Columbia Brain Injury Lawyer

As the capital city of South Carolina and the state's second-largest city, there are many reasons why people choose to live in or visit Columbia.

The city's leaders have spent tremendous time and energy revitalizing the area in recent years, bringing new opportunities and an updated feel to the region. 

Unfortunately, while there are many things to love about Columbia, many hazards can result in serious injuries.

One of the most severe injuries a person can incur is damage to the brain, as the brain controls nearly all of the body's functions and processes.

These injuries are likely to produce permanent disabilities due to the well-documented difficulty that brains have in healing from damage.

If you or your loved one suffered a brain injury due to someone else's carelessness or recklessness, you could seek compensation for the expenses and effects of your injury by filing a personal injury claim against the at-fault party's relevant liability policy.

If the insurer who services that policy fails to compensate the claim, you have a second opportunity to seek compensation through a lawsuit filed in civil court.

However, brain injury claims are often more highly valued and complicated than other types of personal injury claims, and an attorney has a crucial role in helping you navigate the process.

An experienced Columbia brain injury lawyer from Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, can evaluate your case for free.

Why Trust Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, With Your Brain Injury Claim?

The legal team at Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, has a mission to give injured people and their families the highest quality customer service, representation, and available settlements.

Each team member is encouraged to take responsibility for the clients and the results we are able to receive for their claims, to speak with potential clients on the same day they contact us by phone or online.

Instead of giving clients empty promises, we provide answers, compassion, and aggressive advocacy. 

Having a local law office is convenient for our clients in Columbia, as it provides easy access to services provided by team members who live and work in their city, are familiar with the hospitals and roadways they travel, and the culture that is important to residents who live in the region. 

For a free case evaluation with an experienced brain injury lawyer from Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, contact us any time of the day or night by calling our Columbia office or sending us a message online.

Types of Brain Injuries

Brain injuries vary widely in severity and impact. Some may cause temporary issues, while others lead to permanent damage. Here are the main types of brain injuries that victims might experience:

1. Concussion – A concussion occurs when a sudden impact or violent shaking causes the brain to hit the inside of the skull. This can lead to headaches, dizziness, memory problems, and even changes in behavior. While often considered mild, repeated concussions can result in long-term complications.
2. Contusion – A contusion refers to a bruise on the brain caused by a direct blow to the head. Depending on the size and location of the bruise, this injury can lead to swelling and pressure in the brain, which may require surgery in severe cases.
3. Penetrating Injury – When an object pierces the skull and enters the brain, it’s classified as a penetrating injury. These injuries can be life-threatening and often require immediate medical intervention. Long-term effects depend on the area of the brain that was injured.
4. Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) – This type of injury happens when the brain is shaken or rotated violently, causing damage to the nerve fibers. DAIs often result from car accidents or other traumatic events and can lead to severe brain damage, including coma or long-term impairments.
5. Anoxic Brain Injury – An anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen for an extended period. This can happen due to drowning, cardiac arrest, or choking. Without oxygen, brain cells begin to die, leading to serious, often irreversible, damage.

Each type of brain injury can have different effects on a person’s health and abilities. Seeking immediate medical attention is crucial to prevent further complications and manage recovery.How Much Is a Brain Injury Claim Worth in Columbia?

As explained by the Brain Injury Association of America, no two brain injuries are exactly the same, and the effects of a brain injury vary significantly from person to person.

The brain comprises several sections—called lobes—that control the body's functions and responses. The severity of the disabilities that will be incurred as a result of the injury depends not only on how bad the injury was but also on the part of the brain that sustained the damage. 

For example, an injury to the brain stem can result in the sufferer's body no longer having the ability to control heart rate, consciousness, or breathing without mechanical assistance.

Damage to the frontal lobe can result in memory loss, difficulty speaking or understanding spoken language, and damage to the cerebellum can result in the loss of the ability to move in a balanced and coordinated movement.

Even the side of the brain where the damage occurred can result in significant changes to the sufferer's personality and affect their abilities, as the left and right hemispheres of the brain have different responsibilities in the body's function.

