Understanding Acquired Brain Injuries
An injury that causes brain damage can have life changing consequences. Perhaps more devastating is when a traumatic brain injury was caused by negligence and could have been avoided. A traumatic brain injury attorney can help accident victims recover compensation for their injuries and ease their financial burden.
Much like a traumatic brain injury, an acquired brain injury can be life changing, causing mounting medical bills and impacting a person's ability to work. At Quick Law Group, PLLC, our attorneys help people who have suffered an acquired brain injury in Bellevue, WA, recover damages for their injuries.
What Is an Acquired Brain Injury?
An acquired brain injury is a type of brain injury that is not genetic in nature or caused by a congenital disorder. Instead, an acquired brain injury is brain damage sustained as a result of something happening after birth.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by an external force, and this is considered a form of acquired brain injury. However, acquired brain injuries can be caused by more than external forces and can happen from natural causes as well.
Causes of Acquired Brain Injuries
Acquired brain injuries are injuries to the brain that happen after someone is born. They can have external causes, like a strong blow to the head, or internal causes, like a stroke. Some common causes of acquired brain injuries include:
- Stroke: A stroke occurs when an artery to the brain becomes blocked, either from a blood clot or occlusive plaque within the artery. This prevents blood and oxygen from reaching the brain. If the brain is deprived of oxygen for too long, brain cells can die and cause permanent damage.
- Infection: Some infections can affect the brain, like encephalitis and meningitis, and cause permanent damage to brain cells.
- Tumor: A brain tumor can damage the brain by putting pressure on the surrounding tissue or damaging the brain cells.
- Injury: Any injury that damages the brain or causes the brain to lose oxygen, even for just a few minutes, can cause an acquired brain injury. Examples include near drowning, getting hit in the head, or near suffocation.
- Surgery: Sometimes during brain surgery to remove a tumor or stop seizures, a brain injury may be acquired as a result of removing brain tissue or cutting areas of the brain.
Seeking Damages for an Acquired Brain Injury
Some acquired brain injuries cannot be prevented, such as those with natural causes, like stroke or a tumor. However, when an acquired brain injury was caused by negligence, it may be possible to recover damages for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Acquired brain injuries caused by someone's negligence, like a reckless driver, a product defect, or an employer's failure to provide proper safety equipment, may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.
A personal injury attorney can gather evidence to support an acquired brain injury claim and help victims in Bellevue recover compensation for their injuries.
Contact Quick Law Group, PLLC
If you or a loved one has suffered an acquired brain injury due to the negligence or recklessness of another party, it may be possible to collect compensation for your injuries. To learn more about legal remedies that may be available to you, please call (425) 576-8150 to schedule a consultation with our Bellevue law firm.