Brain injuries are among the most serious and expensive injuries someone can face after a traffic accident, slip and fall accident, or other injury-causing events. Some people avoid seeking medical treatment because they downplay their injuries as a bump on the head. Even the most seemingly minor head trauma can lead to a brain injury that causes a lifetime of problems. Brain injuries also impact a victim’s loved ones, who often have to provide financial, mental, and physical support.
If you have suffered head trauma and have been diagnosed with a brain injury, it’s in your best interest to contact an experienced brain injury attorney as soon as possible.
Wisconsin law permits people to take legal action when their brain injuries occur because of negligence or intentional harm. Continued treatment for brain damage is costly. Suing someone will not undo the damage, but it can ensure you have the funding for future medical treatment and provide some economic relief if you are struggling financially because of your injury.
The experienced Wisconsin brain injury attorneys at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can help you seek damages for your brain injury and navigate your brain injury claim, pursuing the best outcome possible. Our firm has helped victims of negligence with brain injury claims since 2007.
Contact us today to discuss the event that led to your brain injury and your eligibility to seek compensation for damages.
Injured in Wisconsin? Get Nicolet.
Why Choose Nicolet Law for Your Wisconsin Brain Injury Claim
After suffering a brain injury, your health must be your top priority. Healing from a brain injury is a long road and requires dedication to your medical treatment plan. This road leaves little time to deal with lawsuits and insurance companies, especially when they do everything possible to avoid financial liability for their policyholders. Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers know how to deal with Wisconsin insurance providers.
The skilled Wisconsin brain injury attorneys at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers have ample experience helping clients who have sustained brain injuries in traffic crashes or other events.
The firm’s members continue to receive accolades for their dedication to professional excellence and client service and have garnered respect from their peers through avvo.com, Martindale-Hubbell, and other prestigious organizations.
Our personal injury lawyers are committed to helping victims of negligence seek justice and recover the maximum compensation possible for their injuries. Since 2007, we have recovered millions in damages for our clients, including those who have suffered a brain injury.
Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Attorneys has the knowledge and resources to help those who have suffered brain injuries in Wisconsin fight for justice. Although we have several offices throughout Wisconsin, we pride ourselves on providing the same level of client service as smaller boutique law firms.
We serve clients statewide, so you likely live within a short drive from one of our ten Wisconsin offices.
You can find them in the following cities:
- Eau Claire
- Green Bay
- Hudson
- La Crosse
- Milwaukee
- New Richmond
- Rice Lake
- River Falls
- Superior
- Wausau
- River Falls
Contact us today for your free consultation. You can speak to one of our team members to learn more about your next steps after a Wisconsin brain injury. We like to meet new clients in person, but injuries and other challenges sometimes make this difficult. If you cannot travel to one of our Wisconsin offices, we also offer convenient virtual consultations to discuss your case.
Compensation in Wisconsin Brain Injury Claims
If you have suffered head trauma that led to a brain injury in Wisconsin, the law permits you to sue the responsible party for economic and non-economic losses related to your injury. Each Wisconsin brain injury claim has different underlying facts that impact the amount and type of compensation someone might receive if they win their case.
Damages commonly awarded in settlements and jury verdicts for cases involving a brain injury compensate plaintiffs for:
- Medical treatment costs, including ambulance transport, emergency room treatment, hospitalization, surgery, diagnostic scans, medication, doctor visits, and travel expenses to and from the doctor/hospital
- Estimated future medical treatment costs when a brain injury causes permanent damage that requires ongoing treatment and care, sometimes including surgery
- Rehabilitation expenses for specialized treatment like physical therapy, occupational therapy, mental health services, and other treatments that help victims of negligence face the physical and emotional aftermath of a brain injury
- Lost income from missing work because of hospitalization, rehabilitation, and physical limitations during recovery
- Estimated future lost income when a brain injury causes permanent brain damage that impacts someone’s ability to work
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of consortium with a spouse, if applicable
- Other damage to relationships because of a brain injury
Factors that impact how much money and the type of damages that might be paid out in a Wisconsin brain injury claim include:
- Severity of the brain injury. As a general rule of thumb, those with the most severe brain injuries typically receive more compensation. For example, someone who suffers a severe injury that leaves them in a coma for a few months will likely recover more damages than someone who can go home from the emergency room and simply take it easy for a few weeks. This difference is largely because more severe injuries come with much higher medical treatment costs, forcing patients to take more time away from their jobs.
- Total economic loss. The amount of economic loss related to a brain injury strongly correlates with the severity of an injury. More economic loss translates to more compensation in most cases. Higher medical bills, more lost income, and various other expenses increase total economic loss.
