Fort Worth Infant Brain Damage Lawyer
Brain injuries can kill a child. If your child survives the injury, the damage can affect the entire course of their life. As a result, your infant may need medical treatment, physical and mental therapy, special schooling, and 24-hour home or residential care after suffering a childhood injury.
An infant’s developing brain can get damaged in many ways. When your child’s injury results from someone else’s actions, a Fort Worth infant brain damage lawyer from Stephens Law Firm, PLLC can fight for the compensation your child needs for their future. Schedule your free consultation today by contacting our Fort Worth law office at (817) 934-5901.
How Stephens Law Can Help if Your Infant Has Sustained Brain Damage in Fort Worth, TX
Stephens Law was founded to provide legal representation to injured clients in Fort Worth, Texas.
Our experienced Fort Worth birth injury lawyers have recovered over $100 million in compensation for injured people.
After a serious accident, our personal injury law firm provides:
- A free case evaluation to assess your case and advise you about your rights
- Over 25 years of combined experience standing up to insurers for fair settlements
- Extensive courtroom experience in fighting at-fault parties and insurers who refuse to settle
Brain injuries can disable your child physically, mentally, and emotionally. Contact Stephens Law to discuss your child’s injuries and how we can help secure the financial compensation they will need for their injuries.
Frequency of Infant Brain Injuries
Brain injuries are surprisingly common in children. A detailed study found that emergency room doctors diagnose about 475,000 children under 14 with traumatic brain injuries annually in the U.S. While this number is staggering, you can assume that it underestimates the true number since many brain injuries go undiagnosed.
The study found that emergency room doctors released 90% of the children diagnosed with brain injuries. These children suffered mild injuries that did not require further treatment. Instead, they only required monitoring and follow-up. Of the remaining children, doctors admitted about 37,000 for hospitalization, and another 2,685 died from their injuries.
Researchers identified several disturbing facts about brain injuries in young children. Among children under 14 years old, infants and toddlers between 0-4 years had:
- The highest rate of brain injuries
- The highest death rate from brain injuries
- The highest rate of injuries that resulted from physical abuse
This group had rates of:
- 1,035 brain injuries per 100,000 children
- 80 brain injury hospitalizations per 100,000 children
- Five brain injury deaths per 100,000 children
The U.S. has over 18.5 million children in this age group, giving a total of approximately:
- 192,000 brain injuries per year
- 15,000 brain injury hospitalizations per year
- 900 brain injury deaths per year
Bear in mind that this group covers children who are, in most cases, too young to play sports. Thus, most of these injuries result from accidents or abuse.
Causes and Effects of Infant Brain Injuries
The symptoms of brain injuries can affect a child’s physical, cognitive, developmental, and emotional health. Some common brain injury symptoms include:
- Paralysis
- Muscle spasms
- Lack of dexterity
- Learning disabilities
- Difficulty solving problems
- Short attention span
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Emotional outbursts
- Communication disorders
Brain injuries can result from many causes, including the following:
Concussions
Concussion injuries happen when the brain gets shaken inside the skull. For example, car crashes can cause the head to whip around and rattle the brain. The brain does not impact the skull. However, pressure on the brain from the cerebrospinal fluid and surrounding membranes can damage brain cells. In response to brain damage, the brain becomes inflamed.
Inflammation of the brain causes:
- Confusion
- Amnesia
- Clumsiness
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- Depression
- Anxiety
Doctors classify concussions as mild traumatic brain injuries. In most cases, concussion symptoms clear up on their own within two months.
Anoxic Brain Injuries
Anoxic brain injuries happen when the brain does not receive enough oxygen. Just four minutes without oxygen can cause permanent brain damage. Eight minutes can cause brain death. Common causes of anoxic brain injuries include:
- Drowning
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Smoke inhalation
- Anesthesia errors
- Medical malpractice
These injuries can even happen before birth when the umbilical cord gets wrapped around the baby’s neck during delivery.
Physical Abuse
Shaking a child can tear brain cells and cause them to die. This type of injury, diffuse axonal injury or DAI, has also earned the name shaken baby syndrome. Parties that might bear liability for these injuries in infants include:
- Parents
- Relatives
- Daycare workers
- Babysitters
Since brain cells cannot heal or regenerate, the damage caused by DAIs often results in permanent disability, coma, or death.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Fort Worth Infant Brain Injury Lawyers
A brain injury can leave your child with permanent disabilities to overcome. Contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Our Fort Worth infant brain injury attorneys work on contingency, which means we only get paid attorney’s fees if we obtain compensation for you and your child.
