Brain Injury Lawyer Indianapolis, IN

Pursuing Full Compensation After Serious Head Trauma

Our compassionate Indianapolis, IN brain injury lawyer knows that brain injuries are some of the most devastating types of injuries that a person can experience, and they often change a person’s life forever. A person can develop a disability for the rest of their life due to a brain injury. Brain injuries are often caused by accidents that may fall under our personal injury lawyers’ jurisdiction, especially when negligence, can be found. With Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers combined years of experience, we’re prepared to help you with your case. We have someone answering our phones 24/7.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) involve a strong force to the head, while internal damage to the brain like bleeding and lack of oxygen can result in the death of brain cells. There are two main types of brain injuries. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) and Non-Traumatic Acquired Brain Injuries (ABIs). No matter what type of brain injury you or a loved one has sustained, our skilled personal injury lawyer will be able to help you file a claim. Examples of accident scenarios that can result in a brain injury include the following:

• Auto accident: A distracted or drunk driver strikes another vehicle, causing the victim inside to hit their head against the steering wheel or headrest. 
• Pedestrian accident: A driver who is driving negligently or not paying attention may strike a pedestrian who has the right of way and is unable to avoid them in time. 
• Sports injury: Athletes who play high-contact sports like football and soccer are susceptible to suffering a brain injury. 
• Slip and fall: A spilled drink in a hotel lobby is not cleaned up, and an unsuspecting guest slips on it, falls, and hits their head on the hard floor, creating a premises liability claim. 
• Medical malpractice: A doctor prescribes the wrong dosage of anesthetic, resulting in medical malpractice brain damage.
• Accidental drowning: If a swimmer drowns and an attendant at a public swimming pool fails to pay attention in time, they can be held liable.

Causes Of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries are caused when the brain is hit by an external force that affects the function of the organ, after all the brain has a gelatinous consistency. They are considered a special type of brain injury. You are most likely to see traumatic brain injuries with vehicular accidents, physical assaults, falls, and sports-related accidents.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons stated that there are an estimated 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries every year, and 5.3 million Americans are estimated to have a disability of some kind that was caused by a traumatic brain injury.

Some examples of traumatic brain injuries are:

• Concussions. Concussions are a common type of traumatic brain injury, often occurring if the brain changes functionally after the brain hits the internal walls of the skull.
• Edema. Edema is swelling to the brain and it can occur as a side effect of any type of traumatic brain injury. The skull is not able to expand to accommodate the swelling, which creates pressure on the brain.
• Diffuse axonal injuries. Diffuse axonal injuries are caused when the axons in the brain’s cells are damaged. This makes them unable to function, there’s no bleeding however, but there can be swelling. This injury can cause a disability where you lose certain functions or abilities.
• Hematomas. Hematomas are characterized by blood that’s pooling in the brain or empty spaces around the brain. This is most often caused by a ruptured blood vessel, but there are many types of hematomas that depend upon the location in the brain.
• Fractures. Skull fractures are rare, but they can be dangerous and cause brain function to change. These injuries might also cause infection when they occur.

So now that we know about traumatic brain injuries, which are always caused by an accident of some kind, let’s touch base on non-traumatic brain injuries.

Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries

Internal factors can cause non-traumatic brain injuries. Losing oxygen, toxicity exposure, or even a tumor can cause pressure can damage the brain. Strokes, tumors, aneurysms, drowning or near drowning, infection diseases, and other internal causes may produce non-internal brain injuries.

Examples of Non-Traumatic Injuries

Hemorrhages or uncontrollable bleeding occur when the brain tissue or the spaces around the brain flood with blood. This can happen because of a traumatic brain injury, but it often occurs as a non-traumatic brain injury by aneurysm.

Hypoxic/anoxic brain injuries occur when there’s no oxygen arriving to the brain—or when there’s too much oxygen arriving to the brain.

Strokes occur when blood flow is cut off to the brain and the cells start to die.

