The brain stem is only about three inches long. However, even the slightest damage or injury can have devastating consequences. The brain stem connects your brain and spinal column.

It is made up of three sections (the medulla, pons, and oblongata) and is where many of the most important cranial nerves are located. As a result, the brainstem plays a crucial role in the body’s internal communication system.

When the brain stem is injured, the body’s ability to communicate will be compromised.

The brain stem is essential for relaying signals to and from the brain. It is also chiefly responsible for controlling signals:

With some of the body’s most important organs, including the heart, lungs, and digestive organs
Essential for motor functions
Responsible for pain, itching, and sensation.

When you suffer a brain stem injury, your vital body organs may not be able to communicate with your brain. This can have potentially deadly consequences. In fact, about 33 percent of all injury related-deaths involve a brain injury. Many of these traumatic brain injuries involve the brain stem.

What Can Cause a Brain Stem Injury?

While the brain is protected by fluid and a hard skull, it can still be susceptible to injury in a traumatic accident. In fact, any violent or traumatic incident can cause a traumatic brain injury.

Commonly reported causes of brain stem injuries include:

If you have been involved in an accident and suffered a blow to the head or neck, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. Left untreated, a brain stem injury can be fatal.

What Are the Symptoms of a Brain Stem Injury?

The consequences of a brain stem injury can be devastating. It’s important to seek medical attention as soon as you notice that you are experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms:

Difficulty breathing
Irregular breathing
Difficulty standing or walking
Slurred speech
Memory loss
Impaired vision or hearing
Nystagmus (rapid eye movements)
Difficulty performing basic functions (e.g., writing, eating, bathing, using the toilet)
Numbness or tingling in the extremities
Loss of sensation
Fainting
Paralysis, or
Coma.

What Damages Are Available to Brain Stem Injury Victims?

The costs of a brain stem injury can be substantial. Studies have shown that severe brain stem injuries can cost victims between 5 and 15 million dollars over the course of their lifetime. Recent studies suggest higher estimates are more accurate. These costs can include those for medical and nursing care, as well as those related to disability and lost income.

The bottom line is that a traumatic brain stem injury can be devastating in many ways. Filing a personal injury lawsuit may be your best option for recovering the money you need and deserve. In Florida, brain stem injury victims are generally permitted to request both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages: Economic damages are paid to compensate you for the financial costs of your accident. These can include actual costs today as well as costs you can reasonably anticipate having in the future. Examples of economic damages include those for:

Hospitalization
Medical care (e.g., surgery, specialist consults, medication, medical devices)
Home alterations (e.g., wheelchair ramp, lift device, bathroom alterations)
Rehabilitation
Nursing care
Lost wages
Disability (temporary and/or permanent)
Reduced earning capacity, and
Property damage.

Non-Economic Damages: Non-economic damages are paid to help you cope with the physical, emotional, and psychological costs of your accident. These types of injuries are very personal and hard to value in terms of dollars and cents. As a result, awards of non-economic damages can be quite different from one case to another. Examples of non-economic damages include those for:

Anxiety and depression
Embarrassment
Disfigurement
Chronic pain
Emotional suffering
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of consortium, and more.

Our attorneys will carefully investigate your case to identify all of your damages. We’ll work with experts to make sure that your injuries are valued properly. When we sit down to negotiate a settlement, our demand for compensation will be backed by hard evidence and expert testimony. This will help us secure a fair and reasonable financial award.

How Our Miami Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You

An injury involving the brain stem is one of the most devastating a person can experience. Your whole life can be turned upside-down in a matter of moments. If someone else is responsible for causing your injury you have the right to pursue compensation. However, you shouldn’t have to try to juggle your recovery and a personal injury lawsuit at the same time. Hiring our Miami personal injury lawyers to handle your case will not only give you time to focus on getting better, but also help you maximize your financial settlement or award.

When you ask Lavent Law, P.A. for help, you can rest assured that we will fight to make sure you get the money you need and deserve. Here’s how our Miami brain stem injury lawyers will help you:

Protect you from manipulative insurance companies that want to minimize your payout
Investigate your case to determine cause and liability
Work with experts to make sure your case is valued properly
Minimize your role in the accident if you share fault
Approach negotiations with persuasive legal arguments and strong evidence, and
Bring your case to court if you’re not satisfied with settlement offers.

Call our Miami office today to schedule your free consultation with our skilled legal team.

Speak with a Miami Brain Stem Injury Attorney Today

Have you or someone you love suffered a brain stem injury in a Miami accident? Are you struggling with chronic pain and faced with the possibility of a permanent disability? If so, it’s important to consider your legal options.

If someone else is responsible for your brain stem injury you have the right to demand compensation. Our Miami personal injury lawyers will help you fight to recover the money you deserve. Call us today to schedule your free case evaluation and learn more.