Brooklyn Brain Injury Attorney | Traumatic Head Injury Claims

Common Causes of Brain Injuries in Brooklyn

Brain injuries in Brooklyn can result from many types of accidents and incidents:

• Motor vehicle accidents: Car accidents on the Belt Parkway, BQE, and local streets are leading causes of TBI in Brooklyn. [Link to: /brain-injury/motor-vehicle-accidents]
• Construction accidents: Falls from scaffolding and being struck by falling debris in Brooklyn's active construction areas. [Link to: /brain-injury/nyc-construction]
• Slip and fall accidents: Falls on wet floors, uneven sidewalks, icy walkways, and poorly maintained stairs. [Link to: /brain-injury/slip-and-fall]
• Medical negligence: Surgical errors, anesthesia errors, failure to diagnose stroke, and birth injuries at Brooklyn hospitals. [Link to: /medical-malpractice/anesthesia-error] [Link to: /medical-malpractice/stroke-misdiagnosis] [Link to: /brain-injury/anoxic-brain-injury]
• Pedestrian and bicycle accidents: Brooklyn's dense traffic makes pedestrian and bicycle collisions a significant cause of head injuries.
• Subway and transit accidents: Falls on stairs, platforms, and trains in the NYC subway system.
• Assaults: Physical assaults can cause traumatic brain injuries.

Types of Brain Injuries

Brain injuries range from mild concussions to severe, life-threatening trauma:

• Concussion (mild TBI): A temporary disruption of brain function. Symptoms include headache, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and memory problems. [Link to: /brain-injury/mild-tbi]
• Coup-contrecoup injury: The brain is injured on both sides -- the side of impact and the opposite side. [Link to: /brain-injury/coup-contrecoup]
• Diffuse axonal injury (DAI): The brain's nerve fibers are torn by rotational forces, causing widespread brain damage. [Link to: /brain-injury/diffuse-axonal-injury]
• Hematoma: A collection of blood within the brain or between the brain and skull (epidural, subdural, intracerebral).
• Hypoxic/anoxic brain injury: Brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation. [Link to: /brain-injury/anoxic-brain-injury]
• Penetrating brain injury: An object penetrates the skull and brain.

Brooklyn Hospitals and Brain Injury Treatment

Brooklyn is served by several major hospitals that treat brain injuries:

• Kings County Hospital Center (NYC Health + Hospitals) -- Level I trauma center [Link to: /hospital-negligence/suing-nyc-h-h]
• NYU Langone Hospital -- Brooklyn (formerly Lutheran) -- Level I trauma center [Link to: /hospital-negligence/suing-nyu-langone]
• Maimonides Medical Center -- Level I trauma center
• NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital [Link to: /hospital-negligence/suing-new-york-presbyterian]
• Mount Sinai Brooklyn
• SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
• NYC Health + Hospitals / Coney Island [Link to: /hospital-negligence/suing-nyc-h-h]

Symptoms of Brain Injury

Brain injury symptoms vary depending on the severity and location of the injury. Common symptoms include:

• Physical symptoms: Headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, balance problems, fatigue, sensitivity to light and noise, sleep disturbances, and seizures.
• Cognitive symptoms: Memory problems, difficulty concentrating, confusion, slowed thinking, and word-finding difficulties.
• Emotional/behavioral symptoms: Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, depression, personality changes, and impulsivity.
• Severe symptoms (emergency): Loss of consciousness, unequal pupil size, clear fluid draining from the nose or ears, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, and repeated vomiting. These require immediate emergency medical attention.

Proving Your Brooklyn Brain Injury Case

To prove a brain injury case, we:

• Obtain medical records: Including emergency department records, imaging (CT, MRI, DTI), neuropsychological testing, and rehabilitation records. [Link to: /resources/how-to-get-medical-records-for-a-lawsuit] [Link to: /brain-injury/dti-proof]
• Obtain imaging: CT scans, MRI, and -- when available -- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to document the brain injury. [Link to: /brain-injury/dti-proof]
• Obtain neuropsychological testing: Neuropsychological testing objectively documents cognitive impairments caused by the brain injury. [Link to: /brain-injury/mild-tbi]
• Engage expert review: We work with board-certified neurologists, neuropsychologists, and rehabilitation specialists.
• Obtain a life care plan: For severe injuries, we obtain a life care plan that quantifies future medical and care needs. [Link to: /brain-injury/life-care-plan]
• Document the impact: We document how the brain injury has affected your daily life, work, relationships, and quality of life.

New York Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations for brain injury cases in New York depends on the cause:

• Personal injury (accident): 3 years from the date of the accident (CPLR 214).
• Medical malpractice: 2.5 years from the date of the negligent act (CPLR 214-a).
• Municipal hospitals: If the brain injury was caused by negligence at a municipal hospital (Kings County, Coney Island), a notice of claim must be filed within 90 days. [Link to: /hospital-negligence/notice-of-claim-guide]
• Wrongful death: If the brain injury caused death, the wrongful death claim must be filed within 2 years. [Link to: /wrongful-death/statute-of-limitations]
• Infancy toll: For injuries to children, the statute may be extended under CPLR 208.

Compensation Available

A successful Brooklyn brain injury claim can provide compensation for:

• Medical expenses: Including past and future emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, therapy, medications, and medical equipment
• Lost wages and lost earning capacity: For time missed from work and reduced ability to work in the future
• Pain and suffering: NY has no cap on non-economic damages
• Permanent disability: For cognitive, physical, and emotional impairments
• Future medical care costs: Based on a life care plan [Link to: /brain-injury/life-care-plan]
• Loss of enjoyment of life: For the inability to participate in activities and hobbies
• Wrongful death damages: If the brain injury caused death [Link to: /wrongful-death-lawyer]

Frequently Asked Questions

The value of a medical malpractice case in New York depends on several factors, including the severity of the injury, the strength of liability evidence, and the economic and non-economic damages involved. New York is one of the few states with no caps on medical malpractice damages, meaning there is no artificial limit on what you can recover. Below are typical settlement ranges based on injury severity.