Brain Injury Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Serving Head Injury Victims Nationwide

One of the primary causes of brain injuries are motorcycle accidents. In fact, motorcyclists experience traumatic brain injuries at 4 times the rate of car passengers. Brain injuries can often have permanent and irreversible effects. The financial and emotional impact on the injured person and family members can be traumatic.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcyclists are 16 times more likely to be fatally injured in a car accident than passengers of other vehicles. Motorcyclists are more prone to brain injuries that will require an extensive hospital stay and long-term rehabilitation treatments. Care for long-term treatments can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Causes and Types of Brain Injury Associated with Motorcycle Accidents
Brain injuries are caused by a sudden and violent jolt to a person's head as the result of an impact from a motorcycle accident. These injuries also occur when motorcyclists do not wear their helmets.

There are two types of brain injuries - mild traumatic and serious traumatic. Mild traumatic brain injury usually disrupts the functions of the brain cells temporarily. Serious traumatic brain injury has long term consequences. This condition can result in physical damage to the brain such as bleeding and bruising.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Common symptoms of mild brain injury from motorcycle accidents include:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Inability to sleep
• Blurred vision
• Vertigo
• Ringing in ears
• Drowsiness
• Concentration problems
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Mood changes

Serious Traumatic Brain Injury
Common symptoms of serious traumatic brain injury from motorcycle accidents include:

• Loss of consciousness for an extended period of time
• Vomiting or nausea that will not stop
• Seizures
• Convulsions
• Dilated eye pupils
• Numbness of fingers and toes
• Loss of coordination
• Extreme confusion
• Inability to be awaken from sleep
• Draining of clear fluids from ears or nose

Complications
Since the brain is the life center of the body, various complications can occur if it is injured. This includes altered states of awareness, consciousness and responsiveness. People who have brain injuries can go into a coma, vegetative state, minimally conscious state, brain death or a locked-in state.

• 1. A coma can occur for days, weeks or years, depending upon the severity of the damage. Comatose people are unconscious and they are not able to respond to stimuli.
• 2. A vegetative state is caused by widespread injury to the brain. Individuals who are in this state may open their eyes. However, they are not aware of their surroundings.
• 3. A minimally conscious state is referred to as a transitional state from a coma. Individuals who are minimally conscious are aware of their environment.
• 4. A person who is brain dead has no measurable activity in the brain. At the time a person is considered to be brain dead by medical professionals, all breathing and feeding tubes may be removed. This state is irreversible.
• 5. A locked-in state is characterized by environmental awareness without the ability to move. People who are in this condition are able to blink and make eye contact.

Diagnosis and Treatment
When doctors encounter a patient with brain injury from a motorcycle accident, they must act quickly. Any delay in treatment can cause rapid deterioration that will lead to permanent injury or death.

Emergency medical professionals assess the damage using the Glasgow Scale. This diagnostic tool evaluates the patient's ability to move limbs and talk. Patients are measured on 15 points. The higher the number on the scale the lower the severity of brain damage. For instance, if a patient scores 15 points, then they have brain injuries that are less severe.

Doctors also use CT scans to view the patient's brain. This scan is able to show evidence of bleeding, fractures, bruising and swelling.

Another tool that is used is an MRI. This tool shows a detailed view of the patient's brain. The MRI is often used after a patient is in stable condition.

Treatments vary depending upon the severity of the brain injury. In mild injuries, doctors usually advise their patients to rest and take over-the-counter pain medication. They are also advised to be monitored closely for symptoms of further damage. Follow-up visits are scheduled.

For more severe injuries, doctors are vigilant. They usually prescribe diuretics, coma-inducing drugs, anti-seizure drugs and surgery. Patients with severe brain injury may have to work with speech therapists, physical therapists, rehabilitation doctors and neuropsychologists.

Preventative Measures
Although some brain injuries due to motorcycle accidents occur as a result of being hit by another driver, there are some actions motorcyclists can take to attempt to prevent them.

• Be a safe motorcycle operator.
• Ride your motorcycle in designated lanes. Do not abruptly switch lanes.
• Never operate your motorcycle while being impaired by any substance.
• Obey the speed limit at all times.
• All passengers must wear helmets.
• Pay close attention to the proximity of the other vehicles on the road.
• Always remain visible to other drivers especially trucks.
• Avoid driving in rainy or slick conditions.

About The Doan Law Firm
Suffering the effects of a brain injury from a motorcycle accident takes a devastating toll on a patient's life. Medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering can be a trying experience. There is no need to go it alone. Help is available.

If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a motorcycle accident, The Doan Law Firm is available to provide you with top-notch legal counsel. Our friendly representatives are available 24 hours a day - 7 days a week to assist you. We offer free consultations. We do not get paid unless we win the case. Call us today!