Bill Kuziara on What You Should Know About Personal Injury Cases Involving Head Injuries - Concussions Can Be Deadly
Santa Rosa, CA (PRWEB) March 30, 2014 -- A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) usually caused by a blow, bump or sudden jolt to the head that can alter or impair normal brain function. In the U.S. someone suffers a severe brain injury approximately every 21 seconds and TBI is a considered a serious public health problem in the United States. TBI’s contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability. According to the Centers for Disease Control more than 2.5 million TBIs occurred in 2010 either as a result of an isolated injury or along with other injuries. When a concussion is even more debilitating than the doctor will admit or if is accident-related, the victim is entitled to monetary compensation for emotional, financial and physical suffering.
How TBI and Concussions Happen
The brain is a essentially a mass of soft tissue and when it is subjected to a sudden jolt due to an accident or other traumatic circumstance, that soft tissue can be violently propelled against the inside of the skull and cause bruising to the brain, damaging blood vessels and affecting nerve and tissue health. For example, in the case of a vehicle accident that involves sudden force of impact, a person’s head is vulnerable to hard objects in the car such as a steering wheel, dashboard, windshield or headrest. Particularly if an accident occurs at a high rate of speed damage to the skull, neck and brain are quite likely. These types of impacts can cause a variety of traumatic brain injury resulting in loss of consciousness, memory loss and possibly neurological damage that can adversely affect many brain and cognitive functions.
In situations of a minor concussion the accident victim may feel shaken, dizzy, or dazed from the impact. These symptoms can persist for minutes, hours and days following an accident. The good news is that most people with a concussion recover quickly and without any lingering symptoms. But in some circumstances symptoms can persist for long periods of time making recovery more difficult. People who are most likely to recover slowly are older adults, young children and teens.
The legal team at the Law Offices of Bill Kuziara understands the complexities and the potentially serious consequences of a concussion. We work with the best biochemical engineers and expert neurologists in California to make a proper diagnosis with state-of-the-art tests to determine the objective extent of a brain injury.
The Many Causes of Concussions
One of the growing causes of a concussion today is contact sports and other high-contact activities, and protective headgear is not always a guarantee that a concussion won’t happen. More than 40 percent of all concussions in the U.S. from 2006-2010 were the result of falls, while motor vehicle and traffic accidents claimed about 14 percent of all cases. Some additional causes include:
• Assault or Physical Violence (10 percent)
• Bicycle Accidents
• Roller-skating Accidents
• Work Related Accidents
Symptoms
It is not uncommon for a concussion to go unrecognized and people can put themselves at risk of greater complications by returning to work or resuming normal activities too quickly. If an injured brain is not allowed to heal properly serious consequences can result, such as brain swelling which can lead to the development of long-term disabilities, and even death.
Long term symptoms to be aware of include:
• Fatigue or Lightheadedness
• Memory Loss
• Anxiety
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headaches
• Slurred Speech
• Light sensitivity
• Headache & Dizziness
• Sluggish Reactions
• Nervousness or Moodiness
• Lack of Energy
• Interrupted sleep patterns
Some of these symptoms may appear right away while others may not be noticeable for days or months following the injury. At the Law Offices of Bill Kuziara we provide our clients with the additional medical and cognitive rehabilitation resources they need to ensure a better recovery than an initial diagnosis may have predicted. We understand that most concussions can go unnoticed and can cause financial and traumatic emotional distress. Our highly qualified attorneys protect the personal injury rights of our clients and their families seeking to recover the maximum amount of damages.
About Bill Kuziara
Bill Kuziara spent the first several years of his legal career working on the startup of the wastewater irrigation system for the City of Rohnert Park. In 1978 he went to work for an insurance company as claims adjuster for Sonoma County and was able to handle over 500 personal injury cases in just three years, giving him a unique perspective on these types of cases. Since 1981 the focus of the Kuziara Law Office practice has been on personal injury cases, with an emphasis on concussive injuries and other types of brain injury cases. In fact, Kuziara has taken more traumatic brain injury cases to trial than any other attorney in Sonoma County. He has a unique focus on brain injury cases involving concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries, a diagnosis that is consistently undervalued by insurance companies, other lawyers and even some doctors. Read more about Bill Kuziara …
Contact Us
If you have been in an accident and suffered a concussion, medical care is obviously your first consideration. Unfortunately because concussions can take time to become apparent and diagnose, insurance companies can be reluctant to pay out on claims for them. They may assert that the concussion is unrelated to the accident, but as recovery can take weeks or months medical bills can pile up, so it is important that insurance claims are covered in a timely manner. To learn more contact us at (707) 546-1040 or visit our website.
John Beilharz, JB Communications, http://jbadvertising.com/, +1 (707) 579-4977, [email protected]
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