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Georgia Auto Accidents Can Result in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)


Below is the synopsis following a “routine” car accident. Well, it turned out to be anything but routine.

On Thursday, I was traveling on Piedmont Road to Peachtree Street in Atlanta. I was involved in a accident that was not my fault. I was knocked unconscious with head, chest, knee, and back injuries. I regained consciousness within seconds of the accident but I noticed that I did not have good balance and that my body felt funny and I was having trouble standing, walking, and communicating. I have to say, at this point I was a bit disoriented and I saw a person approaching in dark clothing. I attempted to give him my license, thinking he was a police officer. He said that he was not the police, but the wrecker operator, asking me if I wanted to tow my car. I was dazed and he didn’t seem to care, he just went past me to my car. I moved my hand, and didn’t see my licence. I opened my wallet looking for my license for quite some time. I had no idea it was in already in my hand. The tow trucker operator came back to me and I explained that I could’n find my license.  He told me to look in the passenger seat, and it was there!  Things were not clear to me and I became scared. I realized at the scene of the accident that I was dropping everything (e.g., my wallet, the pen I was trying to use to take notes of the other driver, my cellphone, my license, the other drivers papers. It was seem and I realized I was not in control of my motor skills. This worried me more as time passed and it did not get better. Surely, this accident did not leave me in this condition.  The police officer came toward me and I think he could tell right away that I was not stable. Wait, he thinks I’m drunk, or worse, high on drugs. I’m not but he check my eyes and reflexes and he suspects that I have been driving under the influence. I am not but he does not know that. I am getting more scared and I think this is making my situation worse by the minute. My heart is starting to race and I feel feint.  The officer notices that I have a big bump on my forehead. My head is aching and my chest feels like it’s in a vice. The officer, I think, realizes that I was not driving under the influence, but rather that I am hurt and need and ambulance. He calls the ambulance for me and I wait in fear. I am confused, I hurt in so many place, I am too disoriented to clearly explain to the officer how this happed (and he doesn’t seem interested in talking with me anyway, at least not now). He sees the bump on my head and he tells me that the pain in my chest was caused by the seat belt or maybe the airbag, I forget). Why do I have such pain in left knee. Plus the pain in my head and neck, and back. I wait as the officer says he will make a note in the police report that I am hurt badly.

I’m am taken by ambulance to the hospital for X-rays, CT  scans and MRI’s. I full battery of tests, and I am told that I have a traumatic brain injury in addition to all of the other assorted injuries to my neck, back and head. What does this even mean?
Most car accidents don’t result in TBI. However, the ones that do are not much different than the ones that don’t. That is why this is an often overlooked injuy that many lawyers don’t pursue because “it is too much trouble.” We never overlook these types of injuries because, frankly, this could be the most serious injury of all. More serious than a broken leg or arm in many cases.

Robert J. Fleming is a partner in the law firm of Katz Wright & Fleming, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia and Decatur, Georgia. He is a personal injury attorney who has been handling wrongful death, professional negligence, and car accidents for individuals and families who have been severely injured or died as a result of negligence for over 25 years. He practices in the Atlanta, Georgia area including handling lawsuits in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb counties in Georgia and nearby cities such as Alpharetta, Chamblee, College Park, Conyers, Duluth, Decatur, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Stone Mountain. If you or a family member has been seriously injured and would like to discuss your case in complete confidence, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online. We are here to help.

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