Brain hemorrhage is a serious medical condition that can result in severe, permanent injury, includingdeath. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain hemorrhage, medical negligence may be to blame. Thankfully, Maryland law grants victims of negligence the right to bring forth a compensation claim.
A Baltimore brain hemorrhage attorney at Brown & Barron will aggressively advocate for you. We have handled numerous cases involving brain injuries over the years, and we know how common it is for judges and juries to overlook the impacts of a brain hemorrhage. If you work with our firm, we will make sure they understand the full scope of your injury, as well as why you deserve to be compensated for it.
See for yourself the difference working with the Brown & Barron team could mean for you during a free, no-obligation consultation.
Get in touch with a brain hemorrhage lawyer serving Baltimore, (410) 547-0202 for a free case evaluation.
What Is a Brain Bleed?
A brain bleed, or brain hemorrhage, is when bleeding occurs either within the brain tissue or between the brain tissue and the skull. Unfortunately, many brain bleeds happen in the blink of an eye, seemingly without warning.
Types of Brain Hemorrhage
There are many different types of brain bleeds or hemorrhages. The Cleveland Clinic classifies them based on location:
- Epidural bleed or hemorrhage, which occurs between the skull and the outermost membrane of the brain, or dura mater;
- Subdural bleed or hemorrhage, which occurs between the dura mater and the brain’s middle membrane, or arachnoid membrane;
- Subarachnoid bleed or hemorrhage, which occurs between the arachnoid membrane and the innermost membrane, or pia mater;
- Intracerebral hemorrhage, which, also referred to as a cerebral hemorrhage or hemorrhagic stroke, occurs anywhere within the brain tissue; and
- Intraventricular hemorrhage, which occurs in the brain’s ventricles, cavities, or where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced.
It may seem irrelevant to know the exact medical term for your own or your loved one’s brain bleed, but it can make a dramatic difference for your case. In our experience, even if the defense (the party being sued) is not a medical professional, they will likely have a medical expert testify for them.
If your attorney does not know these terms, their lack of knowledge may end up costing you. You need an attorney who understands medical jargon, who can dynamically respond to medical experts in their language.
Causes of Brain Hemorrhages
When determining who is at fault for a brain hemorrhage, knowing the most common causes is essential. These include:
- Head trauma: Any blow to the head.
- Hypertension: High blood pressure can damage blood vessel walls and cause one to leak or burst.
- Blood clots: If a blood clot travels to or forms in the brain, it can damage the artery, causing a leak.
- Drug use: Any heavy smoking, alcohol use, or illegal drugs.
- Blood vessel abnormalities: Weak blood vessels in and around the brain could cause a brain hemorrhage.
- Aneurysm: If a blood vessel wall becomes weak and swells, it can burst and bleed into the brain.
Brain Hemorrhages Can Cause Permanent Impairments
Brain hemorrhages can cause significant impairments if they are severe enough. The pooling of blood from a brain hemorrhage can put substantial pressure on the brain and deprive it of oxygen. Brain cells die if deprived of blood flow for as few as three minutes.
Brain hemorrhages can cause a significant amount of brain damage in a short period and can quickly turn fatal. The location and size of the bleeding indicate the severity of the injury it caused.
Brain Hemorrhage Symptoms
Symptoms of a brain hemorrhage can vary based on the size of the bleed and where it forms in the brain. These symptoms can come on suddenly or take weeks to manifest. In addition, it is common for symptoms to be mild at first and become more severe as the blood pool increases. Symptoms include:
- Dizziness or confusion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Difficulty swallowing
- Abnormal speech
- Seizures
- Difficulty seeing or loss of vision
- Difficulty reading and writing
- Difficulty breathing
Not every patient presents the “classic” signs and symptoms when they have a brain hemorrhage. Your doctor needs to know which diagnostic tests to run to check if you have a brain bleed. If you experience these symptoms and suspect you may have a brain hemorrhage, consult your doctor right away. Getting the bleed under control before it becomes severe gives you a better chance of recovery.
Damages You Could Recover in a Brain Hemorrhage Claim
The attorneys at Brown & Barron will fight for you to receive the maximum compensation for your damages.Therefore, if you can prove a medical professional is responsible for your injury, you could recover the following losses:
- Medical costs, both current & future
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Lost income
- Mobility devices
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
Our attorneys can calculate the value of your damages. In addition, we work with experts in the economic and medical fields to calculate noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering and emotional distress. The experts also provide a more accurate value of your future medical costs.
Our attorneys will negotiate for you to receive a fair settlement. If we cannot settle your claim, we are prepared to fight for you in court. We have recovered over $169 million for past clients.
Trust Our Team to Advocate for You
Brown & Barron’s trial lawyers share over 145 years of experience. Our skill in recovering millions of dollars for our clients has resulted not only in industry acclaim—such as from Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers®, and others —but has changed the lives of our clients for the better. And that’s what sets us apart from the competition: We restore justice to restore lives.
Contact Brown & Barron online today to schedule a free case review with a brain hemorrhage lawyer serving Baltimore.
Proving Negligence in a Brain Hemorrhage Case
Often, brain hemorrhages are unpreventable; other times, they are a direct result of medical negligence. Examples of the latter would be if a medical professionalfailed to identify and addressa brain bleed promptly or failed to recognize its warning signs and prevent it.
It is also common for medical professionals to commit amedical error, such as duringsurgery, and cause a brain bleed. In any of these cases, the negligent medical professional may be held legally and financially accountable.
To prove negligence in a brain hemorrhage case, you will need to show that:
- The medical professional owed you a standard of care, meaning there was an established doctor-patient relationship;
- The medical professional was negligent and violated that standard, such as by failing to promptly diagnose or treat a brain bleed;
- The negligence resulted in injury to the patient, meaning that a preventable brain bleed occurred; and
- The injury caused the patient to incur damages, such as medical bills, pain, suffering, and more.
It can be difficult to prove the above elements without having an in-depth understanding of neurology andmedical malpractice law. Negligent health care providers and their attorneys take advantage of this to silence plaintiffs (those injured) and evade accountability.
Our brain hemorrhage attorneys at Brown & Barron will not let them get away with this—having worked on these cases for years, we have the knowledge needed tofight back.