At Nordean Law, we strive to keep our community safe. We pursue justice for the injured and we share critical information on how to keep you and your family safe.
Follow the link below for the best tips to prevent accidents of all kinds. If you have a specific question, or if you were injured in an accident, reach out to one of our attorneys today.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have brought some of the most tragic personal injury cases to Nordean Law. While physical injuries can debilitate victims in horrific ways, the most severe TBIs rob victims of their memories, relationships, peace of mind, and even their personalities.
While therapy helps in these severe cases, it has limits. Once parts of the brain are deprived of oxygen long enough, the cells never fully regenerate. The cost for rehabilitation, lifelong care, and suffering, measured in dollars, runs into the millions.
Nordean Law handles personal injury cases, and we have seen our share of TBI. In some cases, mild TBI is part of more extensive physical injuries from trauma, such as a car accident. For these cases, we never let the defense get away with minimizing the impacts of TBI on someone’s life.
For instance, even if a person recovers well enough to walk, talk, and live normally, they may permanently lose the cognitive skills needed to perform their professions or be able to return in a diminished capacity. Full compensation means payment for all the damages, whether medical bills or lost future income.
In addition, we understand the pain and suffering of the victims and their families. Watching a loved one lose memories and seeing their ability to participate in family life go away has devastating consequences for the person, the spouse, the children, and the entire family. These represent actual costs, even if a family never receives a bill for them. Nordean takes cases as far as they need to go to win their clients, all to which the law entitles them. Also when we win our client’s cases we pay them.
Yes. A lawyer provides an essential service to victims of TBI. California is a pure comparative negligence state. This means that out of a theoretical 100% liability “pie,” courts assign each party a slice between 0% and 100%. For instance, in a three-party accident, a jury may find one party 100% liable and the other two parties 0% each. On the other hand, it could assign a share of the liability to all three parties. For instance, 10%, 30%, and 60% to equal 100%.
If you suffered a severe TBI and sustained $1,000,000 in damages, each percentage of liability you are assigned reduces the award by $10,000; so, if the other side convinced the jury you bear 60% responsibility, your award is $400,000; however, if it decides you bear 30% liability, your award stands at $700,000. Should it decide you are fully liable, you receive nothing.
Without legal representation, the other side’s lawyers are likely to transfer a significant amount of liability unfairly onto you. Nordean Law’s legal team fights through the discovery, summary judgment, trial, and appeals processes to win you the full amount to which you are entitled.
TBIs result from head injuries, including bumps, blows, blunt force trauma, and penetrating trauma. The impact jars the brain within the skull, causing bruising, bleeding, and the shearing of nerve fibers.
As with other body parts, the brain swells in response to injury. Unlike other parts of the body, the skull tightly contains the brain, leaving little room for expansion without more bleeding and lost blood circulation. Swelling starves parts of the brain of oxygen. Without prompt intervention, cells within the oxygen-deprived parts of the brain die.
TBI has no limit on the number of causes, but the most common include the following:
Motor vehicle accidents cause about 1/3 of TBI in the U.S. This statistic includes car-, motorcycle-, bike-, scooter-, and truck crashes. From a legal standpoint, establishing degrees of fault is key to winning just compensation.
Falls rank as the #1 cause of TBI in the United States. Slip-and-fall accidents frequently occur in nursing homes, hospitals, workplaces, construction sites, shopping malls, and retail stores. Often, courts rule commercial property owners at fault because they have a duty of care to ensure the safety of people on the property.
For instance, a jury may hold a nursing home at fault for an employee’s neglect to safeguard a patient; likewise, a shopper at a retail store can bring suit against the owner if they slipped on spilled liquid.
Assaults, whether with fists or weapons, frequently result in TBI. While such a violent offender likely faces criminal prosecution, a conviction is unnecessary to win a personal injury case in California.
Few people participate in sports expecting an injury as severe as TBI. However, any contact sport comes with a substantial risk of TBI. For evidence, consider Muhammad Ali, who suffered pugilist Parkinsons, and NFL players, many of whom sustained chronic traumatic encephalopathy. But any sport, such as biking, rock climbing, and swimming, can result in TBI. The defense may aver that the plaintiff signed a waiver, but courts do not automatically grant a dismissal based on them.
A waiver cannot excuse negligence.
A blow to the head isn’t the only cause of TBI. If oxygen is cut off for too long, even when a person is sedated in a hospital bed, TBI happens. For instance, if a patient coded after being administered the wrong medication and suffered TBI, the result should be a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Symptoms can be mild and short-lasting, such as after a concussion. In other cases, TBI lasts months, years, or a lifetime. When it becomes chronic, victims report the following:
Sufferers of long-term TBI may need assistance with daily tasks for years or life. They often have difficulty forming new memories, may forget past events, lose reasoning skills, struggle to regulate emotions, and undergo personality changes.
While a mild concussion may require an ER visit but no further treatments, long-lasting and severe TBI requires substantial rehabilitation that produces mixed results.
To start, a therapist works with patients to help them focus on regaining lost cognitive skills, such as reestablishing physical orientation, speech therapy, and cognitive exercises. Generally, long-term rehab is required, and severe cases may result in a permanent assisted living situation. Specialists who treat TBI include speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and neuropsychologists. Their goal is to restore the highest level of independence and functioning possible.
