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Signs and Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury

by | Aug 13, 2021 | Serious Injury Claims

Have you recently suffered from a car accident or other personal injury? If you experienced a violent jolt to your head, you can potentially have a traumatic brain injury. There are two levels of brain injuries to consider, mild and severe. A mild traumatic brain injury can have a short-term effect on your brain cells, while a severe injury can lead to long-term damage. A more severe brain injury leads to bruising, bleeding, and damage to the brain. Unfortunately, these injuries can cause a multitude of issues or lead to death.

Causes of Brain Injuries

While brain injuries do not happen often, they can occur. The severity of a brain injury can depend on certain circumstances depending on the event that led to it. Common causes of a brain injury, include falls, sports injuries, violence, car accidents, and explosive blasts.

Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury

While some signs of a traumatic brain injury have different effects on individuals, some effects are not immediately known. Symptoms of a brain injury can occur right after an accident or days to weeks later. Mild brain injury symptoms can range from physical to sensory and psychological. Physical symptoms are headaches, vomiting or nausea, fatigue or drowsiness, speech slur, and dizziness. Individuals can experience sensory issues such as sensitivity to light and sound, blurred vision, ear ringing, and more. Physiologically, symptoms can be loss of consciousness, confusion, memory or concentration issues, mood swings, depression, anxiety, and sleeping issues.

Severe brain injuries also result in physical, cognitive, and psychological issues. Physical symptoms include loss of consciousness for a while, persistent and worsening headache, seizures, eye dilation, sleeping issues, weakness in fingers and toes, and loss of coordination. Cognitive symptoms include a change in eating habits, irritability, crying, attention issues, seizures, depression, and more.

Knowing the Signs and Seeking Help

If you were recently in an accident and suffered a violent jolt to your head or body, do not go without seeking medical attention. As mentioned, symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can occur immediately or weeks after. Early treatment can help avoid the progression of the issue. If you notice any of the signs above, visit emergency care. Only a medical professional can assist in ensuring you are okay.

Writing-off Medical Bills

Medical bills can be dreadful and potentially prevent people from seeking help when needed. If you experienced traumatic brain injury care that was not covered by insurance, you can potentially claim the bills as deductions on tax returns. Figuring out how to receive financial support can be difficult, but it is not impossible with some help.

Personal Injury Attorney

Receiving the financial support to cover medical expenses can be potentially difficult. To avoid paying thousands out of your pocket, consult with a legal advocate that can assist in filing and successfully claiming a personal injury. At Grayson Law, Jeffrey L. Grayson will advocate for injured residents across the Pheonix metro area. Don’t avoid medical treatment. Receive the medical support you need when working with a trusted attorney. For more information, call Grayson Law at 480-535-9650.

Street signs proclaiming bicycle rights cause local controversy

by | Jul 4, 2020 | Serious Injury Claims

Most bicyclists understand they have the same rights and responsibilities on the roads around Phoenix that motorists have. However, bicyclists are much more vulnerable, especially when motorists fail to acknowledge those rights. Even when wearing full safety gear, including a helmet, a rider may sustain serious injuries if a vehicle gets too close. 

According to AZFamily, street signs in Ahwatukee identify bicyclists’ rights to the road by stating bicycles can use the full lane. The City of Phoenix has posted the 34 signs along stretches of road with speed limits of 40 mph to clarify that the shoulder on these streets is not, as many people believe, a bike lane. 

Critics say that even if the bicyclists have the right to take the lane, it is not safe to do so, and the riders should stay on the shoulder. However, bicyclists point out that in the lane, they become more visible to motorists, and it makes their ride safer. Riders may feel that motorists’ objections have more to do with ill-will toward those who may slow traffic down in one lane. 

Social media has become a battleground for the controversy where residents are expressing their opinions. Regardless of public feeling on the matter, if a motorist hits a rider who is in the lane, the motorist would be at fault. 

When bicyclists sustain injuries in collisions with vehicles, the auto insurance of the at-fault party typically pays for the damages. Many victims, however, choose to speak to an attorney about pursuing justice through the legal system. 

How safe are bicycle lanes?

by | Jul 4, 2020 | Serious Injury Claims

Bicycling to work has increased in popularity across the nation, including in Arizona. According to Science Daily, the number of people cycling to work in 12 large U.S. cities increased by 51 percent over 13 years. Beginning in 2009, the number of protected bike lanes doubled every year.

Some researchers believed having more cyclists on the road would increase safety because motorists would be more aware of bicyclists. Cities that built protected or separated bike lanes had fewer bicycle fatalities, data has shown.

Does this mean bike lanes create a safer riding environment? The answer is not simple. 

Types of bike lanes

White lines are the only things that separate traditional bike lanes from the road. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety found research on the safety of traditional bike lanes is inconclusive. 

Physical barriers like cement barriers, trees, lamp posts or parked cars separate a protected bike lane from the road. Research seems to indicate these types of bike tracks are effective at preventing serious and fatal injuries.

One-way protected bike tracks seemed to show the best results, with numbers of crashes, injuries and fatalities all being much lower than on a regular road. Two-lane protected bike lanes showed increased numbers of crashes and injuries, even when compared to major roads. 

Risk Is Not Eliminated

While some bike lanes may increase a cyclist’s risk of crashing, the research indicates protected bike lanes reduce the risk of fatalities. In the most important respect, protected bike lanes are safer than a road, but that does not mean bike lanes are without risk. 

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