Traumatic Brain Injuries Explained

Traumatic Brain Injuries Explained

When a part of your brain is injured, the results can be devastating. Many people do not survive a traumatic brain injury, and those who do often are left with lifelong disabilities. In many cases, these tragedies are caused by negligence and completely preventable accidents.


If you or a loved one have been the victim of a traumatic brain injury, Kornfeld Law is here to help. We are experienced in fighting these cases and helping people get the compensation they deserve.

The Devastating Effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries

The Centers for Disease Control defines a traumatic brain injury as any type of disruption to normal brain function caused by trauma or an injury. There are several different kinds of traumatic brain injuries. Each has its own special considerations, treatments, and aftermath. The most common kinds are as follows:

Paralysis and Quadriplegia

When cells in the spinal cord or areas of the brain that control movement are damaged by an injury, the result is paralysis. This paralysis can be limited to a particular area of the body, such as your legs. In other cases, the paralysis affects all of your body, a condition known as quadriplegia.


Being unable to move all or part of your body can have a huge impact on the rest of your life. You are unable to earn a living or perform any of the hobbies you once enjoyed. In addition, most people with this type of injury require constant caregivers and a variety of expensive equipment such as motorized wheelchairs to assist them with all of their daily functions.

Permanent Brain Injury

Permanent brain injuries are often caused by aneurysms, a weakness in the wall of an artery that eventually ruptures. These conditions are often caused by a health care provider failing to identify and prevent risk factors that lead to these injuries. This can include failing to order the appropriate testing or neglecting to refer patients to specialists who can help treat the conditions before tragedy strikes.


Despite what doctors tell patients with bad outcomes, many major medical events are preventable when the patient receives responsible medical care. No one should have to live with the disability of a permanent brain injury when the conditions that cause these accidents can often be stopped.

Spinal Cord Damage

Your spinal cord connects your brain to the rest of the body. When it is damaged, the result is a loss of sensory and motor control. This can cause symptoms such as paralysis, intense pain, and even an inability to control basic bodily functions such as breathing and emptying your bladder.


Spinal cord damage usually comes from injuries and traumas that damage your neck or spine. All spinal cord damage causes devastating effects, although these often can be mitigated with expert medical treatment and skilled care.

Vertebral Artery Dissection

The vertebral arteries run up the back of the neck to feed blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain. When these arteries dissect, or tear, the result is damage to the spinal cord and brain tissue. In many cases, people with a vertebral artery dissection die.


Vertebral artery dissection can be caused by accidents that move the neck at a high velocity. In addition, it can be caused by poor quality chiropractic care. Because it requires intense and localized force to tear these arteries, these devastating injuries are often preventable.

Bleeds in the Brain

The brain is designed to control blood flow, getting the right amount of blood to the delicate tissues. The arteries that supply the brain are thick and flexible so they do not rupture from normal daily stress such as minor falls. In addition, the brain and the arteries that supply it are protected by the skull.


Many brain bleeds come from the impact of a significant force, such as a blow to the head. These are often the result of an attack or from negligence. This condition is extremely devastating and potentially deadly.


Wrongful Death

Any traumatic brain injury can lead to death. This can be devastating to the family and loved ones left behind. When death is caused by someone acting maliciously or negligently, it is called a wrongful death.


Families who are affected by wrongful death need and deserve compensation. You have lost a relative who would have been contributing to your well-being in financial and emotional ways for years to come. There are funeral expenses and medical bills. In addition, it is important to fight for justice. The people who caused your loved one's death should be held accountable so they don't hurt someone else. At Kornfeld Law, we understand how to fight the system to get the compensation you need and deserve.

Medical Malpractice and TBIs

Sadly, the negligent actions of medical providers can lead to TBIs and irreversible damage. 

Here are a few examples of how malpractice can cause brain injuries:

  • Surgery is performed where a patient is deprived of oxygen and suffers asphyxia, the loss of oxygen kills the brain
  • A patient who has a bleed into the brain that goes undiagnosed or treated too late
  • A patient who has a stroke caused by a blood clot, which can block arterial blood flow to an area of the brain and cause oxygen deprivation; this area of the brain then dies
  • A patient has a bleed in the brain from an injury, or leaking aneurysm or a blow aneurysm; 

Fighting for Victims and Families

The aftermath of a traumatic brain injury can be long and expensive. However, many people are able to move on after getting financial compensation. We believe that fighting for justice and for compensation is the first step of healing.


In many cases, traumatic brain injuries are caused by negligence. Sometimes these injuries are caused by a person negligently creating a dangerous situation. In many cases, they are caused by medical professionals failing to do their jobs in a responsible and professional manner.


Medical staff are trained to recognize and prevent dangerous situations. They decide what tests to run and are responsible for interpreting those tests. If a medical professional is not acting responsibly, they may fail to run the right diagnostic tests or run them too late. They may read the tests incorrectly so they do not recognize a dangerous situation.


The results of medical negligence can be death or lifelong disability. Professionals who do not act responsibly should always be held accountable for the results of their mistakes.


If you or a loved one have been affected by a traumatic brain injury, contact Kornfeld Law today. Our staff of lawyers will help you determine whether you have a case and fight for the justice you need to move on. Contacting our offices is the first step to obtaining justice and a future for your family.


Call Kornfeld Law today at (425) 657-5255 to speak with an attorney about your Washington catastrophic personal injury case.


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