Do’s And Don’ts When Filing A Brain Injury Claim

Do Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions

It is vital to follow your doctor’s instructions after sustaining a brain injury. These instructions will help you get better as quickly as possible. But just as important to your legal claim, the defense needs to know that you are working hard to mitigate the damages from the injury.

Do Hire A Lawyer

The legal system is complicated, and you’ll need help to navigate it. A reputable personal injury attorney such as the ones at Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers can handle all of the details of your case so that you can focus on getting better.

Don’t Overdo It

Rest is essential for people who are recovering from brain injuries. You need to take it easy for a while and let our firm handle the details of your case while you focus on getting better. If you spend too much time focusing on your lawsuit, you may not get enough rest and accidentally set back your recovery.

Don’t Stress

Worrying about your case will not aid your recovery. Our attorney can keep you informed of all major developments and details of the lawsuit, but your primary concern should be recovery. It takes a lot of time to recover from a brain injury, so be gracious with yourself about recovering at a pace that is right for you.

Recovering from a brain injury is difficult enough without adding the stress of a lawsuit. However, when another person causes you injury, our Indiana brain injury lawyer can help your legal case while you focus on your recovery.

Indianapolis Brain Injury Infographic

Indianapolis Brain Injury Statistics

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that each year, more than 2 million people in the United States suffer some type of brain injury. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year because of the injury. Another one million victims are treated and released from hospital emergency departments. Approximately 70,000 of those victims do not survive their injuries.

For those that do survive, the injury can have a significant impact their life, both physically and emotionally. Some of the long-term effects of TBIs can include:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Problems with balance and coordination
• Mood swings
• Personality changes

If you or a loved one has suffered an accident, contact our brain injury attorney right away to find out what legal options you may have.

Indianapolis Brain Injury FAQs

Brain injuries are among the most serious and complex injuries a person can experience, often leading to lasting physical, emotional, and cognitive effects. Whether caused by a car crash, fall, or sports accident, these injuries can change a person’s life in an instant. Understanding the symptoms, treatment options, and legal steps to take after a traumatic brain injury is essential for protecting your health and your future. Our Indiana brain injury lawyers have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about TBIs to help you recognize warning signs, seek proper medical care, and understand how legal support can make a difference in your recovery.

What Are Some Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Every brain is different, so everybody’s symptoms are different. However, some of the more common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) include:

• Headaches
• Loss of consciousness
• Memory loss
• Confusion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Trouble moving
• Sleep disturbances
• Tinnitus
• Tingling or numbness in arms or legs
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Difficulty hearing or seeing

Where Is the Brain Most Vulnerable to Injury?

The brain’s frontal lobe, especially the prefrontal cortex is most susceptible to injury. Injuries to your frontal lobe typically come from car accidents, sports injuries, or violence such as assault. Whatever the cause of the injury, your brain injury lawyer  will want all the information you can remember. 

There may be no noticeable damage to the brain outside of bruising on the face. People involved in car accidents may appear to be fine for up to 48 hours after the crash. The impact can cause tearing, twisting, and bleeding in the brain, which can cause the brain to swell inside the skull. With nowhere to go, brain tissue will start to die from the pressure against the skull.

How Should I Respond If There Is No External Wound?

People must understand that there does not have to be an external wound to the head itself for a brain injury to have occurred. In fact, some types of brain injuries do not have external wounds at all and can lead to serious issues that can quickly turn into life-or-death situations, such as internal brain bleeding and swelling. No matter if there is a visible wound or not, anyone who was in an accident must respond with a sense of urgency by going to the doctor.

What Happens If Treatment Is Delayed?

Treatment for a brain injury that is delayed can make the difference between someone surviving or having to live with the side effects of a traumatic brain injury for the rest of their lives. Anyone who suspects that they may have a head-related injury must not hesitate in getting medical attention. Do not wait until the situation has turned dire to get medical care. By getting yourself to the emergency room for an examination, a doctor can intervene to treat the condition promptly, preventing it from turning into a chronic or lifelong issue.