- Chances for a full recovery. Someone who suffers permanent brain damage from an injury will almost always receive more compensation than someone who makes a full recovery. The inability to work makes permanent brain damage a catastrophic injury, which comes with a lifetime of lost income and ongoing medical expenses.
An experienced Wisconsin brain injury lawyer from Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can review the facts of your brain injury claim, gather relevant documents, obtain medical records, and consult with medical experts to advise you on the amount and type of damages that apply to your case.
Fighting the Insurance Company After Suffering a Brain Injury in Wisconsin
Insurance companies stay in business by protecting their profits and avoiding financial liability whenever possible. They prefer to deny claims when they can but also look for ways to reduce the value of claims. You will likely have to deal with an insurance company at some point after suffering a brain injury.
The insurance carrier involved in your case depends on the circumstances that led to your brain injury. Whether your injury falls under an auto, homeowner’s, or commercial policy, the carrier will assign a representative to your case once you, with the help of your lawyer, file a claim under the policyholder’s coverage.
The insurance carrier’s representative will investigate the brain injury claim to determine whether their policyholder is at fault and whether they should approve paying out the claim. They will gather as much evidence as possible, paying special attention to details that give them grounds to deny or devalue a claim.
Hiring an experienced Wisconsin brain injury lawyer is key to obtaining a positive outcome. A lawyer can protect the value of your claim because they understand the questionable strategies insurance companies use to avoid a payout. Additionally, lawyers help clients to avoid sharing too much information with the other side. Insurance companies are famous for requesting recorded interviews, so they can comb them over for a reason to devalue a claim. They also try to gain access to a client’s entire medical history to find evidence of a preexisting brain injury. Your attorney will only give them access to the information they need to process the claim.
What to Do After a Brain Injury Diagnosis
You need to be focused on your health after suffering a brain injury, but protecting the value of your Wisconsin brain injury claim is crucial to obtaining the most compensation for your brain injury. Following these guidelines can help you obtain the most compensation possible for your brain injury from a settlement or if a court rules in your favor. We cannot guarantee a specific financial outcome, but we aggressively pursue the best outcome possible for our clients.
Follow Your Medical Treatment Plan
At some point after your head trauma, a doctor diagnosed you with a brain injury. At that time, your treating physician discussed your treatment options with you. Depending on the severity of your brain injury, treatment might involve a lot of rest for a few weeks or months, but it can also include one or more surgeries.
Regardless of your situation, you need to strictly follow your treatment plan, which includes keeping all medical appointments with your doctor and other specialists, like physical or occupational therapists. Failure to follow your treatment plan can give the other side opportunities to devalue your brain injury claim.
Keep Proof of Economic Loss
Serious brain injuries come with massive amounts of economic loss, making up a large portion of brain injury claims. You must prove your economic loss to receive compensation for them.
Keep all documents related to your brain injury and the event that led to your diagnosis. This includes medical bills, other receipts, and payroll information that shows lost income and benefits due to your brain injury. If your brain injury occurred during a car accident, also keep copies of receipts for vehicle repairs. If you’re unsure about what to save, it’s best to save all bills and receipts. Your lawyer can let you know which of your economic losses are recoverable.
Keep a Journal to Prove Non-economic Loss
Your brain injury claim also includes an amount to cover non-economic loss, which refers to the ways your brain injury has impacted your life physically, emotionally, and financially. Pain and suffering is the most common type of non-economic loss. However, brain injuries often impact someone’s ability to perform everyday tasks and can impact their social relationships.
Some brain injury victims also suffer from personality changes, especially increased aggression. The best way to convey the individual ways your brain injury has impacted your life is to keep a journal. You might choose to handwrite your journal or keep a video journal.
No matter what form of documentation you pursue, you should include information about pain, missed activities, relationship challenges, stress because of financial hardship, and any other feelings and issues you face because of your injury.
Provide your journal and all the documents you’ve saved to your Wisconsin brain injury attorney during your initial meeting. One of our team members can evaluate the viability of your claim to determine if you can sue for damages. If anyone witnessed the event that led to your brain injury or you have photos, you should also provide that information during your initial consultation.
Contact a Wisconsin Brain Injury Attorney Today
The ripple from a brain injury extends to all areas of someone’s life, making it a highly traumatic, sometimes life-changing event. If you sustained head trauma that led to brain injury and the event that led to the trauma resulted from the negligence of another party, contact a lawyer to review your claim as soon as possible. Reach out to a Wisconsin personal injury lawyer.
Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers consider clients as part of the family. We want to help you seek the justice you deserve. Letting a lawyer advocate for you frees your time, so you can focus on healing from your brain injury. You don’t have to go through this challenging time alone.
Contact us today online to discuss the circumstances of your brain injury, or call us at (715) 377-2141 for a free consultation to discuss your case with one of our team members.