Content Reviewed By:
John Richmond, Co-Founding Member
- November 18, 2024
- Choose an Experienced Attorney from Richmond Vona
- What is Considered a Traumatic Brain Injury?
- Compensation You Can Receive After a Brain Injury in Buffalo
- Know the Symptoms of a TBI
- How Much Time Do You Have to File a Brain Injury Claim in NY?
- Rely on the Team at Richmond Vona For Your Brain Injury Case
- Related Reading
If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in Buffalo because of someone else’s negligence, our top-rated Buffalo traumatic brain injury lawyers can help you recover substantial compensation. Our attorneys are compassionate and aggressive advocates for traumatic brain injury survivors and are committed to open, honest communication with results-oriented representation. Call (716) 500-5678 today to schedule a free consultation with our nationally recognized Buffalo personal injury lawyers.
Choose an Experienced Attorney from Richmond Vona
When you choose Richmond Vona, you receive skilled representation with unwavering integrity from an award-winning team. We are serious trial lawyers dedicated to helping you get the best result possible. Our success has won us the respect of our legal community peers, who honored us with the following awards:
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers
- Super Lawyers
- Top 40 Under 40
- Best Wrongful Death Attorneys in Buffalo
- Top 10 Buffalo Car Accident Lawyers
Our attorneys hold more than 30 years of combined experience handling traumatic brain injury cases and have recovered more than $175 million in compensation. We have roots in Buffalo. Senior partner John Richmond grew up in Western New York and has built solid relationships with area doctors, insurance companies, attorneys, and judges, allowing us to fast-track your case and ensure you receive the best care available. We aren’t your typical law firm. We bring a fresh approach to personal injury law using advanced technology while thinking outside the box.
We have the skills, experience, and tenacity to fight large corporations and insurance companies. With Richmond Vona on your side, you can focus on your recovery and trust us to handle everything else.
How Much Does a TBI Lawyer Cost?
We offer a free, no-obligation case evaluation to accident victims who suffered traumatic brain injuries. If we proceed with your case, there is no upfront cost to work with us. If we successfully resolve your claim, we will collect a percentage of your compensation as our fee. You only pay if we win. This is known as a contingency fee agreement, and it means you risk nothing by working with our talented Buffalo traumatic brain injury attorneys.
What is Considered a Traumatic Brain Injury?
The CDC defines a traumatic brain injury as a disruption in brain function caused by a bump, jolt, or blow to the head or an object penetrating the brain. Traumatic brain injuries may be classified according to their severity. The classifications are mild, moderate, and severe, but all TBIs are serious. Mild TBIs are also known as concussions. A traumatic brain injury may occur in numerous accidents, including:
Compensation You Can Receive After a Brain Injury in Buffalo
Compensation for a traumatic brain injury may include economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are compensation for your injury’s financial costs, including current medical expenses, future medical expenses, diminished earning capacity, and the cost of domestic services you can no longer provide for yourself. Non-economic damages are compensation for your subjective losses, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of bodily functions
- Loss of society
Maximizing Your TBI Compensation
It could take several months to determine your traumatic brain injury’s full impact. You may be able to recover most cognitive processes and motor skills following a TBI, but doctors typically cannot predict which functions will return or to what degree until late in your recovery.
Insurance companies often pressure accident victims to settle quickly. Do not accept an early offer from an insurance company without consulting a reputable Buffalo TBI lawyer. An early settlement is likely to fall short of covering your long-term costs. Generally, a fair and reasonable TBI settlement includes future medical care, lost wages, and other expenses.
Our experienced Buffalo TBI lawyers will provide fully personalized guidance with a hands-on approach. Once your doctor determines the length and extent of your recovery, we will ensure your doctors perform the diagnostic tests needed so you have strong evidence to support a fair and reasonable settlement.
We will also coordinate with vocational specialists, life care planners, and others in our network to project your future medical costs, estimate your earning capacity, and calculate your damages. We will use our proprietary processes to review the insurance company’s past settlement history to maximize your settlement.