Who Can Help Me Investigate The Accident?

Our personal injury lawyer is going to be pivotal in your brain injury case. Our attorney has connections in the judicial and law enforcement system and knows how to investigate the situation further to uncover evidence and influencing factors that you may not have been able to by yourself. The everyday person doesn’t have the legal knowledge that lawyers have, which is why it is always advised that victims of personal injury accidents consult with our accident attorneys immediately if someone else is at fault for what happened.

When Should I Begin Gathering Evidence?

You must start gathering evidence for your personal injury case as soon as you know you’d like to file one. Hopefully, you were able to document the scene of the accident before leaving or being cleaned up. But when it comes to brain injuries, people are not usually able to take photographs of the scene and exchange information with the other person or parties involved. Perhaps a loved one or responding officer had gathered these details for you, but if not, then you can use other types of evidence to support your injury claims, such as medical documentation, police reports, expert testimony,  and more.

Seek Dependable Legal Representation

Few lawyers can take on a brain injury case and be successful. For this reason, many personal injury lawyers are selective about the types of brain injury cases they choose to take. Hospitals prepare to respond in case of a lawsuit, so they have their own legal professionals ready to counter with their own argument. 

Finding out what damages you may be eligible for can be tough to do alone. Our experienced lawyer has the knowledge, skills, and resources to gather the evidence to support your personal injury case. We can call on outside professionals to provide testimony and present their own findings. 

Indianapolis Brain Injury Glossary

If you or a loved one is dealing with the impact of a traumatic brain injury, it’s important to understand the terms often used in both the legal and medical aspects of your case. Our award-winning Indiana brain injury attorneys have put together this glossary to help clarify what these terms mean and how they might relate to your situation.

Intracranial Pressure (ICP)

Intracranial pressure refers to the pressure within the skull caused by swelling or fluid accumulation after a brain injury. Elevated ICP can compress brain tissue, limit blood flow, and worsen the damage. It’s closely monitored in hospital settings, especially for patients in critical condition. In legal claims, we may cite ICP readings and treatment methods (like surgical pressure relief) to demonstrate the severity of injury and the need for extensive medical care.

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy

Cognitive rehabilitation therapy is a structured, goal-oriented treatment approach designed to improve mental functioning after a brain injury. This can include therapy sessions focused on memory exercises, attention training, and practical problem-solving. Many clients undergoing this therapy experience gradual improvements, but the process is often long-term and expensive. When this therapy becomes part of a recovery plan, our personal injury lawyer includes those details in a claim to seek support for continuing care needs.

Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging is a category of brain scans, including MRIs, CT scans, and specialized techniques like diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), that help detect and assess injury to the brain. These tools are essential in diagnosing and monitoring traumatic brain injuries. In legal matters, we rely on neuroimaging records to provide objective, visual proof of internal damage that might otherwise be invisible. Imaging results often support claims related to pain, limitations, and the need for ongoing treatment.

Loss Of Consciousness (LOC)

Loss of consciousness occurs when a person temporarily blacks out due to a head injury. The duration of unconsciousness, from a few seconds to several hours, is a key factor in evaluating the severity of a brain injury. Medical professionals use LOC data to categorize injury severity and guide treatment. From a legal perspective, we use this information to help establish a timeline and assess how the injury has disrupted normal activities or caused lasting changes in mental function.

Neuropsychological Evaluation

A neuropsychological evaluation consists of detailed testing used to assess how a brain injury has affected thinking, memory, emotion, and behavior. These evaluations help quantify how someone’s cognitive abilities have been altered, which is useful for both medical treatment and legal claims. The results can support compensation for reduced job performance, loss of independence, or emotional distress.

