Concussions and Head Injury Lawyer in GA

Concussions and Head Injury


Common Accident Injury: Traumatic Brain Injury

Common Accident Injury: Traumatic Brain Injury, Murphy Law Firm: Personal Injury LawUsually, a person sustains a traumatic brain injury because they have suffered trauma to the head. One very common cause of TBI (Traumatic brain injury) is an auto accident. However, it’s also possible to sustain an injury from an accident at work.

What is a traumatic brain injury (TBI)?
If you have experienced whiplash or a concussion from an accident of any type, what you may not realize is that this is usually what is medically referred to as a traumatic brain injury

What you may not also realize is how frequently they occur here in the U.S. or how explosively the hidden costs of recovery can be, No one is prepared for these types of injuries or the recovery costs associated with them, yet Everyone is susceptible to brain injuries. 

Brain injuries do not discriminate. 

The aftermath of an instantaneous brain injury can have lasting physical, cognitive, and behavioral ramifications for a lifetime. Injuries to the brain affect not only the individual but their families, friends, coworkers, and more. 

What happens when you can’t support your family?
When a family’s main financial provider is suffering from a brain injury and is no longer able to work that’s a situation that needs expert support immediately. If you’re in that situation then you need to reach out to an experienced brain injury attorney TODAY who knows how to get you (or your loved one) the medical and financial support they need.

Our team of attorneys at Murphy Law has over 30 years of experience helping people in Georgia who have suffered from concussions after being in car or truck accidents. Let us navigate the endless loopholes that the insurance companies make you jump through in order to get the settlement you deserve.

Early High-Level Expert Care is important!
Studies show that the quality of life for someone with a brain injury is MUCH better if they have access to early expert medical care. With or without insurance an experienced lawyer can make sure that you, or your loved one, get the medical care they need to recover. 

Have you or a loved one suffered a head injury after an accident?
Call Attorney James Murphy
770-577-3020 for FREE Legal Advice!

What looks like a minor concussion or whiplash injury can turn out to be a much more serious brain injury that requires far more care and cost than you thought. There can be challenging cognitive problems with memory, information processing, concentration, judgment, and initiating activities, as well as physical (seizures, muscle spasms, fatigue, headaches, balance problems, and others), psycho-social behavior, and emotional impairments (depression, mood swings, anxiety, impulsivity, agitation, and others). Don’t go through this alone!

Frequently Asked Questions About Traumatic Brain Injury

What are the most common symptoms of traumatic brain injuries?

Traumatic brain injuries can have a wide variety of effects depending on their severity and the individual. Some of these effects are more common than others. Some of the most common effects of traumatic brain injuries include:

  • Headaches
  • Confusion
  • Feeling like your head is in a fog
  • Vague or lost memories of the time shortly before and after the injury
  • Nausea
  • Loss of consciousness or difficulty staying awake or waking up
  • Sudden changes in behavior

If you or a loved one has hit their head and experiences any of these symptoms, you may have suffered a concussion and should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

What kind of long-term effects can traumatic brain injuries have?

While Traumatic Brain Injuries can sometimes be relatively minor and allow the injured person to fully recover, sometimes more severe injuries can have long-term and even life-long effects. Some of these include:

  • Loss of muscle strength
  • Deterioration of motor skills
  • Loss of speech
  • Loss of vision
  • Loss of hearing
  • Chronic headaches
  • Sense of confusion or “Brain Fog.”
  • Memory issues
  • Vertigo
  • Severe mood swings

These long-term effects may not always be immediately visible, but they can seriously impact the injured party’s quality of life.

How can I find out if someone’s suffering from a concussion?

It can sometimes be quite difficult to tell if someone has suffered a concussion, as the effects are not always immediately apparent. Sometimes the effects of a concussion do not fully show themselves until hours or even days after a concussion. Some signs to watch out for that the injured person may need medical treatment include

  • The pupil of one eye is noticeably larger than the other eye.
  • The individual has a more difficult time than usual staying awake or waking up.
  • The individual suffers from continuous nausea or convulsions
  • The individual suffers from persistent or a worsening headache

If you aren’t sure whether you’ve suffered a concussion or traumatic brain injury from an accident, it’s better to get a professional opinion. Seek medical attention as soon as possible to prevent your injuries from getting worse.

