(509) 525-4744
Hablamos Español
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur when the brain forcefully slams against the skull or a foreign body penetrates it. If your TBI resulted from an accident caused by someone’s negligence, the injured person could seek money damages from the negligent parties.
A Pullman traumatic brain injury lawyer could help you and your family evaluate the best way to proceed. Pursuing damages with a skilled catastrophic injury attorney could offer a way to hold the at-fault party responsible for the harm they caused.
The effects of a TBI depend on the force of impact and the area of the brain that was affected. A mild concussion is considered a TBI, although the symptoms might be easy to tolerate and resolve quickly. However, the effects of the injuries are also cumulative, meaning a series of mild concussions might eventually cause significant disability.
Severe symptoms can affect every aspect of an individual’s life. Performing job duties, remembering faces, events, or skills, and learning new information can be extremely difficult after sustaining a severe head injury. TBIs can also affect balance, coordination, and motor skills.
When an experienced attorney in Pullman works with a family living with traumatic brain injury, their first job is to investigate the incident that caused the injury for evidence of negligence. In legal terms, negligence is a lack of reasonable care that directly caused an individual’s injury.
The type of incident determines the nature and scope of the investigation. Car accidents cause a large percentage of TBIs, but other common causes include:
Any of these accidents could be a valid case for compensation if they were caused by negligence.
All states have enacted statutes of limitations for injury claims. These laws limit the time an injured person has to file a lawsuit seeking damages. The Revised Code of Washington §4.16.080 generally allows injured people three years from the date of their accident to file a lawsuit; however, there are some injury claims with shorter limitations (for example, injuries caused by assault, assault and battery, or false imprisonment have a two-year statute of limitations under Wash. Rev. Code §4.16.100). So, it is important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney to determine your legal deadlines.
A government entity could be liable for an individual’s TBI if a public employee or government-owned vehicle was involved in an accident that resulted in a victim’s injury. A government also might be liable if the accident occurred on public property or resulted from improperly maintained roads, parks, or public facilities.
Under these circumstances, the injured person must submit a claim to the appropriate office describing their claim in detail. In Washington, and many other states, they must wait a prescribed 60 days before filing a lawsuit. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer in Pullman could help ensure that the person with the TBI files all appropriate notices and claims to preserve their right to bring a lawsuit if the parties cannot reach a settlement.
Adjusting to life after a TBI is challenging, so you do not need the additional stress of fighting with insurance companies for adequate compensation. Trust your claim to an experienced Pullman traumatic brain injury lawyer who can go toe-to-toe with the defendant and their lawyers.
The sooner a professional can begin working on your case, the sooner it can reach a satisfactory resolution. Schedule a consultation with a hardworking attorney today.
