A traumatic brain injury victim received a significant car accident settlement today in a hotly disputed lawsuit.  Our client suffered significant injuries, including a mild traumatic brain injury, in a rollover car accident in Macomb County, Michigan.  Other injuries included herniated discs, a compression spine fracture, and nerve damage.

Our client missed substantial time from work and suffered cognitive deficits as a result of the accident.  She treated with a number of medical specialists, including a neurologist, neuropsychologist, physical medicine doctor, and orthopedic surgeron.  When she did return to work, it was at a significantly less physically demanding job.

As always, the insurance company for the negligent driver disputed that our client suffered a brain injury, despite the overwhelming evidence and the support of her treating doctors.  The defendant hired the “usual suspects” of hired gun insurance company doctors to testify that the client did not suffer a brain injury and was exaggering her symptoms.  These tactics did not work and the insurance company paid a sizable settlement before trial.

We are excited to again be a sponsor at the annual Brain Injury Conference in Lansing, Michigan on September 24-25.  The event is organized by the Michigan Brain Injury Association and features a number of great speakers and seminars for brain injury providers, brain injury survivors, and families of brain injury victims.

Our Michigan brain injury lawyers look forward to the conference every years.  If you are attending the event, please stop by our table and say hello.  We have our famous No-Fault Order of Priority Charts available to attendees for free.  We also have our books, “The Ultimate Michigan Car Accident Handbook” available and we are raffling off a DVD player to visitors.  We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.

A closed head injury victim in a Michigan car accident recieved justice today in a Lenawee County courtoom.  A  jury returned a verdict in a car accident case in favor of the accident vicitm for approximately $2,000,000.00.  This is a great victory for traumatic brain injury victims throughout the State of Michigan.

This is a substantial verdict in for Lenawee County where jurors are considered conservative when awarding compensation to injury victims.  Great credit should be given to the jury for their public duty on this important case and for understanding the complex medicine behind brain injuries.

The negligent driver had insurance company with Farm Bureau Insurance Company.  Incredibly, the insurance adjuster offered only $100,000 before the trial to settle this serious injury case.  Well, the jury clearly understood the magnitude of a closed head injury more than the insurance adjuster.  There will most likely be significant penalties awarded against the Defendant in this case and the insurance company will be probably be required to foot the bill, as it should.

After a traumatic brain injury, it is usually a team of dedicated medical professionals that assist the patient and family with recovery and rehabilitation.  The licensed professionals involved in the care of brain injury patient during recovery may include:

• Neurosurgeon: A surgeon expert in diseases and conditions of the nervous system. Often the attending physician who manages the
  case.
• Neurologist: A physician who specializes in the nervous system and its disorders.
• Pulmonologist: A physician who manages problems with respiration and lung disorders.
• Physiatrist: A physician who specializes in physical medication and rehabilitation.
• Orthopedic Surgeon: A surgeon who specializes in diseases of the bones and treats injuries to the limbs and back.
• Neuropsychologist: A psychologist with specialized training in relationships between the brain and behavior.
• Nurses: Nursing staff provides direct patient care in all phases of the recovery process including administering oral and intravenous
  medications, positioning patients, and carrying out physicians’ orders.
• Physical Therapist: Evaluates components of movement, including muscle strength, tone, posture, coordination, endurance, and general
  mobility.
• Occupational Therapist: Focuses on reestablishing the activities of daily living, self care, and upper body motor skills.
• Speech/Language Pathologist: Responsible for evaluating and assisting with swallowing problems, communication difficulties, and
  cognitive deficits.
• Respiratory Therapist: A person skilled in operating machines to aid breathing and keep the airway open.
• Social Worker/Case Manager: A liaison between the professional team and other parties concerned with the patient.

Depending on the consequences of the brain injury, other professionals as appropriate may also include a neuro-ophthalmologist, behavioral optometrist, recreational therapist, biomedical engineer, certified driving educator, infectious disease specialist, orthopedist, and vocational rehabilitation specialist.

In addition to medical providers, the brain injury victim also needs an experienced lawyer to assist him or her with receiving insurance benefits, treatment, and in filing a lawsuit against the person or entity that caused the brain injury.  Our Michigan brain injury lawyers work together with the medical professionals on the same team to help the patient and their family through the entire process.

Finding the best lawyer for your brain injury case may be the most important decision that you make.   The simple fact is that not all personal injury lawyers have the necessary expertise to represent a client who has suffered a traumatic brain injury.  To successfully represent a brain injured client, it is essential for a lawyer to have thorough understanding of the medicine and science behind brain injuries.  This is the only way to understand how the course of a brain injury victim’s life has been altered and how it has affected the family of the victim.  It is also the only way to attack and defeat the “hired gun” experts that will be hand-picked by the insurance company to defeat a brain injury claim.

A brain injury is any injury that results in brain cell death and loss of function.  A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an external trauma to the head or violent movement of the head, such as from a fall, car crash or being shaken.  In fact, car accidents cause about 30% of the traumatic brain injuries in Michigan.

TBI is complex and unpredictable in its outcomes. Serious injury can occur without obvious physical disabilities. Both mild and severe TBI can result in lifelong impairments – requiring long-term care services.  In cases involving motor vehicle accidents, the brain injury victim is entitled to significant benefits under the Michigan No-Fault Laws.  These include lifetime medical expenses, attendant care services, lost wages, and even housing accommodations.

Our lawyers are members of the Michigan Brain Injury Association and the Michigan Brain Injury Provider’s Council.  We work closely with the team of doctors and specialists treating our brain injured clients so that we can best assist the client in their recovery efforts and to ensure that the client receives the best possible settlement in his or her brain injury case.

Not all lawyers do this, which can be a major mistake when it comes to assessing and evaluating a client’s case for settlement.  Without understanding the full impact of the injuries on a client’s life and how it will affect them in the future, a lawyer simply cannot provide the best representation to the client.