When do I need to go to the hospital if I hit my head?

Even seemingly minor head injuries can lead to more severe effects if you aren’t careful. If you or a loved one has hit their head and are concerned that it may be an issue, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention immediately. If you are uncertain, some of the potential signs of complications from a head injury are:

  • Open wounds on the head
  • Severe or persistent, worsening headache
  • Confusion or other changes in behavior. Excessive sleepiness, aggressiveness, etc.
  • Convulsions
  • Temporary memory loss. Often related to the details before and after the accident, sometimes more with more severe injuries.
  • Difficulty waking
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Difficulty walking
  • Severe nausea or vomiting
  • Muscle weakness or tenderness/soreness in the arms or legs

If you or a loved one is experiencing any of these signs of traumatic brain injury complications, please seek medical attention as soon as possible.

How does compensation work with traumatic brain injury cases?

When it comes to damages caused by a traumatic brain injury, the most obvious is your medical expenses. Emergency care. Surgery, physical therapy, counseling, medication. Follow-up care. 

An experienced traumatic brain injury lawyer will be able to work with you and your doctor to calculate your current and predicted future medical costs in order to fight so that you can be properly compensated. 

Some of the other damages that are commonly included with traumatic brain injuries are:

  • Lost wages since the accident
  • Loss of future income due to long-term impacts of the accident
  • Loss of consortium when a spouse is unable to provide the support they once did
  • Pain and suffering from chronic or long-term pain caused by the accident or loss of quality of life due to disability from the accident.

The details of the law and figuring out the full extent of your damages can be complicated, especially while you’re trying to focus on your recovery. That’s why we’re here to help.

How does worker’s comp help with traumatic brain injury cases?

When injured on the job, the procedure for getting assistance is different than for other kinds of accidents as it goes through worker’s compensation rather than the insurance of the other party. 

Though the individual details of your case may vary, these are some of the compensations that are often awarded when dealing with worker’s compensation after a traumatic brain injury on the job.

  • All medical expenses, as well as predicted future medical expenses
  • Wage loss benefits based on the scale of your injuries – temporary total disability (TTD), temporary partial disability (TPD), or permanent partial disability (PPD)
  • Mileage reimbursement for traveling to and from medical appointments
  • Expenses related to finding new employment if unable to return to their previous work
  • Death benefits up to 2/3rds their previous wages and funeral expenses up to $7500 in the case of an unfortunate death.

Due to limitations with workers comp, they often do not cover the entirety of the cost of an accident. To help make sure you have a rock-solid case for getting the compensation you deserve, it is a good idea to reach out to a lawyer with experience with traumatic brain injuries for a free consultation.

Is a concussion the same thing as a traumatic brain injury?

A concussion is one of the most common types of traumatic brain injury. According to the CDC, a concussion is an injury “caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.“

Despite being considered a mild brain injury due to a comparatively low risk of death, concussions can be quite serious with more severe concussions having long-lasting effects. They can also be accompanied by other unseen injuries that need prompt treatment, so you should always treat a possible concussion seriously.

What are other common types of head injuries?

While concussions are one of the most common types of traumatic brain injuries, they are not the only kind. Two other common types of traumatic brain injuries are skull fractures and intracranial hematoma.

  • Skull fractures: When parts of the bones of your skull break from an injury. These range from linear fractures which often require a brief period of observation in a hospital to basilar skull fractures which often require hospitalization and close observation.
  • Intracranial hematoma: Blood clots or internal bleeding in the skull or brain. These come in a variety of types based on where in the brain the bleeding is happening, but are very serious if left untreated.

Like concussions, these types of injuries might not be immediately visible, but they can get quite serious if left alone. This makes it especially important for you to seek medical attention as soon as possible if you or a loved one has suffered an injury to the head. Just because they look like they’re okay doesn’t mean that there isn’t an injury that you can’t see, and the brain can be very sensitive to injury.

What usually causes traumatic brain injuries?

Though the individual details of accidents leading to traumatic brain injuries vary widely, most traumatic brain injuries stem from one of four major categories.

