Has a brain injury impacted your life or the life of someone you care about? The consequences of brain injuries can be overwhelming, affecting your health, finances, and overall well-being. However, you don’t have to face these challenges alone. The Oklahoma City traumatic brain injury attorneys at Cain Law are here to pursue justice and secure the compensation you need for your recovery.
Contact Cain Law for a free initial consultation today and take the first step toward getting the help you need. Discover how we can guide you through the legal process and fight tirelessly for your rights and the compensation you deserve.
Why TBI Victims in Oklahoma Turn to Cain Law After an Accident
For over 40 years, Oklahoma injury victims have turned to Cain Law after accidents caused by others’ negligence because of our:
- Experience: We have over 100 years of collective experience representing accident victims who have suffered TBIs in car accidents, workplace accidents, falls, and other traumatic events.
- Track record of success: We have successfully recovered over $250 million for injured Oklahomans and are prepared to put our winning efforts into your case.
- Caring attitude: Our attorneys and staff truly care about the lives of our clients and neighbors. We leave no stone unturned in identifying all parties responsible for your injuries and the paths to financial recovery. If you can’t come to us, we go out of our way to meet you wherever is most convenient for you.
- Local roots: Cain Law is a local Oklahoma law firm. We have extensive knowledge of local laws and customs. We work in the local court system and negotiate with local insurance adjusters. You should always verify that you are working with a local law firm and not some national firm that just refers out cases to local attorneys and takes a big part of your case’s proceeds.
- Network of experts: We have professional relationships with locally, nationally, and globally renowned experts in various fields, including neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, ophthalmologists, economists, engineers, accident reconstruction experts, life care planners, and more. These experts can help identify your long-term needs and bolster your personal injury claim.
- Rapid response team: Accident scenes can be cleaned up quickly, and evidence can be lost or destroyed. Our law firm understands the urgency of the matter and deploys a rapid response team to help preserve valuable evidence.
Here is what one client had to say about their experience working with us:
Testimonial
“Cam and Michael provided invaluable assistance throughout the entirety of my case. They consistently reached out via phone or text to check in with me and facilitated my connection with the necessary medical professionals. Without their guidance, I am confident that my current state of recovery would not have been possible. I am deeply grateful for their exceptional support, as they have significantly surpassed my expectations and provided me with far more assistance than I could have achieved independently. I wholeheartedly recommend Cain Law to anyone who has been involved in a car accident and requires the utmost expertise in handling such situations. Cain Law is an exceptional law firm that helps achieve the best possible outcome.”
Dawn M.
Contact us today to take advantage of a free consultation where you can learn more about your legal rights and ask any questions you have about your TBI case.
What Are the Three Types of Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury is an injury that affects the normal functions of the brain. TBIs generally occur in one of two ways and are categorized as:
- Closed Brain Injuries – Closed brain injuries are the result of a sudden and violent blow to the head or body, such as in sports injuries or car accidents. The force of the blow causes the head to suddenly accelerate forward and backward, allowing the head to collide with other objects or the skull, causing injury to the brain. Often, closed brain injuries cause bleeding, swelling, chemical changes, or tissue damage.
- Penetrating Brain Injuries – Penetrating brain injuries occur when a foreign object pierces the skull and damages the brain. Bullets from gun violence and bits of bone from a fractured skull typically cause penetrating brain injuries.
Closed and penetrating brain injuries fall into one of three types of TBIs. The 3 types of brain injuries are:
- Mild – Mild brain injuries are the least severe and typically do not result in long-term or permanent brain damage. In addition to close monitoring by a medical professional, these TBIs may be treated with rest and over-the-counter pain medications. Concussion is the most common form of mild traumatic brain injury.
- Moderate – Moderate traumatic brain injuries are injuries that are more significant than mild injuries and may result in long-term health issues.
- Severe – Severe traumatic brain injuries are the most catastrophic form of brain injury and often lead to life-long medical complications, physical disability, and emotional or cognitive changes. A severe brain injury can also leave an individual in a vegetative state or cause death.
Moderate and severe brain injuries require extensive medical care and potentially physical and cognitive therapy and rehabilitation. Most medical practitioners use the Glasgow Coma Scale to evaluate the severity of a brain injury.
This scale helps determine a person’s ability to follow directions, move their eyes and limbs, speak clearly, and answer questions. The higher the score, the less severe the brain injury. This score, in combination with other diagnostic tools, can help medical personnel determine whether a brain injury is mild, moderate, or severe.
Most Common Causes of Brain Injuries
According to the CDC, the most common causes of brain injury, in order, are:
Gunshot Wounds
Tragically, the CDC reports that the use of firearms results in 44% of TBI-related deaths.
