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DAHLONEGA, CUMMING, Atlanta
PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER

3619 S CHESTATEE, DAHLONEGA, GA 30533

6150 GA HIGHWAY 400, STE C, CUMMING, GA 30028

3334 Peachtree Rd NE #1703 Atlanta, GA 30326

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Brain Injury Lawyer In Georgia

Georgia Brain Lawyer Attorney

Steven Leibel has been in practice for over 40 years helping people deal with difficult life changing situations. In fact, he was a Commission member on the Georgia Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission.

 

Steve is aware of the challenges and special issues people experiencing brain injuries face. His knowledge of the law, and of medicine makes him uniquely qualified to help in these types of matters. 

He has experience in both adult and pediatric brain injury cases. Not only does Steve understand the value of special diagnostic procedures to assist people who have been injured, but he also understands the value of certain medical treatments which may not be available to clients who are locked into a specific geographic location. Steven and his staff obtain experts from across the country to help those with traumatically-caused brain injuries win their case. 

What is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

According to the Mayo Clinic, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a force to the head that typically results from a violent blow, bump or jolt to one’s head that would cause the brain to no longer function properly. While a direct blow to the head does not mean there would automatically be an injury to the brain, an object that penetrates through brain tissue, like a bullet or shattered piece of skull, can cause traumatic brain injury.

 

The severity of a brain injury can range from mild to severe, depending on the nature of the injury and force of its impact on the head. When it comes to mild traumatic brain injury, this degree of brain injury might affect your brain cells. Minor or micro injuries to the brain cells can be permanent and can mean the victim will suffer long-term deficits. However, some victims can have  temporary effects. More severe traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. Unfortunately, these injuries are more likely to result in long-term complications or even death.

Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury can occur in almost every type of accident. From birth injuries, to slip and falls, to car and truck, and bicycle accidents, the potential for a traumatic brain injury may exist. 

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Common incidents causing traumatic brain injury include the following:

 

  • Falls: Falls from a bed or a ladder, down stairs, in the bath, and other falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury, especially in older adults and young children.

 

  • Vehicle-related collisions: Collisions that involve cars, motorcycles or bicycles and pedestrians involved in these types of accidents are a common cause of traumatic brain injury.

 

  • Physical violence: Gunshot wounds, domestic violence cases, child abuse and other physical assaults are common causes in adults and children. Shaken baby syndrome is a traumatic brain injury in infants caused by violent shaking.

 

  • Sports injuries: Traumatic brain injuries may also be caused by injuries from several types of sports, including soccer, boxing, football, baseball, lacrosse, skateboarding, hockey, and other high-impact or extreme sports. These are especially common in youth.

 

  • Explosive blasts and other combat injuries: Explosive blasts are another common cause of traumatic brain injury, particularly in active-duty military personnel. Although how the damage happens is not quite understood yet, several researchers believe that the pressure wave passing through the brain significantly disrupts brain function. 

 

To sum up, traumatic brain injury results from wounds that penetrate the brain, severe blows to the head with shrapnel or debris, and falls or bodily collisions with objects after a blast.

Brain Injuries at Birth

Children can also receive a brain injury during gestation and while being delivered at birth. 

 

An anoxic brain injury is an injury caused by a child not receiving enough oxygen to get to the brain. This injury can happen due to the umbilical cord wrapping around the infant's neck or due to another complication during childbirth. 

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Unfortunately, it only takes minutes without sufficient oxygen to cause a traumatic brain injury. The effects of an anoxic injury can affect the normal development of a child. When anoxia occurs in a baby during labor, it can destroy brain tissue, and can lead to HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy). Babies with HIE are at risk for cerebral palsy and severe neurologic impairment, including cognitive impairment and neurodevelopmental delay. 

 

Steven Leibel and his team are equipped to handle pediatric issues involving birth injuries of which pediatric brain injuries can also occur from accidents caused by the negligence of others.

 

Children can be severely injured as a result of an auto accident, a fall, rough play at school, school bus accidents and even falling from bunk beds at camp. Oftentimes these injuries can result in a traumatic brain injury.  

 

Steven Leibel has represented children injured from the negligence of others throughout his career. He has retained well respected experts to assist parents with children who have brain injuries. In fact, he has helped his clients develop individualized educational plans, and recommended other therapies provided by the schools.

Traumatic Brain Injuries from Auto and Other Accidents

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Headache, confusion, vomiting, slurred speech, or coma may appear immediately or weeks after a head injury occurs. 

 

Acceleration deceleration events are a common cause of traumatic brain injury. This makes sense because when the brain is moved inside the head, it hits the hard surface of the skull. The force of the accident may cause bruising and other damage. A CT scan often is unable to pick up this type of bruising. Other testing outside of the emergency department is often necessary to find out the severity of the injury. 

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Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury can have a wide range of physical and psychological effects on the body of the victim. There are some symptoms that may appear immediately after the traumatic event, while others may not appear until days or weeks after the incident.