Beyond differences in injuries, other unique factors make up the value of a brain injury claim, including the availability of insurance coverage to compensate the sufferer for the financial and psychological costs of their injury.

Many people are surprised that insurance coverage is a major factor in a claim's value. However, it is important to understand that insurance is almost always the source of payment for these claims as liable parties generally do not have the funds to compensate costs associated with life-altering or life-threatening injuries they've caused to others out of pocket.

Brain injuries are often catastrophic injury claims due to the high likelihood of permanent disabilities resulting from the injury.

The legal term catastrophic injury refers to injuries that are likely to result in a permanent loss of earning capacity for the sufferer and are typically valued higher than other types of personal injury claims due to the need to account for the loss of income and lifelong medical needs resulting from the injury.

How Brain Injuries Occur Due to Negligence in Columbia

Traumatic brain injuries involve a blow to the head or body that damages the brain. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, falls cause more than half of all new brain injuries suffered in the U.S. each year.

The construction projects in and around Columbia in recent years are a common source of fall injuries, as workers are often required to work in elevated areas.

Falls can also occur throughout the area in retail, dining, and office environments due to property hazards such as damaged flooring or poorly lit stairwells.

Traffic accidents are the second-most common cause of traumatic brain injuries, including accidents involving passenger vehicles, large trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, or bicyclists.

According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, Richland County sees more than 10,000 traffic accidents yearly, giving it the third-highest traffic accident rate in the state.

Nearly 3,000 of these collisions result in injuries to occupants of the vehicles involved, and around 125 of these accidents feature serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries.

Brain Injuries Can Influence Every Part of a Person's Life

While the disabilities incurred from a brain injury are variable based on the severity of the injury and the lobe that sustained the damage, one thing is generally true about nearly all brain injuries: They have a significant effect on every part of the sufferer's life, and often the lives of the sufferer's family members as well. 

Brain injuries commonly result in physical complications requiring additional and long-term medical treatment, resulting in hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in lifetime medical expenses.

The disabilities resulting from the injury can prevent the victim from earning an income, which commonly complicates the issue of affording needed medical treatment if the sufferer no longer has an employer-sponsored health insurance policy.

If the sufferer can no longer perform personal care tasks independently, they and their family members may need to hire a home healthcare provider or even secure a placement at a rehabilitation or long-term nursing care facility.

For brain injury sufferers who are able to be cared for at home, there can be significant emotional challenges for them and their family members, as family members commonly experience significant changes in their relationship with their injured loved one and isolation due to behavioral and mobility issues arising from the injury that can make them unable to participate in activities and events that were previously enjoyable for the whole family.

Anxiety, depression, and emotional distress are common among those living with brain injuries and their family members.

Why Getting Compensation After a Brain Injury Is So Difficult

Getting compensation after a brain injury can be a complex and frustrating process for many brain injury victims. Insurance companies often make it challenging for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) to receive the compensation they deserve.

This difficulty largely stems from the fact that insurers profit by selling policies, and paying out large claims for serious brain injuries contradicts that goal.

When a brain injury claim is filed—whether through a personal injury case or a worker's compensation claim—the insurance company assigns a claims adjuster to review the case. This adjuster will assess:

• Coverage: Whether the relevant liability policy (auto, property damage, or workers' comp) provides coverage for the brain injury.
• Fault: In personal injury cases, the adjuster will investigate whether the injury resulted from the policyholder's negligence. In workers' comp claims, which generally don't require proving fault, adjusters may look for reasons to deny the claim, such as the claimant being impaired or engaging in unsafe behavior.
• Compensation: Whether compensation is owed and how much should be paid.

While these steps may seem reasonable, brain injury victims often face unfair tactics from insurance companies. Claims adjusters may offer unreasonably low settlements, impose arbitrary deadlines, or delay their response, all in an effort to reduce the compensation payout.

Brain injury cases, especially involving serious injuries like diffuse axonal injury or closed head injury, often result in extensive medical bills, lost wages, and long-term emotional distress, making these tactics particularly harmful to claimants.