  • Violence accounts for a little over 10% of traumatic brain injuries.
  • The impact from being struck by another person or object, such as through sports or accidents.
  • Car Accidents – The impacts caused by a sudden crash often shake the body violently, leading to whiplash and concussions. 
  • Falls – Nearly half of all traumatic brain injuries are caused by falling. By extension, a great deal of traumatic brain injury cases is related to slip and fall accidents.

This is why many lawyers experienced in traumatic brain injury are often also experts with car accidents as well as slip and fall accidents. When considering a traumatic brain injury lawyer, it is a good idea to look at their experience in dealing with these types of accidents.

How are head injuries typically treated?

Following an accident leading to a traumatic brain injury, it can be difficult to know what kind of treatment is needed. As the brain is a very sensitive area and everyone heals differently, you should discuss the details of your accident and recovery with your doctor. 

Many experienced traumatic brain injury lawyers will be able to help you find the resources you need to find appropriate care, whether through advice or simply knowing doctors that are skilled in those areas from experience working in the field. Though the details may differ, some common processes for treatment following a traumatic brain injury include:

  • Emergency medical care, including possible brain surgery, if the injury was severe.
  • Rehabilitative therapy to help the injured to adapt and recover from their injury so they can return to everyday life as best as possible. This process can often take over a year in the case of moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries.
  • Psychological counseling to help the injured person with learning to cope with the changes to their life stemming from the injury, such as when they are unable to do something that they could before.

Even seemingly minor traumatic brain injuries can sometimes have very long-term effects. Ensuring you get the care that you need and are compensated for your losses is just one of the ways that a traumatic brain injury lawyer can help you during your recovery.


Check out some of the data provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health: 

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a significant issue that can have a wide range of cognitive, physical, and psychological consequences. 

Additionally, the impacts of TBI go beyond the individual; there are also substantial community, societal and economic burdens, increased emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. In 2016, the Georgia brain and spinal injury registry recorded 27,840 TBI injuries including 20,488 emergency and 7,352 hospital admissions[i]. 

The Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission states that TBIs cost Georgians over $1.5 billion annually in lost wages and medical costs. Additionally, injuries occurred most frequently among Georgian’s birth to age 39 with the largest group being those aged 10-19. This population made up nearly 21% of all registered traumatic brain and or spinal cord injuries that year

Brain Injury Georgia reports that Georgia has over 50,000 suspected traumatic brain injuries reported each year through the Central Registry, yet brain injury remains largely silent and unseen. These numbers do not include our military veterans or acquired brain injuries from strokes, tumors, brain bleeds, or other causes.

Approximately 60 percent according to AANS will make a positive recovery and an estimated 25 percent left with a moderate degree of disability. Death or a persistent vegetative state will be the outcome in about 7 to 10 percent of cases. The remainder of the patients will have a severe degree of disability.

Where Georgia Traumatic Brain Injury Victims can go for medical support locally:

  • Brain Injury Association of America
    1441 East Clifton Road Northeast
    Atlanta, Georgia 30307
    PHONE: 404-712-5504
    1-800-444-6443 — Brain Injury Information
  • Brain Injury Association of Georgia
    Founded in 1982, The Brain Injury Association of Georgia is a non-profit organization that is compromised of survivors, family members, friends, and professionals who all work together to provide community support programs that assist individuals and their families to gain a better understanding of the effects of brain injury and to facilitate rehabilitation opportunities.
  • Find a Brain Injury Support Group
    1441 Clifton Road
    Atlanta, GA 30322
    HelpLine: 800-444-6443
  • Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission
    The Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission provides grants to Georgians for their post-acute care and rehabilitation for traumatic brain and spinal cord injury.
    The Trust Fund awards grants in many categories of assistance such as:
  • Transportation
  • Assistive technology
  • Medical and rehabilitative care
  • Home access modifications
  • Personal support services
  • Durable medical equipment

Note: To receive a grant, you must be a legal Georgia resident and have an official physician’s letter verifying a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Please keep in mind the terms “mild,” “moderate” and “severe” are used to describe the effect of the injury on brain function. A mild injury to the brain is still a serious injury that requires prompt attention and an accurate diagnosis. If you have received a blow to the head or body that concerns you or causes noticeable changes to your consciousness –  Seek emergency medical care immediately.

Have you or a loved one suffered TBI after an accident? Call Attorney James Murphy at 770-577-3020 for a FREE legal consultation and case evaluation.


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