 

The signs and symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury may include, but are not limited to:

Physical symptoms

 

  • Headache

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Fatigue or drowsiness

  • Problems with speech

  • Dizziness or loss of balance

 

Sensory symptoms

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  • Sensory issues, such as blurred vision, ringing in the ears, a bad taste in the mouth or changes in the ability to smell

  • Sensitivity to light and/or sound

 

Cognitive, behavioral or mental symptoms

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  • Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes

  • No loss of consciousness, but a state of being dazed, confused or disoriented

  • Memory or concentration problems

  • Mood swings

  • Feeling depressed or anxious

  • Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than usual

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Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries can include any of the signs and symptoms of mild injury, as well as these symptoms that may appear within the first hours to days after a head injury:

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Physical symptoms

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  • Loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours

  • Persistent headache or headache that worsens

  • Repeated vomiting or nausea

  • Convulsions or seizures

  • Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes

  • Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears

  • Inability to awaken from sleep

  • Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes

  • Loss of coordination

 

Cognitive or mental symptoms

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  • Profound confusion

  • Agitation, combativeness or other unusual behavior

  • Slurred speech

  • Coma and other disorders of consciousness

 

Children's symptoms

 

Infants and young children with brain injuries might not be able to communicate headaches, sensory problems, confusion and other similar symptoms. In a child with traumatic brain injury, you may observe the following:

 

  • Change in eating or nursing habits

  • Unusual or easy irritability

  • Persistent crying and being inconsolable

  • Change in ability to pay attention

  • Change in sleeping habits

  • Seizures

  • Sad or depressed mood

  • Drowsiness

  • Loss of interest in favorite toys or activities

Subdural Hematomas and Other Brain Bleeds

Intracranial hemorrhage encompasses four broad types of hemorrhage: epidural hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Each type of hemorrhage results from different etiologies and the clinical findings, prognosis, and outcomes vary.

 

Sometimes the force of the accident can cause a brain bleed that can be imaged on a CT scan. A subdural (hemorrhage) hematoma occurs when a blood vessel in the space between the skull and the brain (the subdural space) is damaged. Blood escapes from the blood vessel, leading to the formation of a blood clot (hematoma) that places pressure on the brain and damages it.

Small or symptomless subdural hematomas may not need treatment and only need to be watched over time. For severe cases, surgery is often needed.

 

If you have a severe subdural hematoma, your prognosis depends on your age, the severity of your head injury and how quickly you received treatment. About 50% of people with large acute hematomas survive, though permanent brain damage may occur because of the injury.

 

These types of injuries often occur in motorcycle vehicle crashes.

 

Falls

 

Traumatic intracerebral hemorrhages result from either nonpenetrating or penetrating trauma to the head. These oftentimes are because of a fall. The bruise, or contusion consists of blood intermixed with brain tissue. Traumatic intracerebral hemorrhages often expand over time. These types of bleeds can cause sudden tingling, weakness, numbness or paralysis to the face, arms, or legs.

Choice of Brain Injury Lawyer

In a traumatic brain injury case, a knowledgeable lawyer should be consulted to go over the facts of your case, or the case of your loved one. It’s easy to set up an appointment either by email, or by calling our office. After discussing the matter with us, we will ask you to review our contract. Once the contract and associated paperwork is signed, we will get to work on your behalf.

 

Investigating the Claim

 

There are certain steps we take to investigate your claim. If it’s an auto accident, we look to the police report to determine preliminary liability. If it involves a roadway accident, we may look at the danger associated with that area of highway. 

 

Regardless of the type of accident one is in, the faster a lawyer is retained, the faster that lawyer can act on your behalf. Many times, we will send letters to responsible parties to not destroy evidence like videos, and other types of evidence. When not retained in a timely manner, we may lose that opportunity to have evidence in the case.

 

Auto Accident and Other Reconstruction Experts

 

In serious accidents, we may want to retain road experts to reconstruct the events of an accident. If evidence is lost, those opinions have less value.

 

Building a Case

 

Building a case is like solving a puzzle. The facts of the accident, the medicals and the types of injuries all combine to solve the puzzle of an accident.

Insurance

We need to know what type of insurance you have. This means we need to review health insurance, disability insurance, and other types of insurance that can help you while you recover.  We also find out about the responsible party’s insurance coverage so we can advise you on how to proceed against them.

When to Call a Brain Injury Lawyer 

If you or one of your loved ones has been a victim of someone’s negligence and is experiencing any of the symptoms discussed above due to a brain injury, we recommend that you contact Leibel Law today to speak with Steven so he can help you with your case. 

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WHY CHOOSE US

75 Years of Experience
Proven Record
Strong Network
Focused on Your Outcome
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Counties We Serve:

Cherokee County, Cobb County, Dawson County, Dekalb County, Fannin County, Fulton County, Forsyth County, Hall County, Habersham County, Lumpkin County, North Fulton County, Pickens County, Stephens County, White County

Cities We Serve:

Alpharetta, Blairsville, Canton, Cleveland, Cumming, Dahlonega, Dawsonville, Ellijay, Gainesville, Helen, Jasper, Johns Creek, Milton

PHONE

404-892-0700

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