Our brain injury solicitors only deal with serious injuries - we do not deal with claims involving minor injury. If you have suffered catastrophic TBI contact us for legal advice (at no cost) about making a personal injury claim. We will provide you with a no charge assessment of your claim and answer any questions you may have. To speak with one of our brain injury solicitors, simply complete the contact form. We deal with matters on a no win no fee basis and we only get paid if you get paid. We do not ask you to fund or finance your case as it proceeds. The consultation is free and if you decide not to claim there are no charges and the advice is given by our brain injury solicitors without any further obligation.
Our brain Injury solicitors have an unrivalled record of successful claims for residents throughout Australia. If you would like advice, on this complex legal procedure you should not hesitate to contact us.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of an outside force applied to the head. TBI can be focal, meaning that the damage is confined to one area of the victim's brain, or diffuse, where multiple areas of the brain have sustained damage. Traumatic brain injuries are sometimes referred to as head injuries, but the two are different. A person may injure their head without actually injuring their brain and it is possible to incur a traumatic brain injury without any outward visible signs of head injury.
Approximately half of all traumatic brain injuries are the result of road traffic accidents involving cars, bicycles or motorcycles with falls from height being the next most important category. Falling is the most common cause of brain injuries in the elderly. Sports injuries and gunshots wounds also feature in the statistics.
Some of the most severe traumatic brain injuries show no visible signs of damage however common symptoms of TBI include :-
When a patient is admitted to a hospital with a traumatic brain injury, the medical personnel will quickly assess the severity using the Glasgow Coma Scale which evaluates the patient according to eye opening, motor response and verbal response :-
Mild Brain Injury
A patient is categorised as suffering from mild TBI if they either did not lose conscious or the period of unconsciousness lasted for no longer than a few minutes. The patient's brain scan often appears normal, with the main indication of the injury being the patient feeling confused and dazed.
Moderate Brain Injury
A patient categorised as suffering moderate TBI loses consciousness for up to a few hours and their feelings of confusion can last for days to weeks. They may also suffer behavioural, physical and/or cognitive impairments for several months. In some cases these impairments are permanent.
Severe Brain Injury
A patient categorised as having a severe TBI has undergone a prolong period of unconsciousness or has lapsed into a coma lasting days, weeks or even months. In such cases the patient's level of consciousness is further categorized into one of seven states:
The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here