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Many traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are caused by negligent acts, such as those occurring in car accidents and slip and fall incidents. When you are living with a TBI that never would have happened if it wasn’t for another party’s carelessness, you should not be stuck covering a lifetime of expenses on your own.
You don’t need to shoulder the burden of navigating a TBI claim on your own. The Lansing traumatic brain injury lawyers at Christensen Law will fight for the maximum compensation you need to move forward after an accident. Call us today for a free initial consultation to learn how our personal injury attorneys can lead your case for damages.
Why Traumatic Brain Injuries Are Challenging for Lansing, MI, Victims and Their Families
Traumatic brain injuries are caused when something strikes or impacts the head. These blows or jolts can affect the brain, causing various conditions that range in severity. Per data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), car accidents cause nearly 30% of traumatic brain injuries in Michigan. Other causes include accidental falls, assaults, and sports-related activities.
Learning to live with a TBI can be hard on victims and their families. Cognitive, emotional, and physical impairments can permanently change someone’s life and sense of normalcy. In addition to these life changes, TBIs can cause tremendous financial stress as patients and their loved ones struggle to keep up with the staggering costs of treating a brain injury.
Since many TBI symptoms and impairments do not measurably improve over time, the required patient support can remain exhausting for years. Coping with such a profoundly life-altering injury for victims over such a long span can test the limits of endurance and resources for families.
A Lansing personal injury lawyer with Christensen Law will fight for the resources you need to get through these challenging times. We will be your trusted partners in the fight for justice. Call us today for a free consultation.
Why You Should Choose Christensen Law for Your Lansing Traumatic Brain Injury Claim
Christensen Law has decades of experience handling particularly complex TBI cases in Michigan. We have the knowledge and resources to build strong compensation cases because we have been advocating for the victims of injuries since 1991.
Clients who choose Christensen Law to represent them know they are getting a legal advocate who understands traumatic brain injuries. Our founding partner, David Christensen, is well-versed in the language of neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and micro-damage. Because of his experience with these claims, Mr. Christensen has won 95 percent of his TBI cases.
Medical bills and other expenses are high after accidents, especially ones that cause traumatic brain injuries. Our Lansing traumatic brain injury lawyers represent clients on a contingency fee basis. That means you won’t have to pay anything up front to see that justice is served. Instead, our fees and costs will come out of your insurance settlement or court-ordered award. If we don’t win, you don’t pay.
How Much Is a Lansing, MI, Traumatic Brain Injury Case Worth?
There is no standard settlement value for traumatic brain injury (TBI) claims in Lansing or statewide in Michigan. The potential value depends greatly on an individual case’s specific facts and the severity of their injury. In general, cases that result in permanent disability, reduced life expectancy, the inability to return to work, or a significant loss of cognitive function may settle for more.
While there is no “average” settlement for a traumatic brain injury case, here are some examples of TBI claims we have successfully settled or won court awards for:
$1,093,000 Award
The Christensen Law team secured a court award for $1.93 million in damages on behalf of our client, a doctor who sustained a traumatic brain injury when he was rear-ended at a high rate of speed. After being diagnosed with TBI, our client required treatment from numerous specialists. We took the case to trial, and after a hard fight, we were victorious in court.
$1,000,000+ Settlement
Our traumatic brain injury lawyers secured a confidential settlement of more than $1 million after our client sustained a life-changing traumatic brain injury when a commercial truck ran a red light at more than 50 miles per hour. The truck company agreed to settle shortly before the trial was about to begin.
Damages You Can Claim in a TBI Lawsuit in Lansing, MI
Injured parties can claim many types of damages in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) lawsuit, including:
- Medical expenses: This covers the immediate medical costs of TBI treatment following the TBI and ongoing rehabilitative therapy and care to manage symptoms.
- Lost income: Injured parties can claim any earnings lost due to missing work during initial recovery or if they cannot return to work.
- Loss of future earning capacity: If the TBI prevents injured parties from returning to the same job or reduces their ability to work to prior earning levels in the future, they can claim this loss.
- Disability costs: This can cover assistive equipment like wheelchairs, home healthcare, vehicle modifications, etc., and may be claimed if the TBI causes disabilities.
- Pain and suffering: This compensation can be claimed for physical discomfort, headaches, mental anguish, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and other losses resulting from brain trauma.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: Damages can be pursued if TBI symptoms curtail participation in previously enjoyed leisure activities.
