Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Handling Personal Injury Claims in the Seattle Area and Throughout Washington Since 1995

My name is Chris Thayer and I am a personal injury attorney practicing in downtown Seattle. I handle personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims throughout the greater Seattle area, including Issaquah, Mercer Island and Kirkland.

I am here to help you.

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What Causes Head Injuries in Renton?

Posted Friday, November 25, 2022 by Chris Thayer

Severe traumatic brain injuries, most of which are accident related, kill over 64,000 Americans every year. Initial symptoms, like soreness and disorientation, quickly become moderate symptoms, like headaches, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and mood swings. That is because the brain swells and presses against the skull. Shortly thereafter, these injuries are fatal or cause catastrophic injuries, like dementia-type symptoms.

Therefore, prompt and proper treatment is essential. Only a Renton personal injury attorney arranges such treatment. Lawyers have professional relationships with top-notch doctors who focus on head injuries and other injury-related conditions. So, these victims get the treatment they need when they need it. As a bonus, most of these doctors charge no upfront fees for their professional services. These doctors also hold off on other medical bills, like diagnostic and laboratory tests.

*Trauma* During car crashes, airbags absorb some, but not all, of the force. Imagine attaching a large, fluffy pillow to a concrete wall and then slamming your head into that wall at about 60mph. The pillow on the wall, like the airbag on a steering column, takes the edge off. But neither the pillow nor the airbag completely dissipates the force. It is not even close.

Additionally, many passenger areas are cluttered with backpacks, cell phones, and other small, loose objects. Once again, at 60mph, these small objects become high-speed missiles, which, in many cases, are aimed at a driver’s or passenger’s head. No airbag or other restraint system does anything to protect against such head injuries.

A severe trauma injury means the victim needs radical head surgery. Not all doctors are brain surgeons. That is why it is so important to connect victims with doctors who have the proper expertise.

*Noise* Brain injury science is still developing. That’s especially true with regard to the effect that sudden loud noises, like explosive blasts, have on brain functions.

Researchers now have many more subjects. About half of Southwest Asia veterans, not just half the injured service members, came home with TBIs. Frequently, these injuries were not trauma related. The victim did not fall or was not in a vehicle collision. Instead, the victim was close to a roadside bomb or other device when it went off.

Much like some explosions cause EMPs that shut down electric devices, these explosions create shock waves that disrupt brain functions.

What does all this have to do with collision-related head injuries? We are glad you asked. Many witnesses say that car wrecks sounded like explosions. The resulting shock waves usually are not strong enough to affect nearby pedestrians or other individuals. However, they are strong enough to affect vehicle occupants. In other words, many car crash victims with few or no visible injuries have TBIs.

*Motion* Most people assume the brain is about the same size as the skull. Instead, the human brain is about the size of two clenched fists. These clenched fists are suspended in a tank of cerebrospinal fluid.

Many people feel more alert when they pace. That is because the motion causes their brains to tap their skulls, stimulating the brain. Imagine what that effect is like in a high-speed car crash. Instead of tapping the skull, the brain slams against the skull.

Even a relatively low-speed car crash could cause a serious brain injury. The brain is so vulnerable that any excess force could injure it. The same thing is true about nerves in the cervical spine. This nerve damage usually causes whiplash, a head-neck injury that could cause paralysis.

*Rely on a Hard-Working King County Attorney* Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Renton, contact Pivotal Law Group, PLLC. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.