Penetrating Head Injuries

A penetrating head injury may dramatically alter a victim’s life and the lives of the victim’s family members as well. If you or someone close to you has suffered a penetrating head injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be able to recover damages. At Arfaa Law Group, Baltimore brain injury lawyer Julia Arfaa can examine the circumstances surrounding your accident and determine where the responsibility lies. She understands how to navigate these claims and help you pursue the compensation that you deserve for your harm.

A penetrating injury is one in which an object pierces the skin and enters the tissue of the body, creating an open wound. A penetrating head injury, also known as an open head injury, is a head injury in which there is a breach of the meninges (the covering of the brain). In other words, a penetrating head injury results when an object penetrates the skull and enters the brain but does not exit. By contrast, if the object enters and exits the brain, it is known as a perforating injury, rather than a penetrating injury.

Some of the most common causes of penetrating head injuries include bullet wounds and stab wounds. However, penetrating head injuries may also result from motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, falling objects, and construction accidents, among other events. Any time that there is flying metal, glass, or shrapnel, there is a risk of a penetrating head injury. While many penetrating head injuries are fatal, people who do survive may suffer from certain conditions, such as:

• Cognitive impairment (involving memory loss, developmental problems, or attention deficit disorders),
• Motor function impairment (involving paralysis, weakness, or loss of balance),
• Sensory impairment (involving loss of vision or loss of hearing), or
• Emotional impairment (involving personality disorders, anxiety, or aggression).

If your penetrating head injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, you will likely be entitled to compensation for your harm. Negligence is a failure to exercise reasonable care that leads to an injury to someone else. Reasonable care is defined as how a sensible individual would act in the same or similar circumstances. To win in a negligence claim, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant’s failure to use reasonable care was a direct cause of their harm. A basic negligence claim starts by establishing that the defendant owed a duty to use a certain level of care, depending on the situation and their relationship to the victim. Then, the defendant must have violated that duty, and the victim must have been hurt as a result.

Penetrating head injuries are among the most devastating types of injuries. In fact, most people with this type of injury will require long-term medical care and rehabilitation treatment, which tends to be extremely expensive over the course of a lifetime. A person may also lose the ability to work and lead a normal life, or they may need to change their job or undergo substantial vocational rehabilitation. For these reasons and others, Maryland allows victims of penetrating head injuries to recover damages if negligence is established. These damages typically include medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, lost income and benefits, future loss of income, disability, and any other losses stemming from the brain trauma.

Penetrating head injuries may have serious and long-term consequences for an individual’s life. If you or a loved one suffered from brain trauma because of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury and other related losses. Baltimore attorney Julia Arfaa can help you file a lawsuit and navigate the entire legal process. At Arfaa Law Group, we represent people throughout the state of Maryland who need a personal injury or wrongful death attorney to protect their rights. For more information or a free consultation, you can call us at 410-889-1850 or contact us online.