Traumatic Brain Injuries

Representing Brain Injury Victims in Florida and the U.S.

Few things can devastate a person's life as much as a serious brain injury. These injuries can dramatically affect the lives of both you and your family. If another person's negligent conduct caused your injuries, hire an attorney who has the ability and experience to hold people accountable. Howard G. Butler of the Butler Law Group in Jacksonville, Florida represents people and their families in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and wrongful death claims.

“Get Help from an Attorney Who Has Achieved Justice for TBI Victims”

When you or a family member suffers from a serious life-altering brain or head injury, you need to hire an experienced accomplished lawyer to represent you. Not only has our firm been representing injured people for over 20 years, Howard Butler has specifically achieved justice and compensation for brain injury victims and their families. Mr. Butler has been named as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" and is a Nationally Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney. To learn more about the life long ordeal of brain injuries, contact us for a free initial consultation. To learn about some of our successes in TBI cases visit our case summaries page.

Most of the accidents that cause serious brain injuries are the result of careless and negligent actions by another. Whether your injuries occurred at your workplace, at another's home, on the road or was the result a defectively designed product you still deserve compensation for your injuries. Our firm works with a team of experts to investigate your accident to determine what compensation you will need to cope with head and brain injuries caused by:

• Car accidents
• Truck and bus accidents
• Auto defects
• Construction site accidents
• Slip and fall accidents

Howard G. Butler, Esq. is an experienced Brain Injury attorney that will fight for Victims and their Families

Brain injuries can be devastating for both the person injured and his or her family. In most cases brain damage is a life altering injury. Therapy, medical treatments and supplies can be expensive, and it is possible and somewhat likely that a person will never fully recover from a brain injury. A legal claim may help you secure financial assistance from the party responsible for the injury. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, contact a lawyer who has experience handling brain injury cases to discuss your legal options

More Information about Traumatic Brain Injuries

Even a mild to moderate brain injury can dramatically affect a person's ability to return to a normal life. Depending on the location, type and severity of the injury there may be significant physical and/or behavioral effects. A closed head injury of this type can affect a person's ability to work, learn, interact and handle simple or complex tasks. Severe Traumatic Brain Injury can result in a lifetime of care costing many millions of dollars.

Depending on the severity and location of the brain injury, the effects of the damage can range from a minor annoyance to serious and life threatening. Proving a traumatic brain injury (sometimes called a "closed head injury"or "penetrating head injury") is complex and usually takes a very skilled attorney and the support of experienced medical experts to obtain proper compensation for the victim. There may be overt signs of the injury such as loss of speech or motor skills, but there may also be only subtle changes in personality or some minor memory loss. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, it is critical that you speak with a lawyer with prior experience proving brain injury damages.

Functions of the Brain

The brain operates as central control of the human body. It is often described as a bundle of nervous system material floating in a protective sea of cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid acts as a shock absorber that dampens movement of the brain when a person is jolted. All of this fluid is encased inside of the human skull, which acts as a protective shell. The problem with the human skull is that the outside is smooth, but the inside is rough and boney. In many types of accidents it is the rough, boney structures inside the skull that can injure the brain when a person is struck, jolted or suffers a severe impact.

The brain is a sensory processor. This means that the brain controls thought, smell, sight, memory and touch. In addition, the brain controls vital bodily functions such as walking, talking, breathing and heart rate. This is why brain injuries can be so serious because the victim suffers damage to their ability to control crucial mental and physical functions.

The brain is divided into these parts:

•· Cerebrum - the largest section of the brain; parts of the cerebrum are related to the control of cognitive abilities, memory, motor function, learning and speech

•· Cerebellum - part of the hindbrain that coordinates voluntary and involuntary muscle movements

•· Brain stem - the lower extension of the brain that acts as a relay station between incoming stimulus and the rest of the brain

•· Diencephalon - made up of the thalamus, which relays sensory stimuli, and hypothalamus, which controls appetite, body temperature, water balance, pituitary secretions, emotions and sleep cycles

Classification of Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries are generally classified in three stages, mild, moderate and severe, based on the injured person's Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) number. The GCS assigns a point value based on particular responses given by the injured person when they are given a series of tests. The majority of brain injuries are classified as "mild." A mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function as shown by any loss of consciousness lasting approximately 30 minutes or less; any memory loss for events immediately before or after the incident, but not lasting more than 24 hours; any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident such as confusion or feeling disoriented; or any focal neurological deficit that may or may not be transient. The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee of the Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine developed this definition of MTBI.

Brain injuries can generally be classified by their cause. There are injuries caused by contact and those that are not caused by contact. A contact traumatic brain injury causes damage to the brain as a result of an external force to the head. A contact traumatic brain injury can be a penetrating injury or a closed head injury, and result in brain swelling, bruising of the brain tissue or nerve shearing. If the head is moving at the time of the contact, a contrecoup injury, in which the brain damage occurs on the side opposite the point of impact, occurs as a result of the brain slamming into that side of the skull. There can be a severe injury to the brain even if there is not any external evidence of damage. Contact traumatic brain injuries may be caused by:

•· Sports mishaps

•· Work-related accidents

•· Slip and fall accidents

•· Car, truck and motorcycle accidents

•· Violence or assault

Contact is not necessary to cause a brain injury. A person does not need to hit his or her head or be rendered unconscious to have a brain injury. Brain injuries happen frequently when a person has suffered from a non-contact injury such as whiplash.

*It is important to note that traumatic brain injury is different from anoxic brain injury, in which the brain is deprived of oxygen. Keep in mind traumatic brain injury results in bruising or swelling of the brain; this is not an anoxic brain injury which results in brain cells dying because of oxygen deprivation caused by stroke, heart attack, suffocation or near drowning or choking. While causation is different in an anoxic brain injury there are still legal remedies depending on the circumstances of the injury such as law enforcement choking techniques or premise liability issues that result in the near drowning of small children.

The Effects of a Head Injury

The effects of a brain injury largely depend on the severity of the injury and the location of the affected part of the brain. Some symptoms of a TBI include bleeding from the head, confusion, loss of consciousness, lowered pulse and/or breathing rate and drainage of clear fluid from the nose or ears. Symptoms of a concussion include loss of consciousness, dizziness, confusion, memory loss, vomiting, numbness, shock and anxiety. All head injuries have the potential to be serious. Some common conditions of a traumatic brain injury include: concussion, coma, skull fracture, brain contusion, epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma and brain herniation.

Diagnosing and Treating a Brain Injury

A permanent brain injury may be difficult to recognize and prove. It is important to a have an experienced lawyer advocate by your side in order to prove the long term effect this type of injury can have on a victims' life. Many of the associated changes in a person's behavior or personality can be subtle. The earlier a brain injury is diagnosed, the earlier a person can begin a treatment program. The following diagnostic tools are used to determine the extent and nature of a brain injury.

•· MRI

•· CT Scan

•· PET Scan

•· EEG

•· Psychological and functional tests

Treatment and therapy will depend upon the extent and nature of the injury. For example, a person may need physical and occupational rehabilitation to condition muscles and relearn life skills. Generally, the earlier treatment begins, the better.

When the actions of another caused a serious brain injury to you or a family member, you should speak to us immediately to know how to protect your rights. We will do what it takes to make sure your story will be heard. To discuss your options, contact us to schedule a free initial consultation.