2 LIFE-CHANGING CAR ACCIDENT INJURIES

Automobile accidents have the potential to cause many different kinds of injuries of varying severity. Some victims will be fortunate to walk away without a scratch, while others will suffer completely debilitating injuries that can dramatically impact their lives moving forward.

This post will address two of the most severe types of auto accident injuries. When you have suffered any kind of injury in a car accident, make sure you have a Billings, personal injury attorney on your side.

Contact an Auto Accident Injury Lawyer

If you sustained catastrophic injuries in an automobile accident caused by another party’s negligence, getting legal representation needs to be your first priority. Scheveck & Salminen Law assists clients all over Montana with car crash claims, and we have the experience needed to give you confidence that you can achieve a favorable case outcome.

Our firm works tirelessly to prove these cases in court or otherwise achieve settlements that fully compensate injury victims. You can call our firm at (406) 894-2121 or contact us online to set up a free consultation that will allow us to fully review your case and discuss the next steps with you.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) often has symptoms that take time to develop, so a person may not immediately feel the true effects of these injuries. It is important to understand that the phrase “mild brain injury” is quite misleading because any injury to the brain can involve serious and long-term consequences even when the injury is not deemed life-threatening.

TBIs can cause a wide variety of possible consequences for injury victims. Physical symptoms frequently include seizures, speech impairment, partial or complete paralysis of the body, loss of vision, hearing, or smell, as well as constant headaches.

Victims can also deal with cognitive issues that relate to difficulty concentrating, communicating, or planning, spatial disorientation, and short- or long-term memory loss. There can also be psychological issues associated with TBI, such as depression, anxiety, agitation, and other mood swings.

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), a national organization with the mission to advance awareness, research, treatment, and education and to improve the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury, notes that no two brain injuries are exactly the same, and the effects of a brain injury can be complex, varying greatly from person to person, depending on several factors including the cause, location, and severity. Terms and phrases used to describe TBIs include diffuse axonal injuries, coup-contrecoup injuries, second impact syndrome or recurrent traumatic brain injuries, penetrating injuries, locked-in syndrome, and closed head injuries.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The United Spinal Association, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to empowering people with spinal cord injuries and disorders, states that motor vehicle crashes are currently the leading cause of spinal cord injuries. A complete spinal cord injury results in loss of all motor and sensory function below the level of injury and accounts for almost 50 percent of all spinal cord injuries.

In an incomplete spinal cord injury, some function remains below the primary level of the injury. A person with an incomplete injury could be able to move an arm or leg more than the other, or they might have more functioning on one side of the body.

Spinal cord injuries are graded according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grading scale, which describes the severity of the injury. The scale is graded with letters as follows:

• ASIA A: Complete spinal cord injury that has no sensory or motor function preserved.
• ASIA B: A sensory incomplete injury involving complete motor function loss.
• ASIA C: A motor incomplete injury in which there is some movement, but less than half the muscle groups are anti-gravity.
• ASIA D: A motor incomplete injury in which more than half of the muscle groups will be anti-gravity.
• ASIA E: Normal.

The more severe an injury is classified as, the less likely the hope for recovery.

Attorney for Auto Accident Injury Claims

Did you or your loved one recently suffer a TBI or spinal cord injury in an automobile accident caused by another party’s negligence? Do not wait to get in touch with Scheveck & Salminen Law.

Our firm understands the lifelong problems these kinds of injuries can present, and we will work hard to make sure that you get the money you need to cover all of your different medical care costs. Call us at (406) 894-2121 or contact us online to take advantage of a free consultation.