Compensation When a Loved One Dies from a TBI
If your loved one died of a traumatic brain injury, our caring and supportive Buffalo wrongful death lawyers can file a wrongful death lawsuit on your family’s behalf. A New York wrongful death claim allows you to recover damages for your family’s financial losses related to the death, including the following:
- The probable lifetime income of your loved one were it not for the accident
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Lost business opportunities
- The estate’s diminished value
You can also seek recovery of the economic and non-economic damages that would have been available to your loved one in a personal injury action had they survived. This is known as a survival action. Damages in a survival action may include your loved one’s medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Know the Symptoms of a TBI
TBI symptoms may appear immediately, but sometimes, they take hours or days to emerge. If you experienced a blow to the head in an accident, seek medical attention immediately, even if you have no symptoms. Everyone experiences TBIs differently, and not everyone loses consciousness. Without medical intervention, a TBI can worsen if you have bleeding or swelling in the brain, causing devastating complications.
Symptoms of a Mild TBI
According to the Mayo Clinic, you may have a mild TBI if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Loss of consciousness up to a few minutes
- Confusion or disorientation without loss of consciousness
- Headache
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Drowsiness
- Speech difficulties
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Bad taste in your mouth
- Changes in smell
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Memory problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trouble sleeping or excessive sleep
Most people recover from mild TBIs within a couple of weeks. However, you may experience symptoms for months or years in what is known as persistent post-concussive syndrome. This condition can cause serious disruptions to your quality of life and function. Contact our Buffalo TBI attorneys today if you or your loved one is experiencing post-concussive disorder. You may be eligible for compensation.
Moderate and Severe TBI Symptoms
Moderate and severe TBIs can cause permanent disabilities, personality changes, and consciousness disorders. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of a moderate or severe TBI may include any combination of the following:
- Loss of consciousness for several minutes
- Profound confusion
- Headache that gets worse or fails to go away
- Repeated nausea and vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Excessive anger or other behavior changes
- Inability to awaken
- Coma
- Dilated pupil in one or both eyes
- Weakness or numbness in the arms and legs
- Loss of coordination
- Clear fluids draining from the eyes or nose
- Seizures
With over three decades of experience helping Buffalo TBI survivors, we can help you obtain the best care available in our area so you can recover to the fullest extent possible.
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Words cannot describe how grateful my wife and I are of John Richmond. His friendliness, knowledge, loyalty and professionalism are of the highest level. Being this was the first time we’ve had to obtain legal assistance, John made this process very easy for my wife and I. We both would highly recommend Richmond Vona.
What a phenomenal experience to come from a terrifying accident. From day 1 Richmond/Vona provided me with nothing but comfort and professionalism. Communication is paramount in my needs and they performed that with nothing short of exceptional. Mr. Richmond made me feel like this was the only case he was working on. Thank you to all of your staff for looking out for my best interests and taking a stressful situation and making it so very easy for me and my family.
My experience with Keith Vona was exceptional. To this day, I am grateful for the dedication and compassion he displayed throughout my case. The outcome of my case was successful as a result of his drive and commitment. I would highly recommend Keith Vona to anyone in need of legal representation.
How Much Time Do You Have to File a Brain Injury Claim in NY?
According to the New York personal injury statute of limitations, you must file your TBI claim within three years of the accident date. If you wait too long to hire an attorney, they may not have access to all of the evidence you need to prove your claim.
When you hire a personal injury lawyer, they must investigate your case, gather evidence, and ensure you receive the appropriate medical tests before filing your claim. In many types of claims, such as car accident claims, important forensic evidence is only available for a short time after the accident.
There also are exceptions to the three-year deadline. For example:
- If your loved one died of a TBI, the deadline is reduced to two years for a wrongful death claim.
- If a government entity, such as the City of Buffalo, is responsible for the TBI, you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days, and you only have a year and 90 days to file your claim.
Due to the complexity of New York’s statute of limitations, contact our knowledgeable attorneys promptly to ensure you do not miss this important deadline.
Rely on the Team at Richmond Vona For Your Brain Injury Case
Our compassionate and experienced Buffalo traumatic brain injury lawyers treat clients like family and exceed expectations to help them get the best results possible. Our office is in Buffalo, but we represent clients throughout Western New York, with offices in Niagara Falls, Williamsville, and Rochester. If you or your loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury because of someone else’s negligence, we are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us online today or call (716) 500-5678 to schedule your free case review.
