Georgia Brain Injury Lawyer

What are the signs of a brain injury after an accident?

Signs of a traumatic brain injury after a Georgia accident can include headaches that do not go away, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, mood changes and sleeplessness. The Scott Pryor Law Group asks every client with a head injury to see a doctor and report each symptom, because some show up days later.

Brain injuries range from a concussion to torn brain tissue. A blow to the head can cause one, and so can the rapid head movement of a collision. Car, truck and motorcycle crashes cause them, and so do falls on unsafe property and defective products. If the same accident injured your spine, see our spinal cord injury page.

Only a doctor can tell you whether you have a brain injury, so get checked even if you feel fine. Tell the doctor about the accident and every change you notice. If a family member sees changes in your mood, memory or sleep, ask them to tell your doctor too.

The symptoms of a milder brain injury differ from those of a more severe one:

I was told my head injury was mild. Do I still have a case?

You may. A mild grade describes the injury at the time a doctor first assessed it. The Scott Pryor Law Group looks at what has changed since the Georgia accident: your memory, focus, mood and sleep, your ability to work, and the care you still need. Those changes can be part of a brain injury claim.

A milder brain injury can still bring headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, mood changes and sensitivity to light and sound. Those problems are real, and they affect work, family and daily life.

They are also easy to miss. An insurer may point to a scan that looked normal or a short hospital visit to argue the injury was minor. A record that starts early answers that. Here is how to build it:

• Go to every appointment, and tell each doctor about every symptom, even the ones that seem unrelated.
• Keep a journal of headaches, bad days and the things you can no longer do.
• Ask your family what they have noticed that you may not have, and ask them to tell your doctor.
• Do not accept an insurer's offer before anyone knows your long-term outlook.

What if my brain injury symptoms started days after the accident?

Brain injury symptoms that start days or weeks after a Georgia accident are common, and they do not end a claim. The insurer will question the delay, so The Scott Pryor Law Group builds the answer from your medical record. See a doctor as soon as you notice a change, and tell them about the accident.

Some brain injuries are not obvious at first. Symptoms can take hours or days to show, and they can worsen in the days after a crash or fall.

An insurer may argue that something else caused the symptoms, or that they cannot be serious if you waited. A long gap before treatment can make a claim harder, so do not wait any longer once you notice a change.

When you see the doctor, describe the accident and every symptom since, in writing if you can. A record that starts early and stays consistent is much harder to argue with than one that appears months later. If you saw a doctor after the accident and new symptoms have appeared since, go back and report them.

How do you prove a traumatic brain injury in Georgia?

The Scott Pryor Law Group proves a Georgia traumatic brain injury with your medical records and the people who see the changes every day. We gather imaging, your doctors' opinions and your rehabilitation plan, and where the case needs it, we work with life care planners and economists to show what future care will cost.

A brain injury does not always show on a scan, and an insurer will look for that gap. So we build the claim from several kinds of evidence:

• Medical records. Imaging, emergency and follow-up records, and the opinions of your treating doctors.
• Your rehabilitation plan. Therapy to help with losses to speech and balance, and how long your doctors expect you to need it.
• Your own account. Your recovery journal, and what your family has seen change.
• Expert testimony. Life care planners and economists who project the cost of your care and your lost earnings over your lifetime.
• The accident evidence. The police or incident report, photos, video and witness statements that show how the injury happened.

What compensation can I get for a brain injury in Georgia?

A Georgia brain injury claim can include medical care now and in the future, rehabilitation and therapy, care at home, lost wages and lost earning capacity, along with pain, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. The Scott Pryor Law Group values each claim from your records, your treatment plan and your earnings before the injury.

A brain injury can take away the ability to work, or to care for yourself. Some people need care around the clock at home, and a spouse or parent often becomes a full-time caregiver. Those costs can last decades, and the claim has to account for them.

Changes in thinking, personality and mood are part of the injury too. They can affect your work, your marriage and your friendships, and they belong in the claim alongside the medical bills.

Our catastrophic injury page explains how these cases are valued. A brain injury claim can include:

• Emergency care, hospital stays, imaging and follow-up visits
• Rehabilitation, including speech, occupational and physical therapy
• Care at home, and help with household tasks you can no longer do
• Lost wages, lost employment benefits and lost earning capacity
• Mental health treatment, including counseling
• Pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of companionship and consortium

Who pays for a brain injury someone else caused?

The person or company that caused the accident, and anyone who shares the fault, can be held responsible for a brain injury in Georgia: a driver and the driver's employer, a property owner who allowed a hazard, or the maker of a defective product. The Scott Pryor Law Group looks for every party and every policy that can pay.