical expenses can include surgeries, hospital stays, medications, therapy, assistive devices, and ongoing medical care that sometimes extends for life.
- Adaptive Living Expenses: Home modifications, wheelchairs, or other aids required for independence at home.
- Loss of Income: Compensation for lost wages and reduced future earning capacity.
- Psychological Support: Brain injuries affect both the injured and their families, making counseling and therapy an essential part of care.
Proper compensation must reflect the real costs of living with a brain injury in Los Angeles, where healthcare and home services often cost more than in other areas. Our approach includes factoring in local prices for housing, support, and care to help survivors avoid unexpected financial hardships in the years ahead.
Working with Medical Experts to Prepare a TBI Claim
One of our strengths is collaborating with respected medical professionals to understand complex injuries. Third-party opinions may be key for negotiating with insurance companies or persuading a court to award fair compensation to our clients.
Different experts who can help us strengthen a brain injury claim for a client include:
- Neurologists and Neuropsychologists: These professionals evaluate brain damage and help explain its impact on your daily life.
- Rehabilitation Specialists: Therapists describe the type and duration of treatments needed after an injury, which helps show what ongoing care will cost.
- Life Care Planners: A life care planner estimates future costs for medical care, adaptive support, and lost wages, giving your claim a clear and detailed value.
Major hospitals in Los Angeles, such as Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai, lead the way in diagnostics and rehabilitation for brain injuries. We rely on providers from these facilities to ensure that your treatment history supports both the legal and medical aspects of your claim.
What is the Statute of Limitations For Brain Injury Claims in California?
In California, the statute of limitations for filing a brain injury claim is usually two years from the date of injury. This means you have two years to file a legal action against the responsible party. If a brain injury was not immediately discovered, the law allows for the clock to start from when you knew or should have known about your condition. Different and sometimes shorter deadlines may apply in cases involving medical malpractice or claims against a government entity. If you miss the deadline, you could lose your chance for compensation, so it’s wise to speak to an experienced lawyer promptly to protect your rights.
Pursuing a lawsuit in Los Angeles courts often means requesting records from several healthcare providers or agencies, which can take extra time due to high demand in the area. Starting the process early gives you a better opportunity to gather documentation and file before the deadline expires. The LA County court system handles many personal injury claims each year, which can affect timelines and procedures.
Contact Our Los Angeles Brain Injury Attorney Today
Brain injury cases are complex and often require action against major insurance companies and well-resourced defendants. At McGee Lerer Ogrin, we are ready to advocate for you, and we have a track record of success in challenging personal injury cases. If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury in an accident, learn how a law firm with our level of experience, commitment, and resources can help you pursue justice and compensation.
Let our Los Angeles brain injury lawyer stand by your side from start to finish. Call (310) 231-9717 and ask for a free case review.
