New York Pediatric Head Injury Lawyer

The term “head injury” generally refers to a brain injury. Statistics show that nearly 2 million Americans suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. Children between the ages of 0 and 4, and teens between the ages of 15 and 19 are at significant risk of suffering head injuries. Most brain injuries are caused by falls, traffic accidents and assaults. For children, a high percentage of head injuries also occur while they play sports. When a victim’s head receives a violent blow or jolt, or when it strikes against something, the brain is damaged. This means that its functionality is in some way compromised. There are a variety of symptoms of brain damage. Generally, symptoms can last from a few days to over a year. However, children tend to take longer to recover from brain injuries. If your child suffered a head injury that you believe was caused by the negligence of another person, immediately contact an experienced New York pediatric head injury lawyer, who will review the facts of your case and explain to you the steps involved in pursuing damages for your child’s injuries.

It is terrifying for parents to learn that a child has suffered a head injury. Head trauma in children is not uncommon. Children are constantly running around, climbing, and jumping. It is not surprising that on occasion children end up with injuries on their heads from falling. What is surprising is when head trauma is the result of another person’s negligence. For example, one of the most common causes of pediatric brain injuries are car and truck accidents. In many cases such accidents are caused by a driver who broke a traffic law by speeding, running through a red light, failing to yield, or tailgating.

As pediatric head injury attorneys serving New York, we know that a significant number of children also suffer brain injuries while playing sports such as football, baseball, skateboarding, gymnastics, and horseback riding. Some estimate that well over 50% of children who play sports suffer head injuries. It is difficult to know how many as many children who suffer concussions are not taken for a medical evaluation unless he or she loses consciousness or displays pronounced concussion symptoms. The danger of this is that if a child suffers multiple condition in a matter of a few days, a mild concussion can quickly turn into a severe concussion. This is due to the fact that the child would have received a second or a third concussion before the first one healed.

In children and adolescents, another cause of brain injuries is child abuse.

Depending on the part of the brain injured, there are a variety of symptoms of brain damage. If your child shows any symptoms, it is a good idea to have your child evaluated by a medical professional. Blurred vision, ringing in ears, chronic headache, fatigue, unequal pupil sizes, slurred speech, mood swings and other behavioral changes, and confusion. If your child loses consciousness, has seizures, vomits, or suffers paralysis, immediate emergency treatment is necessary.

Treatment for your child’s head injury depends on the severity of the injury. If the injury is mild, the only treatment that may be required is bed rest, and keeping an eye the child to make sure symptoms do not worsen. For a moderate or severe head injury, surgery may be required. Symptoms of a head injury may last for a long time after the injury and initial treatment. Rehabilitation will help improve the symptoms, and it may help your child cope with symptoms. You may see long-term behavioral changes. On the other hand, it may take years for neurological deficits to manifest themselves.

The financial impact of the family of a child who suffered brain injury can be significant. As a pediatric head injury attorney in New York will explain, if your child’s injury was caused by another person’s negligence, you have the right to file a claim on behalf of your child against the person whose negligence caused your child’s head injury. For example, if the injury was caused by the negligence of a driver, negligent property owners, a criminal assault, a defective product, or a negligent medical professional, you can sue the at-fault party. Recovery may include medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of future income.

If your child is struggling to recover from a head injury that was caused by negligence, you may have the right to compensation to cover your medical expenses and other losses you and your child suffered. The New York pediatric head injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates have years of experience winning significant settlements for injured clients. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.