Maryland Anoxic Brain Injury Lawyer
An anoxic brain injury is a type of traumatic brain injury that occurs when the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen to carry out its functions. This is critical because the brain needs a continuous supply of oxygen to perform functions essential for keeping you alive. If you have suffered this type of injury, particularly due to recklessness or negligence on behalf of someone else, you should contact a Maryland anoxic brain injury lawyer to discuss the possibility of a personal injury claim. This helps in two ways: it enables you to get the financial compensation you deserve for the harm and loss you have suffered, and it also deters the at-fault party from acting in such a negligent manner in the future.
Causes of Anoxic Brain Injury
Oxygen is vital to brain function. In fact, the brain alone uses around 20 percent of the oxygen the body processes. It uses oxygen in the process of allowing cells to communicate with one another, which is critical to most of the body’s processes. It only takes a few minutes of oxygen deprivation for the brain to be unable to work properly. When this happens, brain cells begin to atrophy and die.
According to the Brain Injury Alliance, an anoxic brain injury might occur if blood flow carrying oxygen to the brain is disrupted, or if the blood going to the brain doesn’t have enough oxygen to sustain it. One example would be if someone’s breathing is impaired for too long. Anoxic brain injury can also occur if there are toxins present that block the brain from using the oxygen in the blood.
A related type of brain injury is a hypoxic brain injury. This is when the brain is still getting oxygen, just not enough, which typically occurs when blood flow is present but has been restricted. It can also happen if the blood pressure is too low for too long of a period. In general, anoxic injuries refer to those occurring due to a total lack of oxygen, while hypoxic injuries come from not having enough oxygen.
Typically, both anoxic and hypoxic brain injuries are secondary injuries. In other words, they’re caused as a result of another injury or from other types of damage to the brain. This might be from a stroke, for example, or from other injuries that disrupt blood flow, such as a heart attack. Here are some other possible causes of brain injury:
- Near-drowning
- Asthma, when it is severe enough to cause a lack of oxygen
- Electrocution
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Anemic anoxia, which is a lack of enough hemoglobin in red blood cells or enough blood to carry oxygen. This can be caused by:
- Chronic anemia
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Acute hemorrhage (massive bleeding)
Brain Injury Complications
An anoxic or hypoxic brain injury is a serious matter as it can cause permanent brain damage. Complications caused by brain injuries could include:
- Permanent or long-term disabilities
- Coma, or a persistent vegetative state
- Short-term memory loss
- Inability to perform critical functions, such as thinking, reasoning, and assessing information
- Inability to speak normally
- Lack of coordination
- Need to relearn basic physical functions, such as self-grooming or eating.
These complications can have serious long term impacts on your life or the lives of your loved ones and dealing with such damages can become extremely expensive over time. You may be entitled for compensation for those damages if your brain injury was caused by someone else’s negligent behavior. If so, a Maryland anoxic brain injury attorney can help you seek compensation for you hardship as well as make sure the at-fault party is held responsible and does not make the same mistake again in the future. This benefits both you and the community by providing for safer practices.
Liability For Anoxic Brain Injuries
Liability for an anoxic brain injury depends on how the accident happened. If this was a drowning related incident, then you could show that the pool or ocean or any body of water the person drowned in wasn’t properly monitored or the people who were supposed to monitor it such as lifeguard weren’t properly trained or were incapable of doing their job. You would also have to show that this is an injury that could have been prevented had proper care been exercised by the parties at fault.
Once you establish that someone’s wrongful conduct caused an injury to the plaintiff, you will next have to establish a mechanism of injury for the claimed injuries. What that means is that you need to link the wrongful conduct, in this case drowning, to an anoxic brain injury. If you can’t show that it could have been prevented, then you won’t be able to prove that someone else is liable for the brain injury.
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Need To Prove?
They would have to prove that the brain was deprived of oxygen for a period of time. They would prove this through the person’s medical records and the testimony of their expert witnesses regarding the extent, duration, causation and severity of the client’s injuries. As part of the analysis they would opine as to what tests were run to determine the lack of oxygen: what the doctors did, what procedures were followed, in order to prove that the client sustained a anoxic brain injury.
Next Steps Following a Brain Injury
If you or someone you care for have suffered an anoxic or hypoxic brain injury, there are some steps you can take. First, you should begin planning for rehabilitation and treatment as soon as possible. This includes determining which medical professionals will be involved, and who will be responsible as a caregiver. You will want to try and research the topic to best understand the injury and the potential long-term consequences. To determine whether a negligent party is responsible for the harms and losses you have suffered, you should speak with a Maryland anoxic brain injury lawyer as soon as possible. Allowing a legal professional to shoulder the burden of your claim will allow you to focus on your recovery. Understand that the recovery process may be long and drawn out. Your attorney and your medical team can help prepare you for the challenges ahead.
Hiring an Anoxic Brain Injury Attorney
A Maryland anoxic brain injury attorney is best-suited to helping you decide if you have a strong personal injury claim. The dedicated lawyers at our firm are here to help. Our attorneys have years of experience building personal injury cases dealing with anoxic brain injuries in Maryland, and will devote their time to earning you the compensation you require and deserve. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