Falls
The CDC reports that accidental falls are one of the leading causes of TBI-related hospitalizations, especially among older adults. The CDC’s Surveillance Report states that falls are responsible for approximately 30 percent of TBI-related deaths. When someone slips on a slick floor or uneven surface, they can fall and hit their head, leading to a range of brain injuries. Common examples include concussions, coup-contrecoup injuries, and skull fractures. Collectively, falls and firearm-related injuries lead to most moderate and severe TBIs.
Brain injuries from slip-and-fall accidents often occur because property owners fail to maintain safe conditions. For example, wet floors, loose rugs, or poorly lit areas can create dangerous situations. If you fall and hit your head, immediate medical attention is vital, even if you initially feel fine. Symptoms of brain injuries can develop over time, and seeking treatment right away can make a significant difference in recovery.
Medical professionals can use various methods to treat symptoms of brain injuries, such as medication, therapy, and, in some cases, surgery. If the accident that caused your injury resulted from a property owner’s negligence, you could have the right to seek compensation for your medical costs, lost income, and more.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle crashes are among the most common causes of brain injuries and the leading cause of TBI-related deaths for children from birth to 17 years, according to the CDC. These accidents often involve high speeds and sudden impacts, which can lead to serious head injury. When vehicles collide, the force of the impact can lead the brain to move rapidly within the skull, potentially resulting in injuries such as concussions, contusions, and diffuse axonal injury.
Even in accidents where the vehicle isn’t traveling at a high speed, the sudden jolt can still cause significant damage. Rear-end collisions, for example, can cause whiplash, which can result in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) if the head snaps forward and backward violently. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to traumatic injury in collisions, as they have far less protection than vehicle occupants.
Brain injuries from motor vehicle accidents can have long-lasting effects, impacting memory, cognitive functions, and even personality. Immediate medical attention is critical after an accident, as some brain injuries do not show symptoms right away. If you suffer a brain injury in a car wreck, you can file a car accident injury claim to seek compensation for the losses you incur due to the traumatic event.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents
Bicycle and pedestrian accidents in Oklahoma City are also common causes of brain injuries. When a vehicle strikes a person on a bicycle or on foot, the impact can cause severe trauma. Unlike car drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians do not have the protection of a vehicle’s structure, making them more vulnerable to severe injuries.
The external force from the impact can cause the brain to strike the skull, which can damage brain cells and result in moderate to severe TBI. In some cases, cyclists and pedestrians can even sustain skull fractures upon impact with a vehicle or the unforgiving surface of the road.
Brain injuries from these types of accidents can result in long-term effects. Some victims experience cognitive difficulties, which can affect memory, concentration, and decision-making abilities. These challenges can make daily life harder and often require ongoing medical care and rehabilitation.
If you suffer a brain injury in a bicycle or pedestrian accident, you could be entitled to compensation. Oklahoma law allows you to file a personal injury claim if someone else caused the accident. This could include a driver who was speeding, driving while distracted, or refusing to yield the right of way.
Drowning
Drowning is a lesser-known but significant cause of brain injuries. Drowning is the third-leading cause of accidental death worldwide. When water blocks a person’s airway, the oxygen supply to the brain gets cut off. This lack of oxygen, known as hypoxia, can cause brain cells to die within minutes. If this occurs for even a short period, the person can suffer significant brain damage that may lead to long-term disabilities or even death.
Children are particularly vulnerable to severe brain injury from drowning. However, adults are also at risk, particularly in situations involving alcohol, poor swimming skills, or unsafe water conditions. Immediate action is essential if someone is found unresponsive in water. The faster a drowning person receives medical care, the better the chances of minimizing any injury to the brain.
After a drowning incident, survivors can face challenges such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating, or permanent cognitive impairments. If the drowning occurs due to someone else’s negligence, the injured party might have grounds to take legal action and seek compensation for their suffering.
Medical Errors
Medical errors can also lead to severe brain injuries. These injuries can occur if healthcare professionals make mistakes during surgery, administer incorrect medications, or fail to monitor a patient’s vital signs. For example, if a patient doesn’t receive enough oxygen during surgery due to an anesthesia error, the lack of oxygen can cause significant brain damage. Similarly, misdiagnosing a condition or delaying treatment can lead to brain injuries if providers do not address the underlying issue in time.
Medical errors involving birth injuries can result in traumatic brain damage, too. If a doctor uses too much force during delivery or fails to recognize signs of fetal distress, the child can suffer from a lack of oxygen. This oxygen deprivation can lead to permanent brain damage and conditions like cerebral palsy.
Brain injuries resulting from medical errors can have lifelong effects, including cognitive impairments, physical disabilities, and emotional challenges. Victims and their families could be eligible to pursue legal action against the responsible healthcare professionals and seek compensation for the harm these preventable mistakes caused.
Contact an Oklahoma City Brain Injury Lawyer Now
A brain injury can change your life in an instant, but you don’t have to handle the aftermath by yourself. Cain Law is here to support you and fight for the compensation you need. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation initial consultation and discover what an Oklahoma brain injury lawyer can do for your case.