A Columbia brain injury lawyer can help victims navigate these complex challenges by managing communication with the insurer, collecting and presenting necessary evidence, properly valuing the claim, and pursuing compensation through negotiation or litigation.

Whether the injury occurred in a car accident, sports accident, or other traumatic brain injury accident, having a legal team by your side ensures that the process moves forward, and your rights are protected.

For victims suffering from brain injuries, the consequences are often life-altering, requiring ongoing medical treatment, financial recovery, and emotional support.

If you've suffered a brain injury due to someone else's negligence, a Columbia brain injury attorney can provide a free case evaluation to help you recover maximum compensation for your losses.

Through the personal injury or worker's comp claims process by managing communication with the insurer, ensuring the claim can be proven through evidence and documentation, properly valuing the claim to account for all covered aspects of the injury, managing the timeline of the claim to avoid allowing the statute of limitations to expire and representing the claim through settlement negotiations or litigation.

What to Do to Protect the Value of a Columbia Brain Injury Claim

Hiring an experienced brain injury lawyer is an important part of successfully resolving the claim. A legal team can handle most aspects of the claims process, providing the claimant and their family with the opportunity to focus on physical recovery while their attorney handles their financial recovery. 

However, claimants and their loved ones can protect the value of the claim by:

• Providing the legal team at Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, with any evidence and documentation they have that can help prove their claims, such as an official accident report, photos of the accident scene, receipts for injury-related expenses, information about the claimant's wages and ability to work, and any medical documentation provided to the claimant.
• Journaling about the injury to track the frequency of medical visits, day-to-day pain levels, and other effects that can be considered by the attorney when they are valuing the claim.
• Following the treatment plan of medical professionals, including attending scheduled appointments, taking prescribed medications, and participating in therapies designed to provide the sufferer with the greatest opportunity for recovery.

Impact on Family Members

When a traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs, it doesn’t just affect the brain injury victim—it profoundly impacts their family as well. Brain injuries, whether from car accidents, motorcycle accidents, or sports accidents, can drastically change the dynamics of a household.

Family members often find themselves in the role of caregivers, managing the medical treatment and daily care of their injured loved one.

A serious brain injury may require the family to coordinate multiple medical appointments, manage extensive medical bills, and deal with the emotional pain of watching their loved one suffer.

Columbia brain injury lawyers understand how overwhelming this can be and work to help families recover compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and emotional distress.

In severe brain injury cases, such as those involving diffuse axonal injury or open head injuries, the victim may suffer long-term disabilities, requiring ongoing care and assistance.

This places a significant financial and emotional burden on the family, as they adjust to the injured person’s new reality. Tasks like daily personal care, balance loss management, and the need for round-the-clock supervision can become overwhelming for family members.

Family members may also experience emotional distress as they watch the victim struggle with brain damage that affects nearly every aspect of their life. The sudden shift in responsibilities can strain relationships, causing feelings of isolation and frustration.

Columbia brain injury attorneys are available to provide legal support during these difficult times. They can help families pursue compensation for caregiving costs, lost income, and the long-term financial recovery needed after a traumatic brain injury.

Many law firms, including those in South Carolina, offer a free consultation to discuss your options and ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. With a strong legal team by your side, you can focus on your loved one’s recovery while they handle the complex legal process.

If You or Your Loved One Suffered a Brain Injury, Contact Us

Brain injuries are among the most significant injuries a person can suffer. Suffering a brain injury doesn't only cause immediate financial and psychological effects but can burden the sufferer and their family members for the rest of their life. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer.

The legal team at Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, understands how devastating the effects of this type of injury can be.

We are dedicated to helping those who incurred brain injuries due to someone else's negligence to receive the compensation they need by providing compassionate customer service and the knowledgeable advocacy they need as they navigate a complex catastrophic injury claims process.

For a free case evaluation from our Columbia legal team, contact us by calling (843) 232-0944 or sending us a message through our online contact form.