Brain Injury Lawyer in Hickory, North Carolina
Key Highlights:
- Working with a brain injury lawyer in Hickory ensures that your legal rights will be taken care of, allowing you to concentrate on healing.
- An immediate visit to the ER will help establish a timeline that protects you from insurance companies claiming you had an existing condition that is unrelated to your accident.
- We obtain data from the car’s black box and videos of the accident scene in order to establish full responsibility, thereby avoiding the limits of contributory law.
- We do everything we can to maximize compensation for your past, present, and future medical care, along with lost earnings and suffering.
Your life can be consumed by the consequences of traumatic brain injury within seconds, forcing you to deal with memory problems and headaches that won’t go away. Having a skilled brain injury lawyer in Hickory means you will have someone in your corner dealing with the difficult insurance companies while you concentrate on your health.
At Tatum & Atkinson Law Firm, our severe head injury lawyers do all the hard work involved in finding out the causes of your accident, establishing that someone else is responsible for it, and obtaining the money necessary for you to pay for your medical needs. Regardless of the type of accident that led to your injuries, whether it was a car accident, workplace injury, or a slip and fall accident, we are always here for you.
Feel free to contact our Hickory personal injury attorneys at (800) 529-0804 to set up a free evaluation of your claim.
What Happens Right After a Head Injury Matters (For Your Health and Your Claim)
For example, you may be perfectly fine following an accident on the I-40 freeway; however, a couple of weeks later, you find out that you have been experiencing some headaches, blackouts, or periods of extreme emotional behavior.
The injuries that can happen to the brain include tearing of tiny parts of it and inflammation, which develop gradually, and by waiting too long to seek medical help, not only will the health of the victim be in danger, but so will that of his/her case.
It is extremely important that the correct diagnosis is made in the hospital using a CT scan and a 3T MRI. Immediate medical treatment ensures that there is an official record of the trauma, making the insurance company’s argument that the injured party didn’t suffer any injuries because he/she delayed their visit to the doctor much weaker.
“Insurance adjusters will try to find any reason to refuse to pay for brain injury claims. Thus, if the injured person waits for too long to see a neurologist, the insurance company can state that the person’s health issues were caused by another reason.” – Robert Tatum
Common Accidents Behind Local Traumatic Brain Injury Claims
Brain injuries don’t happen in a vacuum. They take place on the streets, the job sites, and other areas of life.
Vehicle Collisions Occurring on Roads
Most collisions on highways such as I-40, US-321, and Highway 70 happen at high speeds and cause brain injuries to people involved. The violent movement of a vehicle during the accident can strike the brain against the skull (the coup-contrecoup injury), causing harm to the brain without any visible injury. A Hickory head injury attorney can assist in getting the compensation that is required for the expensive medical treatment of brain injuries.
Hazardous Conditions at Industrial/Construction Sites
Some of the most common risks at Hickory industry sites include scaffold falls, object strikes, and machinery accidents. Statistically speaking, the majority of workers who have suffered head injuries come from the construction industry, where falls account for more than 50% of all TBIs in the workplace. In case the accident was caused by the negligence of a third party, like a construction company or the maker of some machinery, a brain injury lawyer Hickory NC will help file a claim that is independent of Workers’ Comp.
Fall Risks with Property Negligence
Slippery floors, broken railings, and other dangerous walkways create continuous risk for the elderly, like the Catawba County residents. According to the CDC, falls are responsible for about 47% of traumatic brain injury hospitalizations and are the most common reason for brain trauma in people aged 65 or older. This means negligent property owners can be liable for the damages they have caused under the North Carolina premises liability law, where a Hickory traumatic brain injury attorney can help file a claim against negligent parties.
Assaults and Negligent Security
Head injuries are not exclusively the result of accidents. Those injured in an assault or violent encounter have the right to file lawsuits against their attacker for medical bills and pain and suffering. Additionally, persons who own property or businesses can also be liable for negligent security if bad lighting, insufficient staffing, or security failures permitted the assault to take place.
Defective Products and Faulty Safety Gear
In case helmets shatter upon impact, airbags tumble around, or seatbelts break, a standard accident can turn into a disaster. Manufacturers can be held responsible for failures in safety gear and consumer products, which permits victims to receive reimbursement in case of avoidable injuries to their heads.
Concussions in Sports and Poor Management
Every year in America, there are about 3.8 million cases of brain injuries caused by sports activities. The biggest issue is “Second Impact Syndrome,” which happens when coaches and trainers do not follow concussion management plans and “rush” an athlete back to the game. Lack of proper safety guidelines for handling brain injury cases is likely to attract many lawsuits.
The “1% Rule” in North Carolina: Why You Need a Bulletproof Case
If you’ve suffered injuries as a result of an accident, you may think that as long as most of the fault lies with the other party, you have some protection. This assumption is wrong in the state of North Carolina. The state adopts the principle of pure contributory negligence and uses it in an aggressive manner by the insurance industry.
Here is what you are against when filing a brain injury claim Hickory, and how we can assist you in recovering your rightful compensation.
