New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Cases: What You Need To Know

This article discusses:

• Understanding New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Law;
• Symptoms of traumatic brain injury;
• How the extent of brain injury is proven in a court of law.

Unfortunately, a large number of people suffer blows to the head and brain trauma in car accidents, construction accidents, trucking accidents, falls on snow and ice, and other types of incidents. Getting legal compensation is important if such an injury has occurred as the damages can be lasting and profound.

Of course, some brain injuries are catastrophic and result in paralysis or death. Cases involving such severe injury are clear cut. However, some brain injuries are less severe but still result in a significant loss.

If you strike your head in an accident, you may not be aware that a brain injury has occurred. However, certain symptoms should alert you to seek medical help. The Mayo Clinic, one of the leading medical centers in the country, has published a list of symptoms which should alert you to seek immediate medical care. These symptoms are:

1. Loss of consciousness for several minutes to hours;
2. Persistent headache or headache that worsens;
3. Repeated vomiting or nausea;
4. Convulsions or seizures;
5. Dilation of both pupils of the eyes;
6. Clear fluids running from the nose or ears;
7. Inability to wake from sleep.

If you suffer a brain injury that does not result in paralysis or death, and this occurs due to the negligence of others, you may bring a case and seek money damages. In order to prevail though, your legal case has to be properly prepared. We have the experience and know-how to properly prepare your case.

A recent case which we successfully resolved provides a good example. Our client, a truck driver, was struck in the head in an accident. He suffered a head laceration and was diagnosed at the hospital with a concussion and soft tissue swelling without evidence of a brain hemorrhage.

Several months after the accident, our client began to notice that he was having memory problems. He began to forget conversations and had to start writing everything down. He was getting easily confused and had trouble focusing while driving. He also began having difficulty finding the right word in conversation and his ability to pronounce certain words deteriorated.

The defendant in this case argued that our client suffered no traumatic brain injury whatsoever.

In order to prove that our client had a traumatic brain injury, we hired two professionals to evaluate him. We hired a neuropsychologist who had a doctorate in psychology with further training in neuropsychology. Neuropsychologists are trained in administering and interpreting specialized tests to determine if a person has sustained a traumatic brain injury and, if so, the extent of the injury. The neuropsychologist administered a battery of tests on our client. These tests demonstrated that our client sustained a significant traumatic brain injury.

We also hired a neurologist (a medical doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system) to perform a detailed evaluation. The neurologist’s evaluation also showed that our client sustained a significant traumatic brain injury.

Armed with these dual evaluations we were able to demonstrate the extent of our client’s traumatic brain injury and brought the case to a very successful conclusion.

If you have sustained what you believe to be a traumatic brain injury, please call us or text us immediately at (973) 204-6573 to discuss your case. There is no cost or obligation and we will be glad to discuss your case with you free of charge.