A traumatic brain injury is often the result of a violent blow to the head which causes the brain to strike the inside of the skull or an object penetrating the brain tissue. Traumatic brain injuries vary dramatically in their severity. Some people experience a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and do not even realize it. Other people experience debilitating symptoms for months or even years after suffering a TBI. If you or a loved one have experienced a brain injury in an accident caused by negligence, you may be eligible for compensation.

How Do Brain Injuries Happen?

There are almost infinite ways that a person can sustain a brain injury. Slip and fall injuries can be caused by a number of hazardous conditions. A person may suffer a concussion after slipping on an icy walkway and striking his or her head on the concrete. A faulty handrail could become dislodged and cause an individual to fall down the stairs and suffer a major brain contusion. A serious slip and fall accident could even be caused by something as simple as spilled motor oil in a retail store aisle. Property owners have a legal obligation to keep premises free of environmental hazards that present a risk of injury. If your injury was due to an unsafe condition on someone else’s property, you may have a valid injury claim.

Brain injuries can also be the result of a car accident caused a distracted driver or a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Drivers have a duty to drive in a safe and responsible manner. If a driver causes an accident through negligence, he or she may be legally responsible for the damages caused by that accident.

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Injuries to the spine and brain can be some of the most catastrophic injuries a person can endure. Because the brain and spinal cord are responsible for the transmission of nerves, the body’s movement, and basic functions like talking and walking, damage to these essential organs can dramatically decrease a person’s ability to live life the way they did before the injury.

If you or a loved one have suffered a serious spinal cord or brain injury and the injury was caused by medical malpractice, a negligent property owner, or another form of negligence party, a personal injury claim may help you recover compensation. While no amount of money can make up for an injury that affects the rest of your life, proceeds from a personal injury lawsuit can help you manage the vast expenses caused by a major injury and hold the negligent party responsible for its wrongdoing.

When Is a Successful Personal Injury Lawsuit Possible?

There are practically countless scenarios that can lead to a personal injury claim. Whenever another party’s negligence leads to your injury and damages result, a personal injury claim may be appropriate. A party is considered negligent when the following criteria are met:

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A traumatic brain injury can happen to anyone, and at any age. When it does, the end result can be catastrophic. This is especially true in cases involving serious injury and excessive brain swelling. Unfortunately, there are currently no medications to treat the swelling—only drugs that help to improve the ultimate outcome for patients who survive. Thankfully, recent studies suggest an answer may be on the horizon, but with one major caveat: it may only work in adults.

Antibiotics and TBI Swelling in Children and Adults

The potentially deadly implications of TBI do not typically come from the injury itself. Instead, it is generally caused by the post-injury swelling of the brain. Previous studies have suggested that genetics may play a role in the severity of this swelling, but no one really knows why some are more prone than others to rapid and life-threatening swelling.

Published in the journal Experimental Neurology a recent study found that antibiotics may help to mitigate the brain swelling in adults. Unfortunately, mice models also indicated that antibiotics may actually have a negative effect on the developing brains of children. This essentially means that scientists may be able to move forward with more studies in adults, but they remain largely at a loss when it comes to the treatment of TBI-related brain swelling in children—the most vulnerable members of society.

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