When a Loved One Suffers a
Traumatic Brain Injury

Every year in America, 1.4 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury, resulting in 50,000 fatalities and 235,000 hospitalizations. About half of those hospitalized have long-term impairment that affects their ability to perform everyday activities.

To protect the rights of the injured individual, including the financial security to obtain appropriate care, an experienced lawyer familiar with the needs of the brain injury victim is needed. At Chalat Hatten & Koupal PC, we have that experience, yet we also understand that each brain injury is as unique as each client. We approach each brain injury case from a fresh perspective and learn the detailed facts. Our ability to give the highest level of personal attention to each client is essential to our success. We make it a point to answer all the questions of our clients, and we address each concern in a professional and compassionate manner. Contact a lawyer at our office today and schedule a consultation to discuss your options.

You do not have to be traveling at a high rate of speed or strike a hard object in order to suffer a traumatic brain injury. Serious brain injuries can result from falls, car accidents, sports activities and work-related accidents. Any kind of trauma to the head or neck region can cause the brain to bruise, bleed, tear or swell. Too often, the injury results from the negligence or misconduct of another, injuring an innocent victim.

There are two general types of head injuries: open and closed. An open injury means the skull has been fractured, and this kind of brain injury usually results from falls or other accidents in which the head comes in direct contact with a hard surface or object. A closed head injury does not involve a fracture, but can be more serious than an open injury due to the possibility of brain swelling and the formation of dangerous blood clots inside the skull. Whether a brain injury is open or closed, the most serious of either type can cause paralysis, loss of consciousness and even death.

Brain injuries can cause so many changes in lifestyle for the injured victim and his or her family and friends. Physical, cognitive, social and vocational changes are extremely common. Recovery can be a lifelong process of adjustments and accommodations. Appropriate treatment of a brain injury may be extremely complicated and expensive, involving diagnostic testing, drugs, surgery and rehabilitation. Full treatment, including rehabilitation, may involve a team of medical caregivers, including a neurologist, neurosurgeon, physiatrist, neuropsychiatrist, vocational expert, life-care planner, neuro-psychologist, and physical, occupational and speech therapists. Securing proper medical care alone can be a full-time pursuit for an injured individual or family members.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a traumatic brain injury. According to one study, about 40% of those hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury.

If you or a loved one have experienced a brain injury as the result of an accident or another's negligence, you should seek medical and legal assistance as soon as possible. At Chalat Hatten & Koupal we have the experience with traumatic brain injury claims to answer your questions and provide aggressive legal representation.

Read how we helped a family win a TBI case.