- The Contributory Negligence Trap: North Carolina is one of only four states where being found even 1% liable means you are no longer able to recover even a dollar. If a speeding motorist collides with you, but the insurance company argues you were going a little over the speed limit, they will refer to that 1% to try to invalidate your case completely.
- How We Beat Adjuster Bluffs: We find evidence to discredit conclusions based on assumptions rather than engage in negotiations. The experts from Tatum & Atkinson will quickly move to get black-box information from the car, retrieve information from the security cameras, and question witnesses to build a solid case of liability.
- Strict Time Limit for Filing Claim: As per section N.C.G.S. § 1-52 of the North Carolina General Statutes, you have only 3 years from the date of the accident to file your personal injury claim. In case of a brain injury with tragic consequences, N.C.G.S. § 1-53 reduces the time to two years in case of wrongful death from the date of death.
How Much is Your TBI Case Actually Worth?
Unlike a broken arm, which can heal in a matter of weeks, a traumatic brain injury Hickory NC can alter one’s daily life and level of independence. When assessing brain injury compensation Hickory, we consider the immediate costs and the full lifetime costs of recovery.
| What You’re Fighting | What We Are Fighting For |
| Immediate and Ongoing Medical Bills | ER Visits, operations, 3T MRI scans, physiotherapy, speech therapy and long-term neurological follow-ups. |
| Lifestyle Adjustments and In-Home Care | Ramps, renovations, adaptive vehicles, 24 hour nursing care. |
| Lost Paychecks and Career Damage | Costs incurred for time out of work now and the cost of future income over decades lost. |
| Pain, Distress and Family Strain | Pain, suffering, personality changes, and diminished quality of life. |
In cases where the defendant has acted out of extreme recklessness, ill will, or other deliberate behavior such as drunk driving accidents or violations of truck safety laws, punitive damages may be applicable in accordance with N.C.G.S. § 1D-15. This will help both to punish the defendant and add to the compensation awarded to the plaintiff.
Difficulties Associated With Getting Back to Work After a Head Injury
Concussions are very hard to heal from, as you may seem okay from the outside. A quick return to work will highlight the many difficulties, including light causing headaches, overload from the surroundings, and a feeling of confusion that makes working on a computer for more than half an hour impossible.
Having an unseen burden can lead to a contradiction with the employer, who waits for a person to return and deliver a high-quality work straight away. And if returning to light-duty work still causes the symptoms of the injury ir can set your healin back months. So, when your injury and trauma prevents you from working or advancing in your career, our teal collaborates with vocational experts to quantify your true loss of lifetime earning capacity.
Our Hickory concussion injury lawyer are skilled enough to ensure that you receive compensation for all the future income, missed promotions and benefits that were lost because of the injury.
Getting the Right Medical Care Near You in Catawba County
Having the best healthcare available is imperative both for your health and your legal case. Hickory has a large network of medical care for brain injuries, such as:
- Catawba Valley Health System (Hickory): This is a local neurological outpatient service that provides many treatments, including diagnostic imaging, neurological evaluations, and cognitive rehab.
- Frye Regional Medical Center (Hickory): It provides 24-hour emergency trauma assessment, critical care, and very advanced CT and MRI imaging.
- UNC Health Blue Ridge: Offers sophisticated treatment of brain and physical rehabilitation facilities available across Western North Carolina.
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist: Local Level I Trauma Center, which focuses on treating traumatic brain injury patients.
For relieving your financial strain, a competent catastrophic injury attorney Hickory is going to call the medical billing department to stop collections during the time when your application is being processed, guaranteeing the payments will be made from the money received in the end.
Ask Us to Deal With the Legalese for You
Since you have now made a recovery from an injury to your head, it would be best if you concentrated on getting well again and not on the legal aspects of things.
By teaming up with a qualified brain injury lawyer in Hickory, you know you have legal help on your side to deal with all the insurance issues that come your way. It will be our pleasure to meet with you either in our office, over the telephone, or even bedside in the hospital.
For more information or to schedule your no-cost consultation, please contact Tatum & Atkinson Law Firm at (800) 529-0804.
FAQs About a Brain Injury Lawyer in Hickory!
Can brain injury symptoms appear days after an accident?
Yes. Brain inflammation, micro-injuries, and chemical shifts may take quite some time to appear completely. Therefore, an immediate neurologic checkup with a medical professional can formally link your medical condition to your accident.
What is the average recovery time for a TBI?
A typical mild concussion may heal in about two to six weeks, while more serious ones may take more time to heal. Nonetheless, an average or even serious brain injury will take months or even years of therapy to recover from and can lead to permanent damage.
What are the guidelines regarding fault determination in North Carolina?
There is enough evidence available for that via black box technology, films, police, etc. Since NC has the pure contributory negligence law, you must show the defendant is entirely to blame.
What happens if I suffer from symptoms even when my MRI comes out normal?
Regular MRIs are not able to determine minor nerve injuries and damage. That is why, in some cases, neurologists prefer to go for advanced imaging studies like 3T MRI, DTI scan, etc., to determine whether a brain injury has occurred or not.
Will I get compensated for future treatments?
Definitely. With the help of proper Life Care Plans, you may claim reimbursement for predicted surgical interventions, routine medical procedures, medicine, home care, and decades in loss of income.