New Study Reveals Long-term Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Los Angeles residents who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (or TBI) need to understand their legal options. A TBI can entail extensive medical bills, long term therapy, and negative repercussions for both work and personal life. An attorney who specializes in this area is able to discuss liability issues with a victim who has sustained a TBI through accident or assault. Even those whose brain injuries are on the less severe side may want to consult a Los Angeles traumatic brain injury lawyer if they are interested in recovering compensation for their injuries: a recent study suggests that even TBIs classified as “mild” may involve significant levels of brain damage.

According to the study, published in the July issue of Neurology (the journal of the American Academy of Neurology), even if you have only suffered a “mild” traumatic brain injury, you may have sustained measurable brain damage. The study found significantly lower scores in memory and thinking among those who had suffered a mild or moderate brain injury as opposed to those who had not.

Study looks at long-term damage from mild TBIs

The study looked at 44 individuals who had sustained a mild TBI and 9 with a “moderate” TBI, and compared them with 33 who had no injury at all. Each participant in the study had a diffusion tensor imaging scan (a type of very sensitive MRI) at on average the sixth day after the injury. Those with injuries had noticeable damage to white matter in the brain and that damage was strongly correlated with lower scores on a test of cognitive and memory skills. Those with brain damage had scores approximately 25% lower than those without damage.

Andrew Blaimire, one of the study’s authors, noted that most studies consider TBIs that are ranked as severe or chronic. “We studied patients who had suffered clinically mild injuries often from common accidents such as falling from a bicycle, or slow speed car accidents,” he noted. “This finding is especially important, as 90 percent of all traumatic brain injuries are mild to moderate.”

The study highlights that even victims of relatively mild accidents may have suffered a debilitating injury that disrupts their ability to earn a wage. Accident victims in the Southern California area who have suffered injury as a result of another’s negligence may be entitled to compensation for such losses and expenses and should discuss this possibility with an LA personal injury attorney.

An LA personal injury attorney can identify liable parties

If you have suffered a TBI, even a mild one, a personal injury lawyer can identify the liable parties who should be held accountable. Such parties may include motorists who have caused accidents through negligent or reckless driving (including driving while under the influence or while distracted), the perpetrator of an assault, or property owners whose neglect of safety or security issues resulted in or enabled a slip, trip or fall in Los Angeles.

For over two decades, attorneys at Ellis Law have been helping LA residents get the compensation they deserve for TBIs, whether mild or severe.

Contact a Los Angeles traumatic brain injury lawyer from our office at 310-641-3335 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation to discuss your options.