Brain injuries in Orange County occur everyday; in a county of this size, many auto accidents, slip-and-falls, and violent crimes occur. All of these incidents can lead to a brain injury.
If the injury is severe, you won’t be able to do anything right away. You will be unconscious, semi-conscious, or at least groggy. If possible, however, try to note what happened and remember what you can.
As soon as possible, write down anything you remember.
Contact our Orange County personal injury lawyer for a free consultation. Our litigation team has seen many similar cases and understands what you are going through. If you or a loved one is suffering from TBI, call Nordean Law as soon as possible.
Most personal injury cases start with interviewing the victim. However, in some TBI cases, this remains unchanged, though we welcome family members to provide moral support, especially when a TBI victim may struggle to recall details vividly.
Once we gain an understanding of the fact pattern, which occurs through reviewing reports, such as police, medical, and other relevant documents, and interviewing witnesses, we file a lawsuit against the liable party or parties.
The lawsuit gives us legal powers to subpoena additional documents, especially those held by the defendants. We may also hire accident investigators. Then, we participate in interrogatories or written questions presented for the opposing side’s witnesses to answer under oath. These, in part, form the basis for depositions, where we question witnesses face-to-face.
Many cases settle sometime between the filing of the complaint and the completion of depositions. As we gather evidence, the defense realizes they are fighting a losing battle and settles to avoid additional costs and, sometimes, embarrassment.
Most car accident cases settle without filing a lawsuit. The good news is that many insurance companies are willing to settle claims for fair amounts when they see that the accident victim is represented by an experienced car accident lawyer in Orange County.
Brain injury cases vary widely. It all depends on the impact on the plaintiff’s life.
Courts award damages for special (economic) and general (non-economic) damages. Special Damages include:
General Damages Include:
Sam Nordean has made a commitment to helping victims get back what was taken away from them. He fights for people that are injured and can’t fight for themselves.
“Going to court or negotiating a settlement is not akin to my client winning a lottery ticket. It’s about balancing the scales; it’s what they’re owed.”
Sam Nordean
At Nordean Law, we strive to achieve the best possible outcome for each client. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a specific outcome, but we can guarantee that our legal team gives their all to get you the most money possible for your brain injury claim.
Do not allow the insurance company to convince you that you do not need to hire a brain injury lawyer. The insurance company only cares about protecting its interests by paying you as little as possible for your car accident claim.
Before you speak with an insurance adjuster, sign insurance forms, or accept a car accident settlement offer, call 888-527-1267 to schedule a free case evaluation. We care about what happened to you and your family. Let us get justice for you from the negligent party who caused an injury.
Hiring the right Brain Injury Attorney will make a significant difference in your challenging and stressful situation. You may spend many hours attempting to figure out what you should do next at Orange County Courthouse. You’ll lose hours of time trying to figure out what you need to do next if you don’t hire an attorney. Even more, you will also receive about 40% less when the settlement finally arrives, which will happen much faster with professional assistance.
Please contact us if you have any queries or would want to know what you could be owed. In California, you have two years from the date of injury to file a claim and sue for compensation. If you want to go it alone in court, the Orange County Courthouse is located at 700 W Civic Center Dr, Santa Ana, CA 9270. If you want to take professional help, our Brain Injury Lawyer in Orange County will be more than happy to help you.
Get directions to Orange County Courthouse.
Orange County, which lies in Southern California, is a compact yet vibrant region known for its diverse cities, stunning landscapes, and rich history. Home to popular cities like Anaheim, known for Disneyland, and Santa Ana, the county seat, it also boasts coastal cities like Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
The county is connected by the Interstate 5 (Santa Ana) Freeway and hosts shopping centers like South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Tourist attractions include Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park and Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano.
Geographically, it's adorned with features like the Santa Ana Mountains and the Santa Ana River. With a pleasant average annual temperature of 68 °F (20 °C), Orange County offers an unforgettable experience for all.
From our office in Costa Mesa, we are proud to extend our services to a wide range of cities within Orange County. This includes Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, and Mission Viejo. We also cater to clients in Newport Beach and larger cities such as Los Angeles, Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Norwalk. We're committed to serving these communities with dedication and excellence.
We’re proud to have helped countless clients across California achieve justice and compensation.
"After my car accident in Irvine, I didn’t know where to turn. This team took care of everything, from dealing with insurance to getting me a fair settlement. Highly recommend!"
"I was injured in a truck accident on the freeway near Riverside. They fought hard for me and won my case in record time. Professional and caring every step of the way."
"Nordean Law is working in my injury case and can't thank them enough. Sam and his team have been reaching and keeping me informed with all pending matters. I appreciate that because with all that is currently going in right now, I need some stress off my shoulders. Thank you Nordean Law!!!"
"The best lawyer in the area! He and his team will take great care of you. They are very good with taking questions and answering them without lying to you. I will use Sam and his firm for any cases I might encounter. Highly recommend!!"
"If you are worried about your claim you should contact Nordean Law. Sam Nordean and his team are not only true professionals with integrity, but also sincerely care about their clients well being and state of mind throughout the process."
