Motorcyclists are at higher risk of sustaining severe and even life-threatening injuries after an accident because their bodies are more exposed. Even what might be considered a minor accident for someone in a car could be more severe for someone on a motorcycle, especially if they aren’t wearing a helmet.
Traumatic brain injuries, for example, are quite common with motorcyclists. And in some cases, these injuries can happen even if the motorcycle rider is wearing a helmet. The helmet might protect against the worst injuries, such as the skull being damaged, but the impact can still rattle the brain, causing traumatic brain injury.
In California, motorcyclists can file personal injury claims to seek compensation for these types of injuries. However, just because you might deserve a high settlement for your injury does not mean you will get it. In most cases, the best chance of getting the traumatic brain injury settlement you deserve is to work with an experienced California motorcycle accident attorney.
At Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, our team of San Francisco motorcycle accident lawyers sees cases involving traumatic brain injuries from motorcycle accidents all the time. We understand how traumatic and life-altering these incidents can be. We fight hard to protect our client’s rights to ensure they get the traumatic brain injury settlement they need and deserve to help pay for their medical expenses and other damages.
What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a type of injury that results from a violent blow, jolt, or shaking of the head. TBIs can occur when something punctures the skull and the brain, but they can also happen even if the skull is not pierced, such as when a person bumps their head against an object or the ground.
TBIs can be mild, moderate, or severe, with a mild brain injury being something like a mild concussion or a severe brain injury being significant bleeding and torn tissue in the brain. In some cases, traumatic brain injuries can lead to long-term complications, and if severe enough, they can result in death.
Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms
Because a TBI can occur even if there are no outward signs of an injury, many people can be unaware that they have sustained a traumatic brain injury. Unfortunately, if left untreated, even a mild TBI can develop into a more severe issue that could put your life at risk. As such, it is crucial that you are aware of the signs and symptoms that could indicate you are suffering from a traumatic brain injury so you can get the medical treatment you need as soon as possible.
Common traumatic brain injury symptoms include:
- Persistent headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Speech problems
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Temporary loss of consciousness
- Memory problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than usual
- Seizures
- Loss of coordination
- Dilated pupils
- Confusion
- Weakness in the fingers and toes
Traumatic Brain Injury from Motorcycle Accidents
There are many ways that a person can sustain a traumatic brain injury. Some of the most common causes include sports, slips and falls, assault, abuse, and car accidents. Motor vehicle accidents as a whole are at the top of the list when it comes to the most common causes of TBIs, especially motorcycle accidents.
The reason motorcyclists are more vulnerable to TBIs is that they have less protection, they are harder to see and thus get hit more often, and when they are hit, they often get thrown from their bikes and suffer more severe impacts.
Someone inside a car, for example, has the frame of the car to protect them from direct impact. But someone on a motorcycle does not have that protection, which means their body is directly impacted by the car that struck them, and they can sustain secondary injuries from a secondary impact when they are thrown off of their motorcycle.
Some examples of traumatic brain injuries from motorcycle accidents include:
- Concussions
- Contusions
- Hematomas (bleeding in the brain)
- Diffuse axonal injury (shearing of the brain fibers)
- Penetrating injuries
Average Settlement for Traumatic Brain Injury Settlements in California
Despite what some information on the internet might lead you to believe, there is no “average” settlement amount for traumatic brain injury settlements. Whether it’s a mild traumatic brain injury settlement, moderate, or a severe TBI settlement, the amount can vary greatly depending on the situation.
Compensation for motorcycle accident injuries like TBIs will vary based on factors unique to each individual case, such as the severity of the injury, who was at fault for the accident, the insurance policies involved, and other factors contributing to financial losses.
The compensation you recover for a traumatic brain injury settlement can also be affected by non-monetary factors, also known as non-economic damages. This includes things like mental trauma, emotional distress, disability, scarring & disfigurement, pain & suffering, and reduced quality of life.
In the end, all of these factors or damages will be unique to each case, which means there is no way to determine an average settlement for traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle accident. Once you file your claim, the evidence you provide will help insurance companies or the court determine how much your case is worth.
However, it is not uncommon for insurance companies to undervalue claims on purpose to avoid having to pay high settlement awards. For this reason, it is often necessary to work with an attorney. When you have a lawyer defending you, insurance companies will have a harder time denying the value of your claim and will thus be more likely to award you the full and fair settlement you deserve.
California Motorcycle Accident Injury Lawyers: We Handle Your Accident Claim So You Can Focus On Your Life
If you are injured in a motorcycle accident in California and need help filing your claim, our team can help. At Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, our traumatic brain injury and motorcycle accident lawyers see tons of cases like this every year because motorcycle accidents are so common in our state. As such, we understand how devastating these accidents can be and know what it takes to fight for the rights of our clients to ensure they get the full and fair settlement they deserve.
If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle accident, call us at 877-380-8852 or contact us online today for a free case evaluation.