- Caregiving expenses: This can include reimbursement for family members who had to take time off work or adjust schedules substantially to care for the TBI victim.
- Wrongful death: If your loved one suffered a fatal TBI, please accept our condolences. Our Lansing wrongful death attorney can help you recover losses, including medical expenses, funeral and burial expenses, lost household, lost companionship, and care and other damages.
The specifics of potential TBI damages depend greatly on how severe the brain injury is. But thoroughly documenting all facets of your damages can help us make sure we fight for your full financial compensation.
Types of Negligence That Can Cause a Traumatic Brain Injury in Lansing
Several potential types of negligence that can cause someone to suffer significant traumatic brain injury (TBI), including the following:
In almost all TBI accident cases, multiple failures to adhere to accepted safety standards and reasonable duty of care practices directly precipitate dangerous conditions that cause serious head trauma. Identifying clearly how these negligent oversights specifically enabled TBIs is crucial.
How Our Lansing Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers Can Lead Your Damages Case
A Lansing TBI lawyer from our firm will handle every aspect of your claim. We aren’t afraid to take your case before a judge or jury if we need to. Some of the ways we will help you during this process include:
- Investigating and documenting your injuries and the accident that caused the TBI
- Determining fault and identifying all liable parties responsible for your damages
- Bringing in medical and financial expert witnesses when necessary to prove the value of your damages, the extent of your injury, and its impact on your life
- Using strong negotiation tactics to demand maximum compensation from insurance companies.
How Long it Takes to Settle a Lansing Traumatic Brain Injury Case
There is no standard timeline for settling a traumatic brain injury (TBI) lawsuit. Each Michigan brain injury case will depend on factors like the severity of the TBI, the complexity of the liability arguments, and the willingness of the defendant to settle.
These cases should not be rushed if you want to recover maximum compensation for your losses. Substantiating the full extent of your debilitating symptoms and losses takes time but gives you a stronger position during negotiations. Our Lansing traumatic brain injury lawyers will answer your questions about the timeline of your case as it progresses.
You can read our traumatic brain injury FAQs for more answers to our most commonly asked questions about TBIs. Of course, we can answer your questions directly during a free consultation, so give us a call today.
How TBI Claims Differ From an Average Personal Injury Case
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) legal claims tend to diverge from more routine personal injury cases in several notable ways that directly impact victims:
- Proof issues: More extensive expert medical evidence and testimony is required to substantiate the brain injury and the long-term symptoms’ prognosis.
- Less clear liability: Issues related to comparative negligence by a TBI victim often complicate determining liability percentages versus defendants.
- Permanency is common: Unlike broken bones and soft tissue injuries that heal, TBI symptoms like cognitive losses rarely improve over time.
- Causation problems arise: Defendants often argue pre-existing medical factors or prior head traumas caused a plaintiff’s impairments instead of the incident in question.
- Loss quantification complexities: Projecting lifetime costs for medical treatment, assisted living care, lost earnings, etc., is full of more variability and assumptions for TBIs over other injury types, leading to disputes.
- Less desirable for settlement: Insurers remain generally more reluctant to settle TBI suits because of the expansive uncertainties involved in these cases. This forces more trials. Our lawyers are ready to go to trial to fight for your deserved financial recovery.
Navigating all the complexities of advancing TBI cases demands legal teams have specialized expertise – from the initial drafting of pleadings to securing jury verdicts. It is a unique subset of personal injury law.
Michigan Traumatic Brain Injury Cases Have a Filing Deadline
Under Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 600.5805, parties generally must file a personal injury lawsuit within three years from the accident or injury occurrence date. The three-year deadline begins running on the actual date the TBI injury was sustained, regardless of when symptoms manifest, or a diagnosis is made.
There are certain exceptions to the three-year time frame, such as cases that involve minors who have sustained TBIs. Your personal injury attorney will explain the deadline to you as it applies to your claim.
It’s important to file a claim as soon as possible after the accident that caused the traumatic brain injury. If you fail to file before the timeline ends, you will lose your right to compensation in Michigan.
Get a Free Consultation With a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer in Lansing, MI
At Christensen Law, we understand what victims of TBIs and their loved ones are going through. That’s why our compassionate Lansing traumatic brain injury lawyers will truly listen to your concerns and make sure you feel understood.
We have secured record-setting victories for our clients in Michigan and are ready to fight for your maximum compensation. Learn more about what we can do for you. Get started by filling out our online contact form or by calling us today.
