Have you or a loved one suffered brain injury caused by a medical accident?
If you need guidance on making a compensation claim for a brain injury caused by a medical accident then call our free helpline on 0333 888 0412 or send an email to [email protected]
Brain Injuries
We specialise in negligence claims involving brain injuries.
In the UK approximately 1.4 million people attend A&E each year, with 200,000 being admitted to hospital due to a head injury. Between 33% and 50% of admissions are children aged under 15 years. Although many patients only suffer mild concussion (the mildest form of brain injury), others sustain brain injuries that are life changing.
The two types of brain injury
There are two types of brain injury.
1 Acquired Brain injury (ABI)
Acquired Brain Injury falls within a broad category of brain injuries which are not due to a congenital or degenerative disease. The injury could be temporary or permanent, and it can cause mild to severe disability.
Causes of Acquired Brain Injury include:
- External blows to the head
- Strokes
- Heart Attacks
- Loss of oxygen (choking or near drowning)
- Loss of consciousness
2 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A TBI is a more narrow category of head injury and relates purely to injuries to the brain resulting from a sudden blow, bump, or jolt to the head, causing disruption to the normal functioning of the brain. A TBI can also be caused by an object that pierces the skull and enters the brain. When someone has a TBI, it is important to establish whether it is mild, moderate, or severe, so that the correct treatment can be provided. These brain injuries can be severe enough to cause someone to suffer seizures, be put in a coma, or die.
Causes of a Traumatic Brain Injury include;
- Falls
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Being struck by an object
- Assaults
- Sports injuries
Symptoms of a brain injury
Brain injury symptoms can be wide ranging. They include:
- Headaches that are persistent, or gradually worsen;
- Repeated nausea or vomiting;
- Convulsions or seizures;
- Loss of consciousness from several minutes/hours;
- Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears;
- Inability to awaken from sleep;
- Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes;
- Sensory problems; and
- Mood changes and behavioural changes.
Complications of brain injuries
If a brain injury is classified as moderate to severe, this can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life. Approximately 1.3 million people are living with a disability due to sustaining a brain injury. Brain injuries can impact physical, intellectual, behavioural, emotional, and sensory abilities.
Brain injuries caused by a medical accident
Both ABI and TBI brain injuries can be caused by medical accidents. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury while under the care of a hospital, surgery, clinic or care home, or there has been a delay in diagnosing a brain injury, please contact our helpline service for a free review of your case.
Our medical negligence lawyers are hugely experienced in dealing with brain injury cases. In one recent case we recovered compensation when a baby suffered an hypoxic ischaemic insult during her birth, resulting in permanent brain injury. A claim was made on behalf of the child on the basis that the maternity unit caused a delay during the birth leading to the brain injury occurring. Claims were also pursued on behalf of the baby’s mother and grandmother for psychiatric injury, resulting in substantial awards being made.