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Fuller & Fuller, Attorneys at Law - Tacoma, Olympia, Port Orchard, Washington and Oregon

Brain Injury Claim Attorneys
Olympia, Port Orchard, Tacoma, Washington, & surrounding communities

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Personal Injury Lawsuits | Brain Injury Claims | Burn Injury Claims | Wrongful Death Claims

If you have had the misfortune to sustain a brain injury in an accident, you may not realize it. You may not recognize the symptoms in yourself, though under normal circumstances you'd probably recognize them in someone else.

Auto accidents and motorcycle accidents are the main causes of brain injury in Washington state. If you've been in an accident and:

  • Your head was hit
  • Your neck and spine jarred
  • You lost consciousness, even for just a few minutes
  • You experienced some kind of changed consciousness
  • Or other traumatic incident to your head
then you may have a brain injury and not realize it.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The brain can be injured whether or not the skull is penetrated. Presumably if your head was bleeding, you received medical attention. But if no wound was visible on your head, that doesn't mean your brain wasn't injured.

Closed head injury

This happens when the head is suddenly stopped while it's in motion, e.g. in a fall or traffic accident. The brain is brought up short against the inside of the skull. A whiplash injury can have the same effect, causing the brain to hit against the skull.

The damage to the brain can take three main forms:

    Bruising

    A bruise on the body is a common minor injury, but a bruise on the brain is far more serious. Since a bruise is torn tiny blood vessels and pooling blood, when this happens in the enclosed space of the skull, the pooling blood takes up some of the limited space and presses against the brain. In extreme cases, this can make the brain tissue stop functioning.

    Swelling

    The body senses that the brain is hurt and it sends extra blood to try to heal it. Other fluids collect too, which can increase the pressure on the brain even further.

    Tearing

    The brain tissue sustains very small tears, so small that they can't be seen with Computer Tomography (CT scan) or a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), two of the major assessment tools used for brain injury.

Examples of Brain Injury Symptoms

Loss of memory · Poor concentration · Poor decision making · Head and neck pain · Confusion · Lack of energy · Impaired balance and coordination · Blurred or double vision · Ringing in the ears · Reduced sex drive · Difficulty with reading and speaking · Mood swings · Changes in sleeping habits · Loss of energy

These symptoms fall into 3 categories:

  • Cognitive
  • Physical
  • Emotional/Behavioral

Claims can be complex

There's still much that's unknown about the brain and how it functions.
  • The injuries can be hard to document
  • Diagnostic tests don't always provide hard proof
  • Medical experts can be on opposite sides of controversies
So investigation and negotiation can take some time, and require special attention and an experienced brain injury attorney. If your case goes to trial, you need a highly skilled lawyer to document and present all the complex information.

At Fuller & Fuller, we understand how distressing things can be if you've sustained a brain injury, or if a loved one has. We'll investigate your situation, gather the facts, and fight for your fair compensation. If you feel you've incurred a brain injury, or if a loved one has, contact Fuller & Fuller Attorneys today for a free case evaluation.