Most children sustain scrapes and bruises on a regular basis, which is why differentiating between a minor bump on the head and a serious brain injury can be so challenging. Unlike adults, children usually lack to ability to assess the severity of their injuries and cannot adequately communicate the symptoms they feel.
For young children and babies, spotting a brain injury can be especially difficult. If you suspect your child may have suffered a serious head injury in Clearwater, Florida, make sure you know what to do next.
Our skilled personal injury attorneys at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers have worked on countless brain injury cases during our 60+ years of legal practice, and we know how to fight for your rights.
Dealing with any injury is difficult, but caring for an injured child can be especially heartbreaking and problematic. While you help your family heal and recover, we want to focus our efforts toward fighting for maximum compensation for your child’s injury. Contact our law office in Clearwater today at (727) 787-2500.
Types of Head Injuries
Children can be injured in a variety of ways, but the most common type of head injury is caused by a severe impact to the skull. If a child falls on their head or is struck in the head with extreme force, the child could suffer a concussion.
Concussions vary greatly and can be very mild or might result in permanent damage. If the brain is bruised on impact, a brain contusion might occur, which means the head is bleeding under the skin.
Other child brain injuries include coup-contrecoup, which is a brain contusion that occurs on both sides of the brain, usually because the brain moved within the skull. Penetration injuries can also occur if something enters the child’s head, piercing the skull or brain.
Shaken Baby Syndrome
Perhaps the most well-known type of child head injury is shaken baby syndrome. When a young child, usually an infant, is shaken roughly, their brain can become bruised within the skull, or the brain stem and other tissues might tear. These types of injuries are often very severe and can lead to stroke, brain hemorrhage, broken blood vessels, or death.
Identifying Child Head Injuries
When children injure their heads, the resulting symptoms will be much the same as they would be in any adult with a brain injury, but the signs can be much more difficult to spot.
Children aren’t usually able to communicate as effectively as adults, which means parents or caretakers must be vigilant when looking for signs of a head injury.
A child with a head injury may exhibit the following symptoms:
- Unusual fatigue
- Changes in appetite
- Fussy behavior or mood swings
- Sensitivity to light and sounds
- Poor coordination
- Loss of memory
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Seizures or convulsions
- Loss of consciousness
- Blood or fluid draining through the nose or ears
- Pupils are dilated
Legal Help From Compassionate, Skilled Attorneys
If your child was injured due to another person’s negligence or carelessness, act quickly to seek justice on their behalf. Whenever a child suffers a head injury, they should receive immediate medical attention.
Once their health has been addressed, our firm is prepared to use our legal knowledge and experience to gather evidence and build a case for your child’s brain injury.
We may be able to help you seek compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and any loss of wages. Whether the accident was caused by a car crash, a fall, or an assault, our firm is here for you.
Contact Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to talk to our Clearwater personal injury attorneys about your child brain injury case.
