Drunk Drivers Can Cause Serious Traumatic Brain Injuries

Drunk drivers pose a serious public health risk to other people using Florida roadways. In addition, it is a widespread problem, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicating¹ that there are 121 million episodes of self-reported drunk driving reported each year. Drunk drivers are at a significantly increased risk of causing an accident, and the accidents in which they are involved are capable of causing extremely serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs.

Fortunately for victims, when drunk drivers cause traumatic brain injuries, the can often recover for their injuries through a Florida personal injury lawsuit. Below, we have provided some general information regarding TBIs caused by drunk drivers as well as the legal process involved in obtaining financial compensation. For more information regarding your claim, please call the Dolman Law Group today at 727-451-6900.

What is a TBI?

TBIS are a serious type of injury that occurs when head trauma causes injury to the brain. These kinds of accidents can occur in a variety of ways in a car accident, such as the head slamming into the dashboard on any other surface on the interior of a vehicle. In addition, a TBI can occur in the absence of the head hitting another object in situations where the head violently whips back and forth on the neck, which often occurs in cases of violent acceleration and deceleration.

A TBI disrupts the normal functioning of the brain, and the severity symptoms that victims experience are generally in direct proportion the severity of the initial injury. For example, people who sustain relatively mild TBIs may experience issues such as headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, and nausea. On the other hand, more severe TBIs can cause complications like cognitive and physical disabilities and difficulty communicating with others.

What kinds of losses are recoverable in TBI claim?

People who sustain traumatic brain injuries caused by drunk drivers often sustain significant economic and non-economic losses as a result of their injuries. In many cases, these losses are recoverable, and often include the following:

Medical expenses – People who sustain TBIs can easily incur medical expenses well into the tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. These expenses can involve the costs associated with initial treatment, surgery, rehabilitative care, and long-term care, as well as others.
Property damage – There is often significant property damage involved in accidents that cause traumatic brain injuries. Generally, these kinds of accidents tend to be fairly serious, meaning that the vehicles involved can often sustain extensive damage and may even be a total loss.
Lost income – Many TBI victims are unable to return to work for an extended period of time, if at all. In these cases, a victim may be able to recover for the income that he or she loses as a result of an accident. These kinds of damages can include both past income and loss of future earnings.
Loss of quality of life – Many TBI victims develop long-term disabilities that prevent them from enjoying the things that they enjoyed prior to their accident. In these cases, victims can often sustain significant compensation from the person or party that caused their accident.

Do I need a lawyer in order to recover compensation?

There is no rule requiring TBI victims to retain an attorney, and insurance companies will make substantial offers to people who are not represented by legal counsel. Importantly, however, insurance companies are aware of the fact that many non-lawyers are not familiar assessing the value of TBI claims and routinely offer unrepresented victims significantly less than what their claim in actually worth. For this reason, it is highly advisable for anyone that has sustained a TBI in an accident caused by a drunk driver to retain legal counsel as soon as possible.

Contact a Tampa traumatic brain injury attorney today to schedule a free consultation

If you have sustained a traumatic brain injury in an accident caused by a drunk driver, you should talk to a lawyer immediately. The lawyers of the Dolman Law Group are committed to helping DUI victims obtain compensation for their losses and have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of their clients. To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys, call the Dolman Law Group today at 727-451-6900 or send us an email through our online contact form.

Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33756
727-451-6900

https://www.dolmanlaw.com/legal-services/brain-injury-attorneys/

References:

¹ http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html