California Brain Injury Lawyers for Children

According to the CDC, for every one child that dies there are 25 hospitalizations, 925 emergency room visits and thousands of doctor office visits. Brain injuries to children are most often caused by motor vehicle accidents, suffocation, falls and drowning. Falls are the number one cause of serious brain injury accidents followed second by motor vehicle crashes.

If your child has suffered a head injury as a consequence of someone else's carelessness, please contact the experienced California Brain Injury Lawyers at Bisnar Chase.

We have represented injured children in recent cases. We understand the physical, emotional and financial impacts in such cases and are here to help you pursue fair and full compensation for your child's significant losses.

For immediate help please contact our head injury attorneys at 949-203-3814

Immediate Steps After a TBI Accident

(Click here for full size infographic)

If your child suffers a brain injury through a fall, car crash, bicycle fall, sports-related trauma or other event, you should treat it very seriously.

Sometimes it's just a little bump or bruise on the head, but in some cases head injuries can be very dangerous or even fatal if left untreated. So how do you know what to do?

Immediate steps you should take to deal with a TBI:

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents contact their child's healthcare provider for advice for anything more than a light bump on the head. If there are any doubts, call to make sure. In addition to calling, if your child exhibits any of the following symptoms they should be evaluated by a healthcare provider. The evaluation will determine if there is serious brain injury and what kind of treatment for the brain injury your child may need. Get your child evaluated if they experience:

• vomiting
• seizures (convulsion)
• loss of consciousness after the injury
• a severe headache or the headache worsens with time
• changes in behavior (e.g., lethargic, difficult to wake, extremely irritable, or other abnormal behavior)
• unusual stumbling, difficulty walking, clumsiness, or lack of coordination
• has a hard time talking or seeing
• confused or slurred speech
• dizziness
• blood or watery fluid oozes form the nose or ears
• cut will not stop bleeding after applying pressure for 10 minutes
• develops a stiff neck
• cannot stop crying or looks sicker
• has weakness or numbness involving any part of the body

When speaking with a health care professional, parents should try to describe how the injury occurred, if possible, including what the child was doing before the traumatic brain injury and how he/she responded after the injury. If you have a reason to believe that another adult or child intentionally injured the child, this should be discussed with the healthcare provider. One last piece of advice about something you do not need to do - there is no need to keep your child awake after a head injury. A child who is more rested and calm will behave more normally and will be easier to assess. We hope these tips will help your family stay safe and prevent further injury. Most head injuries are not too serious, but if your child experienced a severe brain injury due to the negligence or criminal behavior of another individual, you are entitled to compensation for your medical expenses and other expenses that occur as a result of the injury.

Children with Brain Injuries

There is a common misconception that kids are "made of rubber" and can't get seriously hurt, but that is far from true as serious brain trauma can occur at anytime. Children are susceptible to serious injuries -- especially traumatic brains injuries. The most common cause of minor head injury in children and adolescents are falls, motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, sports-related trauma, and child abuse. With proper precautions, many of these head injuries can be avoided..

Children are among that segment of the U.S. population that is the most susceptible to traumatic brain injuries. Among children, brain injuries are one of the most frequent causes of death and disability. Children may be left with lifelong disabilities as a result of these traumatic injuries.

They may need rehabilitation, medical equipment and even 24/7 nursing care, which can all add up to millions of dollars over the child's lifetime. The biggest concern that parents have is to ensure that their dependent or disabled children are taken care of after they are gone. If your child has suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of someone else's negligence or wrongdoing, it is important that you explore your legal rights and options by contacting an experienced head injury attorney.

Child Brain Injury Statistics

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the two age groups that are at greatest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 and 15 to 19.

Each year:

• Approximately 62,000 children 0 to 19 years of age require hospitalization after suffering a brain injury in a car accident, fall, sporting accident, an act of violence or some other traumatic event.
• About 564,000 children visit the emergency room to obtain treatment for a TBI.
• TBI results in an estimated 2,685 deaths, 37,000 hospitalizations and 435,000 emergency department visits for children ages 0 to 14 each year.
• Falls are the leading cause of TBI for children.
• Listen to podcasts from the CDC on injury prevention

Brain Injury Symptoms

The brain is an incredibly complex organ. Depending on the site of the injury and the nature of the brain damage, injured victims can experience a range of symptoms. Furthermore, it is often difficult to predict if victims will suffer from their impairments for the rest of their lives or if the symptoms will improve with proper treatment. Each case is different, but some young victims of brain injuries are never able to fully recover.

Physical impairments: Children who sustain a head injury can suffer speech, vision and hearing impairments. Many young brain injury victims suffer from headaches, loss of motor functions, issues with spasticity of muscles, paralysis, seizures, balance issues and fatigue.

Cognitive issues: The location and severity of the trauma often affects the degree to which the victim will suffer from cognitive impairments. While some victims suffer only temporary mental issues, others face a lifetime of challenges. Examples of cognitive impairment include short-term memory loss, shorter attention spans, perception issues, struggles with communication, and difficulties writing, reading, concentrating and planning.

Emotional impairments: The emotional impairments that can result from a brain injury may surface shortly after the accident or hours, days or weeks later. Common emotional impairments suffered by young victims of head injuries include depression, anxiety, restlessness,struggling to control emotions,lack of motivation, mood swings self-centeredness and lowered self-esteem.

Recovering from a Brain Injury

One of the major differences between brain injuries suffered by children and adults is the way in which their brains recover. It is a common misconception that the developing brain of a child is better suited to recover from trauma compared to the adult brain. In reality, a brain injury can have a more devastating impact on a child because it has a serious impact on the child's growth and development. Children who sustain serious TBIs may experience delayed effects such as cognitive impairments that only become apparent as the child ages. Many young TBI victims struggle to learn and think while others develop social issues that make it challenging for them to have a normal life.

Financial Impact on Families

If your child has sustained a brain injury, your financial situation could change drastically. Immediately following the accident, you may be facing expenses related to emergency room visits, diagnostic tests, hospitalization, medical devices, medications and surgical procedures. In the months and years to follow, rehabilitative therapy may be needed to help your child cope with physical and mental challenges. Some victims require round-the-clock care in the long term, or possibly, for the rest of their lives. Health insurance plans may not cover all of these expenses.

Seeking Compensation

When brain injuries are caused by someone else's negligence or wrongdoing, injured victims can seek compensation for their injuries, damages and losses. Examples of potentially liable parties in child brain injury cases include:

• Negligent drivers
• Doctors or hospitals that fail to provide reasonable care
• Manufacturers of defective products such as automobiles or child safety seats
• Negligent property owners
• Perpetrators of violent crimes
• A governmental agency that allowed a dangerous condition to exist on public property

Injured victims in such cases can compensation from at-fault parties for damages including medical expenses; lost wages for parents or caregivers who have to take time off work or quit their jobs to care for the injured child; hospitalization and rehabilitation costs; pain and suffering; loss of life's enjoyment; lost future income; cost of long-term care; and emotional distress.

Contact our brain injury lawyers for immediate help. 949-203-3814