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Frequently Asked Questions About Brain Damage, Brain Injury or Closed Head Injuries

What is a traumatic brain injury?
A traumatic brain/head injury is an injury to the brain caused by an outside force, which results in an impairment of a person's physical, cognitive or emotional functioning. Traumatic brain injuries range from mild to severe, and the resulting effects and impairments may be temporary or permanent. Traumatic brain damage (also sometimes called "closed head injuries") may be due to sudden energy forces applied to the brain and skull or by any event which cause a disruption in the supply of oxygen or blood to the brain. Traumatic brain injuries may result from vehicle collisions, falls, blows to the head, exposure to toxins, or medical negligence. Sometimes a brain injury is not diagnosed for weeks or months after an injury, as it requires diagnosis by a trained, skilled medical doctor. The signs and symptoms are very often not obvious.

What If The Injury Victim Never Was Knocked Uncounscious?


The absence of any significant or identifiable period of loss consciousness does not always mean that an injured person has not suffered a permanent brain injury. Likewise, permanent brain injury can even occur without a person having hit his or her head. While sometimes not as immediately dangerous as injuries involving coma, hematoma or surgery, these hard to detect brain injuries can be life altering, and in some cases as permanently disabling as many coma injuries.

Proving It In Court

Sometimes, special testing can conclusively show brain injury (MRI for example) but other times it can not. There are now various advanced imaging techniques that can highlight brain injury.

One of the attorneys with my law firm was involved in a jury trial in Manassas, Virginia on behalf of an injured gas station worker who suffered a "mild" traumatic brain injury when the walls of the gas station crashed in on him as the result of a derailed Norfolk Southern train. In 2000 the jury returned the (at that time) largest verdict in Virginia history for any personal injury victim. The victim suffered a brain injury that was sufficiently proved in court, but the victim did not have clearly identifiable damage visible on MRI. However, his doctor diagnosed the brain injury through all kinds of testing and differential diagnosis. Also, the diagnosis of brain injury did not occur in the emergency room but much later.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

How should you locate the best, top injury lawyer for your case?

Our Injury Lawyers Have Been Selected For Many Achievements Outlined Below:


Several  Injury Attorneys With Our Firm have been included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition (Lewis-Injury Law, Shapiro-Railroad Injury Law) and been Named As Virginia "Super Lawyers" For Personal Injury Law  (Lewis, Shapiro - 2009 Ed.)(Less than 5% of Outstanding Lawyers are Chosen); also selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (Lewis, Shapiro - 2009); named among the Top 100 Lawyers in Virginia by ATLA (Shapiro - 2009), and our law firm was the first Injury Law Firm in Virginia Invited to Join Primerus, a select group of Highly Ethical, Respected Law Firms .

In October, 2000 our law firm and co-counsel obtained, what was then, the
largest record verdict in Virginia's history for an injured person (46 Million Dollar Verdict, with Interest, 60 Million Dollars, Settled confidentially during appeal).  Click on icons for more details.

 

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Geographical Areas:

Our personal injury lawyers handle personal injury cases throughout the eastern USA, and work closely with lawyers in other states on signficant injury cases.

As to Virginia (VA), this includes: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Richmond (entire area), Petersburg, Roanoke/Salem, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, all areas of the Eastern Shore, including Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, and Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague, and Wallops Island, Ashland, Big Stone Gap and any other city/ounty.

As to West Virginia (WV) personal injury claims: Bluefield, Beckley, Bridgeport, Charles Town, Charleston, Fairmont, Huntington, Lewisburg, Madison, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ripley, Sutton, Weirton, Wheeling, and any other town or county.

Injury Lawyers licensed in VA, WV, NC, SC, KY & Wash., DC.

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