With over one hundred years of combined legal experience, at Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers, we often rely on these tests to demonstrate the deeper, day-to-day effects of an injury that may not appear in physical exams.If someone in your family has suffered a serious head injury, our brain injury lawyer is here to help you move forward and understand what your legal options may be.

Indianapolis Brain Injury Glossary

When pursuing a brain injury claim, certain legal and medical terms frequently appear throughout case evaluations, medical records, and court proceedings. Understanding this terminology can help injured individuals better grasp how their case is assessed and supported. Below, our award-winning Indianapolis, IN brain injury lawyer explains key legal and technical terms commonly associated with brain injury litigation, along with clear explanations of how they apply in this area of law.

Traumatic Brain Injury TBI

A traumatic brain injury, often abbreviated as TBI, refers to brain dysfunction caused by an external force such as a violent blow, jolt, or penetrating injury. In legal claims, the classification of a TBI as mild, moderate, or severe plays a major role in evaluating the overall impact of the injury. Medical documentation may reference concussions, contusions, or diffuse axonal injuries under the broader TBI category. From a legal standpoint, proving the existence and severity of a TBI often requires medical imaging, physician testimony, and long-term treatment records. Because symptoms may include memory loss, personality changes, or cognitive impairment, TBIs are often central to claims involving ongoing care and reduced earning potential.

Neuropsychological Evaluation

A neuropsychological evaluation is a detailed assessment conducted to measure cognitive function after a brain injury. These evaluations test memory, concentration, language ability, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. Our Indianapolis brain injury lawyer understands that this testing provides measurable evidence of how the injury affects daily life. For example, standardized scoring can demonstrate diminished processing speed or impaired reasoning skills. These objective findings are often presented to show how the injury interferes with employment, relationships, and independent living. Courts and insurance carriers frequently rely on these reports when determining the long-term impact of a brain injury.

Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging refers to diagnostic tools such as MRI scans, CT scans, and other advanced imaging techniques used to visualize the brain. These scans can reveal bleeding, swelling, bruising, or structural abnormalities caused by trauma. In brain injury litigation, neuroimaging can serve as powerful supporting evidence. While some TBIs may not immediately appear on standard imaging, more advanced scans may detect subtle abnormalities. When visible findings align with reported symptoms, they strengthen the overall case presentation and help establish the seriousness of the injury. Intracranial pressure, often shortened to ICP, refers to the pressure within the skull. After a significant head injury, swelling or bleeding can cause this pressure to rise to dangerous levels.

Comparative Fault

Comparative fault is a legal doctrine applied in many states that allows responsibility for an accident to be divided among multiple parties. If an injured person is found partially responsible for the incident, any financial recovery may be reduced according to their percentage of responsibility. This concept is especially relevant in motor vehicle collisions, workplace accidents, and premises incidents that lead to brain injuries. Our Indianapolis brain injury lawyer often gathers evidence such as accident reports, witness statements, and expert analysis to limit the injured person’s assigned percentage and protect the overall value of the claim.

Presenting A Strong Brain Injury Claim

Brain injury cases often involve complex medical evidence and detailed legal analysis. By understanding terms like traumatic brain injury, neuropsychological evaluation, neuroimaging, intracranial pressure, comparative fault, and the eggshell skull rule, injured individuals can better understand how their case is built and evaluated. Clear documentation, thorough medical assessment, and careful legal preparation are essential components in presenting a strong brain injury claim. Contact Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation to learn how you can pursue accountability and justice for a brain injury.

Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers, Indianapolis Brain Injury Lawyer

728 S Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46225

Contact Our Indianapolis Law Firm Today

Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers are here to serve as your Indiana brain injury lawyer. A brain injury can change your life forever. Living day to day with a brain injury is not easy, especially when you have medical bills to take care of. Filing a claim against the responsible party can reduce the burden you face. We can help you deduce whether your brain injury is due to negligence or not. If you have a case, we’ll be with you every step of the way. Schedule a risk-free consultation now for legal assistance with a brain injury claim.