If you’ve been in a motorcycle accident, you need to get checked by a doctor right away, even if you think you’re fine, because you’re still at risk of a traumatic brain injury that can affect your memory, balance, and mood, and the symptoms don’t always show up right away.
But you need more than just medical attention; you need to talk to a lawyer, and ASAP. You’ve got rights as an injured party, and you need to be sure to protect those rights and recover damages to cover your current and future needs.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can easily happen during a motorcycle crash if riders hit the pavement, a vehicle, or something else at high speed. Violent motion makes the brain bang against the inside of the skull, and that causes bruising, bleeding, or swelling, even if there’s no fracture.
TBIs can be mild (like a concussion), moderate, or severe, such as skull fractures and hemorrhaging. No matter what, you need medical attention right away.
A lot of TBIs come from direct strikes to the head during impact, rapid deceleration that causes the brain to move inside the skull, and penetrating injuries from debris. Motorcyclists are a lot more at risk of injury on the road than people in cars are.
Symptoms and Signs of a Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury symptoms depend on how severe the injury is. Some show up right away, but other times, they can take days to show up. You might experience physical symptoms like constant headaches, nausea, dizziness, and blurred vision. You might also feel exhausted or have a hard time sleeping.
You can have cognitive symptoms, too, like confusion, problems remembering things, or having a hard time concentrating. You might lose track of time or forget conversations, too, and other people might start to notice.
Irritability, anxiety, or depression can show up as emotional symptoms. You might start snapping at people or having mood swings out of nowhere.
Brain swelling after a motorcycle accident increases pressure inside the skull, and the damage can be permanent. If you’ve got severe headaches, repeated vomiting, seizures, or loss of consciousness, get to the emergency room right away.
Medical and Legal Importance of Prompt Action
You need to get checked out right away if there is any possibility that you have a motorcycle accident brain injury, even if you think you’re fine. Adrenaline can cover up a lot of pain and injury, and brain injury symptoms don’t always show up until later.
Document everything. Take pictures with your phone of your helmet, the crash scene, and any injuries you can see. Keep every single medical record, bill, and prescription, and write down all your symptoms. This is all evidence for your case.
Michigan’s got no-fault insurance, so some medical expenses get covered no matter who caused the crash, but it won’t cover everything. If someone else caused the accident, you can make a third-party claim to get more damages. But you’ve got to file both claims ASAP.
Insurance companies like to minimize payouts, so they downplay injuries or say they’re because of some preexisting condition, and not the accident. Don’t talk to insurance adjusters without a lawyer, because they’ll twist around anything you say to use against you.
CDC reports show that TBIs are involved in thousands of deaths every year, and even though helmets lower the severity of head injuries, they can’t prevent all trauma, especially when it comes to high-speed impacts and certain crash angles. If you were wearing a helmet when you got hurt, that doesn’t weaken your case.
How Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. Helps Victims of Motorcycle Brain Injuries
Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. has taken on hundreds of cases for traumatic brain injury from motorcycle accidents, so we know how to deal with the complexities and challenges. We start by getting you proper medical care, since specialists can get really expensive. We’ll get you seen by neurologists, rehabilitation experts, and cognitive therapists.
Next, we investigate; we look at police reports and traffic camera footage and interview witnesses, not to mention we work with specialists who reconstruct the accident to figure out exactly what happened and who’s responsible.
Cochran Law documents every detail of your injury and tracks your medical documents, treatment, therapy, and costs of medication, plus we calculate how much you’ve lost in wages from missing work. We look at what your needs will look like in the future, too, because the effects of brain injuries can last for years, and you deserve coverage for that.
We’ll take care of communicating with insurance companies, so they can’t pressure you into quick settlements that won’t meet your needs. We know how to make a strong case, backed with medical evidence and legal expertise. If companies don’t want to give you fair compensation, we take them to court.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, proper legal representation makes a huge difference in outcomes. Our Michigan brain injury lawyers work with medical experts to document the full extent of your injuries. We know how brain swelling after a motorcycle accident impacts your daily life and future earning potential.
Conclusion
You can’t undo a traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle crash, but you can get compensation to cover your needs. Get legal help right away; waiting only gives insurance companies an advantage because evidence gets lost, witnesses forget important details, and deadlines get missed.
Get Help from Experienced Michigan Brain Injury Attorneys
If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle crash, contact us at Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. for a free consultation. We work on contingency, which means you pay nothing unless we win your case.
What causes traumatic brain injury in motorcycle crashes?
Impact to the head, the brain banging against the skull because of sudden deceleration, and penetrating injuries from debris all cause TBI. The brain moves violently inside the skull during crashes and tears tissue, ruptures blood vessels, and causes swelling. Even low-speed accidents can end in a concussion.
Can I have a brain injury even if I was wearing a helmet?
Helmets help prevent skull fractures and death, but they can’t prevent all brain trauma, especially when it comes to high-impact crashes. The brain still moves inside the skull during sudden stops, which means you can suffer a traumatic brain injury even with a helmet.
What are common symptoms of brain swelling after a motorcycle accident?
Severe headache that worsens over time, repeated vomiting, slurred speech, and seizures are all signs of dangerous brain swelling after a motorcycle accident. You might experience confusion, weakness on one side of your body, or dilated pupils. Loss of consciousness or the inability to wake someone up calls for immediate emergency care.
How long after a crash can TBI symptoms appear?
Symptoms can take hours, days, or even weeks to show up. Mild concussions can show symptoms within 24 hours, and the symptoms of moderate to severe injuries often show up within days, but you might not notice certain cognitive and emotional symptoms until you go back to work or normal activities. See a doctor any time you experience new symptoms, and document everything.
Can I file a claim for a brain injury caused by a motorcycle accident in Michigan?
Yes. Even though Michigan’s no-fault insurance covers your medical expenses and lost wages no matter who’s to blame, you can still file a third-party claim against the at-fault driver for pain, suffering, and permanent injuries. The state gives you three years from the crash date to file a lawsuit, but insurance companies usually have shorter deadlines. Contact Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. ASAP to protect your rights and maximize your compensation.
Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal
advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship
is created nor intended.
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