Have you suffered a serious brain injury in an accident in St. Petersburg, FL? You may be entitled to compensation if someone else’s negligence was to blame. A personal injury lawyer can help you pursue the money you deserve to cover your lost earnings, medical care, and more.
For almost 20 years, Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group has represented brain injury survivors and their families. Contact our law office today at (772) 569-8155 for a free consultation with a St. Petersburg brain injury lawyer to explore your legal options.
How Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group Can Help You After A Brain Injury In St. Petersburg
After a brain injury, you deserve an advocate who will act in your best interests and fight for the compensation you deserve. While you focus on your recovery, a St. Petersburg brain injury attorney can build your claim to hold the at-fault party responsible.
When you choose our law firm, you will be a name, not a number. We take the time to get to know you with a personalized and compassionate approach. Here is how our law office can help you after your accident in St. Petersburg, Florida:
- Investigate your accident to determine causation and identify at-fault parties
- Collaborate with experts to strengthen your claim and quantify your damages
- Handle all paperwork and communications
- Provide sound legal advice and guidance
- Negotiate on your behalf to seek a fair settlement agreement
- Take your case to court when necessary
We are ready to give you the tireless legal representation you deserve while you focus on your health. Contact our law office today to schedule a free consultation with a St. Petersburg personal injury attorney to explore your options and how we can help.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Overview
A traumatic brain injury or TBI refers to brain damage caused by external trauma. An estimated 2.5 million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury per year. In 2021, there were more than 69,000 TBI-related deaths in the U.S. More than 210,000 people are hospitalized for brain injuries every year. About one-third of TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths are among people 75 and older.
Brain injuries are the leading cause of disability and death in people under 45, exceeding multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, spinal cord injuries, and AIDS combined.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Brain Injuries?
Brain injuries are generally classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Common types of brain injuries include:
- Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury: This is the most common type of TBI. It’s caused by rapid back-and-forth movement, or a blow to the head causes the brain to move within the skull.
- Contusion or bruise: Bruising of the brain tissue is usually caused by a direct blow to the head.
- Hematoma: This is a bruise and hemorrhage or collection of blood from a bleeding blood vessel.
- Coup injury: This is an injury to the brain tissue beneath the point of an impact.
- Contrecoup injury: This is damage to the opposite side of the brain from the site of an impact. It happens when the head is moving and strikes a stationary object, causing the brain to rebound and hit the opposite side of the skull.
- Coup-contrecoup injury: Sometimes, an injury causes both coup and contrecoup brain lesions. These injuries are caused by high-speed or high-impact accidents such as a fall from a great height or a high-speed crash.
- Diffuse axonal injury (DAI): This injury happens when the brain rapidly shifts and twists within the skull. It’s often the result of rotational or acceleration/deceleration injuries. This movement causes the nerve fibers or axons to tear or shear, with widespread brain damage.
- Anoxic and hypoxic injuries: These injuries occur when the brain’s oxygen supply is partially or completely cut off. Anoxic/hypoxic injuries are not traumatic brain injuries, but they can be secondary injuries after an initial TBI.
- Penetrating brain injury: Also known as an open head injury, this injury happens when a foreign object penetrates the skull and protective barrier surrounding the brain.
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a common neurological test used to assess a patient’s level of consciousness and the severity of a brain injury. The GCS is scored between 3 and 15 based on eye response, verbal response, and motor response.
What Causes Traumatic Brain Injuries In St. Petersburg, Florida?
Any accident involving a blow to the head or rapid back-and-forth movement of the head has the potential to cause a brain injury. The majority of traumatic brain injuries in St. Petersburg are caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports and recreation, and assault.
Motor Vehicle Crashes
Motor vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of traumatic brain injuries after falls but the leading cause for children and adults under 75. Crashes cause 17% of TBI-related deaths and 24% of nonfatal hospitalizations for brain injuries. About 35% of adolescent TBIs involved car accidents.
Young adults and teenagers are particularly at risk due to factors such as inexperienced driving and risky behaviors. Motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and truck crashes are more likely to result in serious injuries like TBIs compared to car accidents. Additionally, drivers and passengers who were not wearing a seatbelt were four times more likely to suffer a severe brain injury in a crash.
