Concussions

Concussion injuries can occur to anybody regardless of their profession or level of activity. Whether your concussion injury happened in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence or was the result of an incident while at work, contacting the knowledgeable Boston-based personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman LLP is an essential first step towards possible compensation to assist in your recovery.

Sometimes we take for granted how fragile our brains truly are, as even a slight impact to the head can result in the sustaining of a concussion, which can have a wide range of debilitating effects. Concussions, simply put, are injuries which occur to the head that cause damage to our brains. Severity of concussions can vary drastically, as symptoms can range from simple dizziness and a headache to long-term loss of consciousness and memory.

How did you sustain a concussion?

There is no shortage of ways to possibly endure a concussion. According to the Mayo Clinic there are more than 3 million cases of concussions each year. We read in the news about sports – primarily football – causing a large number of concussion-related issues in children and all the way up to retired athletes who played the sport for decades. However, concussions are much more likely to occur from everyday activities, such as falling and hitting your head or getting into a car accident.

Falling at work is a risk that everyone endures every day – it can quite literally happen to anybody at any time. The risks, of course, are more prevalent for a roofer than an administrative assistant at a small office supplies company, however circumstances in each profession may lead to a concussion.

Perhaps a sanitation crew waxed the floor in the main lobby of the office building but failed to post clear signage that the floor would be dangerously slippery for a few days. The office employee briskly walks into the lobby, nearly late due to traffic, she takes the corner at the same speed she’s taken a thousand times, but this time her footing fails due to the wax and she falls, cracking her head against the hard floor. Her damages may leave her company liable for her medical expenses for failing to warn of the slippery floor.

In a car accident situation, you may be simply sitting at a red light waiting when, out of nowhere, a car driven by somebody texting slams into your bumper at 30 miles per hour. Your car lurches forward, causing your head to snap forward unexpectedly in a motion known as “whiplash.” Your seatbelt does its job and prevents your head from slamming into the steering wheel, however inside of your skull your brain has just withstood a serious impact with your skull, causing a concussion.

Signs of a concussion

In this last example, the driver may not even be aware that they have a concussion. They might simply feel “out of it” for a few moments before the adrenaline of their situation brings them back to reality. However, once their symptoms – headaches, dizziness, confusion, nausea, blurry vision, etc. – persist into the next day and the day after that, they may start to suspect something else is wrong.

The only way to confirm a concussion is to be checked by a medical health professional. Treating a concussion varies but, for most low severity concussions, the patient is required to reduce activities which may cause a strain on the brain, such as activities associated with using computers or other electronics. In some cases, the patient may be prescribed to simply rest while they recover.

The implications of this is clear. A concussion can have a severe impact on your ability to work and collect a paycheck, which may cause you further stress and anxiety. You may have to go on temporary disability, take sick or personal time or risk losing your job while you take the time needed to get better.

At Altman & Altman LLP, we believe this is simply unacceptable. If your concussion was caused by the negligence of somebody else, whether it be at work or due to a car accident, we don’t believe you should be the one paying the price. Contact us today for a free consultation, as we have over 50 years of experience fighting on behalf of our clients who are injured through the actions of others.

Call us to go over the details of your case today at 617-492-3000 or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7.