If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident that was not your fault and sustained a traumatic brain injury, calling a North Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney needs to be your next move. The Bishop Law Firm represents injury victims in North Carolina and we do not get paid unless you win. We also offer free case reviews by phone, 919-615-3095.
NC Personal Injury Law
NC is a contributory negligence state, which means that for a accident victim to recover, they must not be at fault for their personal injury. Contributory negligence can create unfair outcomes for victims, but unfortunately it is the law in NC.
Most NC Personal Injury claims have three years to file a claim for an injury you sustained due to a negligent party. A victim can recover medical expenses, pain & suffering as well as lost wages. Punitive damages are rarely awarded. If the victim was killed in the accident, the case becomes a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims must be filed in two years.
If you sustained a head injury at work, your claim could be governed under NC Workers' Compensation Law. Depending on the circumstances of your workplace accident, you may have both a personal injury and workers' compensation case. Our firm handles both types of cases for our clients.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury happens when the brain is injured, either by internal or external forces. You do not need to be hit in the head to sustain a traumatic brain injury. A strong jolt to the body can make the brain shift in the skull and result in a concussion or even a coup-contrecoup brain injury. (Also read our post Types of Brain Injuries).
Traumatic Brain Injuries are among the most serious of injuries (catastrophic injury) involving car accidents. In 2015, 78,775 people in NC sustained a TBI and 1,825 people died as a result. 24% of those deaths were caused by TBIs sustained in a car accident (Via NC DHHS ).
Unfortunately, if a traumatic brain injury is a closed head injury, it sometimes takes months to know the full extent of your injuries. We now know concussions are much more serious injuries than once thought and can be linked to the development of Alzheimer's, depression and other mental health ailments in people with no prior history of mental health problems or family history of Alzheimer's.
According to the largest study on head injuries conducted to-date and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry , a brain injury increases your risk of developing mental health diseases by as much as 400 percent.
Because of the nature of sudden trauma brought on by a car accident, it is difficult even for doctors sometimes to distinguish between a concussion and extreme psychological stress symptoms that often accompany a serious car accident. According to the Mayo Clinic , some common symptoms of a concussion may include headache, temporary loss of consciousness, confusion or feeling as if in a fog, amnesia surrounding the traumatic event, dizziness, slurred speech, and fatigue.
It's important to get prompt treatment from a doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms after an accident. If the emergency room doctor or your primary doctor suspects you have a traumatic brain injury, they will likely send you to a neurologist, who specializes in brain injuries and will be best-suited to treat you.
North Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may need specialty, long-term or lifetime medical care. Hiring a NC traumatic brain injury attorney who is trained in evaluating how much this medical care will cost and how to negotiate a settlement with the defendant-driver's insurance company is imperative.
Please remember that insurance companies make money by collecting premiums, not paying claims. An insurance adjuster can delay your claim to frustrate you or try to settle so quickly that all your needed medical treatment is not included in the settlement. If the insurance denies liability or refuses to fairly compensate you, you should discuss personal injury litigation with a NC Personal Injury Lawyer.
If you have sustained a traumatic brain injury after a NC accident, we provide accident injury victims with free case reviews by phone, 919-615-3095. We represent injured victims in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Smithfield, Louisburg, Chapel Hill, Roanoke Rapids and surrounding areas in North Carolina. We don't get paid unless you win!
