Traumatic brain injuries can result from vehicle collisions, falls, medical negligence, oxygen deprivation, and other serious incidents. A TBI may affect memory, movement, speech, personality, and the ability to live independently. When someone else causes this harm, our Tucson catastrophic injury lawyers can investigate what happened and help you pursue compensation for your current and future losses.
The Mercaldo Law Firm has represented seriously injured people throughout Arizona for more than 40 years. Call (520) 624-1400 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Tucson traumatic brain injury lawyer.
Why Choose Us for a Tucson Traumatic Brain Injury Case?
When a brain injury, spinal cord injury, or paralysis results from medical negligence in Arizona and San Diego, the medical malpractice lawyers with decades of experience and a reputation for results in prosecuting such claims are the attorneys of the Mercaldo Law Firm.
For more than 40 years, the Attorneys with the Mercaldo Law Firm have marshaled investigative resources, proven litigation skills, and keen client commitment on behalf of clients who were victims of medical malpractice and sustained serious brain injury.
Signs of a Traumatic Brain Injury In Tucson
It’s crucial to have a full neurological evaluation after a head injury to check for a TBI, since symptoms may develop slowly during the hours or even days after the initial head injury, due to inflammation and bleeding in the brain. Common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include the following:
- Severe headaches that worsen instead of improving
- Dizziness
- Vision changes
- Nausea and vomiting
- Ringing in the ears
- Difficulty concentrating or memory problems
- Tingling in the extremities
- Problems with balance and coordination
- Changes in mood and personality
TBIs range from mild injuries such as concussions to severe TBIs, like diffuse axonal injuries. Because damage can worsen during the after-effects of the injury, it’s imperative to seek medical attention and then carefully follow your doctor’s treatment orders.
Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury Cases In Tucson
The Attorneys with the Mercaldo Law Firm specialize in helping those whose quality of life has suffered significantly from brain injury caused by types of medical malpractice such as:
- Surgical error
- Unnecessary surgery
- Anesthesia error
- Improper intubation
- Hypoxia
- Stroke
- Improper monitoring of oxygen levels
- Prescription medication error (drugs to which a patient is allergic)
In addition to medical negligence as a contributing factor, traumatic brain injury can also be caused by a closed head injury, blunt trauma, a car accident, an accident involving a large commercial vehicle, nursing home abuse and neglect, drowning, smoke inhalation, or a physical assault in an unsafe environment resulting from inadequate security (premises liability).
Understanding the Impacts of a Traumatic Brain Injury In Tucson
Brain injury victims have been known to suffer seizures, coma, memory loss, motor function loss, cognitive function loss, loss of speech and sight, nerve damage, brain abscess, disorientation and mood changes, persistent vegetative state, and “locked-in” syndrome. A traumatic brain injury victim often requires the following:
- Long-term medical care or assisted living
- Adaptive equipment costs
- Physical, speech, and occupational therapies
- Home health assistance and home services
- Treatment for depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances
A TBI may have long-term or permanent effects, such as disability and impairment. When it was caused by someone else, an injury victim or their loved ones left behind do not have to be left responsible for the financial effects as well as the physical ones. But first, recovering compensation requires substantial evidence of liability.
Proving Liability for a Brain Injury Claim In Tucson
Under Arizona 12-2505, the state follows a pure comparative negligence system that allows injury victims to recover compensation for their injury-related losses from one or more parties that caused or contributed to their injury. Even when an injury victim is partly at fault for their injury, they may still recover a portion of their damages, but the insurance company may deduct the injury victim’s percentage of fault from their compensation.
Proving the at-fault party’s liability requires evidence demonstrating the following:
- The at-fault party owed a duty of care to the injury victim, such as a driver’s duty to follow traffic laws
- They breached their duty of care through careless, reckless, or wrongful actions (legal negligence)
- The breach of duty directly caused the traumatic brain injury
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
When someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing causes you harm, you have the right to recover compensation through a personal injury claim for a brain injury, typically against the responsible party’s insurance, such as auto insurance after a car accident or commercial liability insurance after a slip-and-fall accident in a store or restaurant.
Recoverable Damages In a Tucson Traumatic Brain Injury Claim
A traumatic brain injury diagnosis is frightening due to the brain’s critical functions as the center of thought, personality, and bodily function. Even a mild brain injury requires expensive care. A more serious injury can leave the victim facing an uncertain future. Common damages in a Tucson TBI claim include:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical expenses and costs for required ongoing care, such as speech, occupational, and physical therapy, or home health assistance
- Compensation for lost wages
- Future income loss
- Reduced future earning ability due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury compensation for permanent harm
If a traumatic brain injury resulted in the loss of a loved one, our Tucson wrongful death lawyers can explain your family’s legal options under Arizona’s wrongful death law.
Contact Our Tucson Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
Your initial consultation is free of charge! We will promptly return messages left after hours on the following business day. Evening appointments are available upon request. Call the Mercaldo Law Firm at (520) 624-1400 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with our Tucson traumatic brain injury lawyers.