Personal Injury & Head Injury Claims

Head Injury - The Medical Side of Personal Injury

While head injuries are one of the most typical causes of death and impairment in the United States. A bulk of patients with head injuries are dealt with and let go from the emergency clinic.

Blows to the head frequently cause brain injury, however shaking may also trigger damage. The face and jaw are located in the front of the head, and brain injury may also be related to injuries to these structures. It is also essential to note that a head injury does not always suggest that there is also a brain injury.




The brain is a soft and flexible product, almost jelly-like in feel, and is surrounded by a thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The brain is lined by thin layers of tissue called the meninges; 1) the pia mater, 2) the arachnoid mater, and 3) the dura mater. The cerebrospinal fluid exists in the space below the arachnoid layer called the subarachnoid space.

The dura mater is extremely thick and has septae, or partitions, that help support the brain within the skull. The septae connect to the inner lining of the bones of the skull. The dura mater also aids in the support of the big veins that return blood from the brain to the heart.

The spaces in between the meninges are typically very little however they can fill with blood when trauma happens, and this accumulation of blood can possibly push into the brain tissue and trigger damage.

The skull secures the brain from trauma however it does not absorb any of the impact from a blow. Direct blows may cause fractures of the skull. There can be a contusion or bruising and bleeding to the brain tissue straight beneath the injury area. However, the brain can bounce around, or slosh, inside the skull and due to this fact , the brain injury may not always be located straight below the trauma area. A contrecoup injury describes the situation where the preliminary blow triggers the brain to bounce away from that blow and is harmed by hitting the skull directly opposite the injury area.

Acceleration/deceleration and rotation are the typical kinds of forces that can cause injuries far from the location of the skull that received the injury.

Head injuries, including those due to bleeding are typically classified by the area of the blood within the skull, as follows:

• Epidural hematoma: With an epidural hematoma, the bleeding lies in between the dura mater and the skull (epi= exterior). This injury typically takes place along the side of the head where the middle meningeal artery runs in a groove along the temporal bone. This bone is reasonably thin and provides less defense than other parts of the skull. As the bleeding continues, the hematoma or clot expands. There is little space in the skull for the hematoma to grow and as it expands, the adjacent brain tissue is compressed. With increased pressure the brain begins to move and ends up being compressed versus the bones of the skull. The pressure has the tendency to build rapidly because the septae that attach the dura to the skull bones produce little spaces that trap blood. Symptoms of head injury and reduced level of awareness take place as the pressure increases.

• Subdural hematoma: A subdural hematoma is located underneath the dura mater (sub= below), in between it and the arachnoid layer. Blood in this area has the ability to dissipate into a bigger area because there are no septae limiting the blood circulation. However, after a time period, the quantity of bleeding may cause increased pressure and trigger signs much like those seen with an epidural hematoma.

• Subarachnoid bleed: Subarachnoid bleeding occurs in the area beneath the arachnoid layer where the cerebrospinal fluid is located. Frequently there is intense headache and throwing up with subarachnoid bleeding. Due to the fact that this area is in touch with the back canal, pressure buildup tends not to take place. Nevertheless, this injury often happens in combination with the other kinds of bleeding in the brain and the symptoms might be compounded.

• Intra-cerebral bleed: Intra-cerebral bleeding takes place within the brain tissue itself. In some cases the quantity of bleeding is small, but like bruising in any other part of the body, swelling or edema may occur over a period of time, causing a progressive reduction in the level of awareness and other symptoms of head injury.

• Large injury: Sometimes, the damage is due to large injury, where there is no obvious bleeding in the brain, but instead the nerve fibers within the brain are extended or torn. Another term for this kind of injury is diffuse axonal injury.

• Edema: All injuries to the brain might also trigger swelling or edema, no different than the swelling that surrounds a swelling on an arm or leg. Nevertheless, since the bones of the skull can not stretch to accommodate the additional volume caused by swelling, the pressure increases inside the skull and triggers the brain to compress versus the skull.

• Skull fracture: The bones of the skull are classified as flat bones, implying that they do not have an internal marrow. It takes a substantial quantity of force to break the skull, and the skull does not take in any of that impact. It is typically transferred straight to the brain.

Head Injury - Causes

By meaning, forceful injury is required to cause a head injury, however that trauma does not always have to be violent. Dropping a couple of steps or falling on to a solid surface may be enough to cause damage. Motor vehicle crashes account for about 17% of traumatic brain injuries, while 35% are from falls. Most of head injuries take place in males.

Penetrating head injuries describe those scenarios where the injury takes place due to a projectile, for instance a bullet, or when anything is impaled though the skull into the brain.

Closed head injuries describe injuries in which no lacerations exist.

The brain may also be hurt without a direct blow to the skull. The head sits on the neck permitting it to shake, causing the brain to slosh inside the skull and become damaged.

Should I contact an attorney?

If you are suffering from a head injury brought on by the neglect of another or the result of being injured in an auto, truck, or motorbike collision, premises liability accident, or employees' settlement mishap, contact a Covington LA personal injury lawyer from Covington Personal Injury at 985.206.8060, who can evaluate your case and provide you with answers to your questions.