Falls
Falls are the leading cause of TBIs, particularly affecting adults aged 65 and older. Among seniors, slip and fall accidents are responsible for 81% of brain injuries. About 51% of nonfatal TBI-related hospitalizations are caused by falls. Falls are responsible for 30% of TBI-related deaths. About two-thirds of these deaths were in seniors aged 75 and older.
Sports Injuries
Sports-related brain injuries are common in adolescents and young adults, especially in contact sports like football and soccer. Concussions, a type of mild TBI, are prevalent in sports. About 3.8 million concussions every year in the United States are sports-related. It’s estimated that 5-10% of athletes will suffer a concussion in any given season.
Violence
Violence, including incidents involving firearms and assaults, is a significant cause of TBIs, particularly among men, young adults, and survivors of domestic violence. Men are statistically more likely to experience TBIs due to violence. Firearm violence is the leading cause of fatal traumatic brain injuries.
Workplace Accidents
Up to 24% of traumatic brain injuries are work-related. These TBIs are often caused by heavy machinery, falling objects, motor vehicle collisions, and falls.
Certain jobs and industries have a higher risk for traumatic brain injuries, such as construction workers, warehouse workers, or agricultural workers.
What Is My St. Petersburg Brain Injury Case Worth?
To estimate what your case may be worth, a personal injury attorney must consider many factors unique to your case. How much you may recover can depend on:
- The severity and nature of your injuries
- Your total financial costs, such as lost earnings and medical expenses
- Whether you share some fault for your accident
- The defendant’s behavior
- Whether you can return to work
- How your injury affects your daily life, independence, and quality of life
- Whether you have strong and clear evidence to support your claim
- If insurance coverage is available to pay out your claim
- Whether you have pre-existing conditions
In general, the more serious and more obvious your injuries, the more your case is worth. Your total financial damages may be multiplied by a factor of 1.5 to 5 to estimate the value of your non-economic damages. However, this is just an estimate that’s used as a starting point for negotiations.
What Damages Are Available To Brain Injury Victims In St. Petersburg?
After proving the other party’s liability, you are entitled to seek financial compensation for the losses you have suffered. A personal injury claim allows you to seek compensatory damages in two categories: economic and non-economic damages.
While economic damages cover losses with a financial value, non-economic damages compensate you for your losses that have no intrinsic value.
You may be entitled to economic damage for losses such as:
- Current and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Necessary replacement services
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning potential if you are unable to work
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Property damage
Non-economic damages might compensate you for the following:
- Pain and suffering, mental anguish, and emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Loss of quality of life
If your case goes before a jury, you may be entitled to seek punitive damages, but they are rare and are meant to punish the defendant for their behavior and deter others from similar egregious actions.
Am I Still Entitled To Compensation If I Was Partially At Fault For My Accident In Florida?
Since 2023, Florida has used a modified comparative negligence rule with a 51% bar. This rule allows you to recover compensation even if you share some fault for your accident. However, your recovery is reduced according to your share of fault, and you are barred from recovering compensation if you are 51% or more at fault.
For instance, if you suffered $100,000 in damages but you were assigned 20% of the blame, your recovery is limited to $80,000 (80%).
The insurance company may try to shift as much blame to you as possible to limit or even avoid paying out a claim. This is why it’s crucial to speak with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible if you are being blamed for your accident.
How Long Do I Have To File A Brain Injury Lawsuit In Florida?
The Florida statute of limitations gives you just two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. There are limited exceptions to this strict deadline. If your case is not filed before the statute of limitations expires, you will not be able to seek compensation for your injury.
It’s vital to take action as soon as possible to preserve your legal right to compensation and gather evidence to prove liability. Contact our law office to speak with a St. Petersburg brain injury attorney during a free case evaluation.
Schedule A Free Consultation With Our St. Petersburg Brain Injury Lawyers
When someone else’s negligence leaves you with a life-changing brain injury, they should be held accountable. After a serious brain injury in St. Petersburg, FL, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you fight for the compensation you deserve.
Contact our law firm for a free consultation with a St. Petersburg brain injury lawyer to discuss how we can help you.