North Charleston Brain Injury Attorney

South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers Help Accident Victims Pursue Full Compensation for Head Injuries

Head trauma, including concussions, traumatic brain injuries and brain damage, often result in irreversible and life-changing injuries. While some brain injuries will improve over time, many accident victims must live with lingering effects for the rest of their lives. These injuries take a toll not only on the person suffering from the head injury, but also their family. In the wake of a brain injury, families must deal with the financial, emotional and psychological toll of the injury.

At the Steinberg Law Firm, our respected North Charleston brain injury lawyers have been advocating on behalf of injury victims for more than 95 years. Since 1927, we have handled all types of personal injury and medical malpractice claims, including those cases involving serious head trauma. Given our extensive hands-on experience, we have a firm grasp of this nuanced area of law and possess the litigation and negotiation skills to successfully bring your claim.

What Is a Brain Injury?

The brain is one of the most critical structures in the human body, responsible for cognition, movement, and speech. A brain injury occurs when the brain experiences trauma that impacts how it functions. Head injuries come in many forms and range in severity. Some of the most common types of head injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injuries – The term traumatic brain injury, or TBI, refers to all head injuries that disrupt the brain’s normal function. Each year, nearly 300,000 people are hospitalized due to TBIs, and almost 13.5 million people live with a TBI-related disability. A TBI can be caused by blunt force to the head or a penetrating injury.
• Concussions – A concussion is characterized by a swift and sudden movement of the head in which the brain collides with the inside of the skull. Some concussions are minor and may cause no long-term damage. However, a recent study indicates that more than half of all people who suffer a concussion experience post-concussion syndrome, which may result in sleepiness, dizziness, loss of memory, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety.
• Contusions – When the head experiences a sudden direct impact, it may cause a contusion, which is a bruise on the brain’s surface. By definition, a contusion results in a loss of consciousness for at least 15 minutes, accompanied by damage to the brain.
• Penetrating injuries – Also referred to as an open head injury, a penetrating injury occurs when an object pierces the outer layer of the meninges. Open head injuries are frequently the result of a high-velocity object coming into contact with the head, such as during a car accident or a slip-and-fall accident.

All brain injuries carry the potential to cause irreversible damage. However, the extent of the damage is often not immediately apparent. Thus, it is critical for anyone who has experienced head trauma to seek immediate medical attention.

Common Causes of Brain Injuries

Brain injuries can occur in just about any aspect of everyday life. The following are some of the most common causes of head injuries:

• Slip-and-falls: Falls are one of the most common causes of brain injuries in South Carolina. The Brain Injury Association of South Carolina (BIASC) estimates that 45 percent of all brain injuries result from falls annually.
• Workplace accidents: Construction, transportation, emergency response, and building services workers face a higher risk of traumatic brain injuries on the job than average, according to the CDC. However, workers in any job or industry can experience a brain injury due to a workplace accident.
• Car accidents: Motor vehicle accidents cause 25 percent of all traumatic brain injuries in South Carolina each year, according to the BIASC.
• Motorcycle crashes: Serious head injuries are involved in the majority of fatal motorcycle accidents, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Helmets help reduce the risk of death or serious brain injury in a motorcycle crash, but they do not eliminate the risk.
• Truck wrecks: Large truck collisions can cause serious or fatal brain injuries, like car accidents can.
• Sports injuries: Sports injuries commonly cause traumatic brain injury. Professional sports players face a higher-than-average risk of brain injury, according to the CDC. South Carolina’s youth sports laws seek to protect young players, but the risk of suffering a concussion or other brain injury is still present.

Assaults are one of the top four causes of brain injury in South Carolina each year. BIASC statistics estimate that assault-related brain injuries account for 5 percent of all traumatic brain injuries in the state annually.

Between 2018 and 2022, the most common causes of death from traumatic brain injuries included: 

• Firearm-related incidents: 41 percent
• Motor vehicle crashes: 26 percent
• Falls: 22 percent

Serious, non-fatal traumatic brain injuries between 2018 and 2022 most often resulted from: 

• Falls: 43 percent
• Motor vehicle crashes: 25 percent
• Accidental struck-by events: 12 percent
• Assault: 6 percent

Those suffering from a brain injury may be entitled to monetary compensation for their injuries through a South Carolina personal injury lawsuit.

South Carolina Brain Injury Statistics

Over 700,000 South Carolina residents suffer a brain injury each year, according to the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina. Over 182,000 South Carolinians experience a permanent disability as a result of a brain injury each year. 

In 2022, traumatic brain injuries caused 1,567 deaths, 4,261 hospitalizations, and 10,360 emergency department visits in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health recorded the following traumatic brain injury rates for counties in the North Charleston area. Between 2018 and 2022:

• Berkeley County: 250.5 brain injuries per 100,000 residents
• Charleston County: 214.8 brain injuries per 100,000 residents
• Dorchester County: 258.7 brain injuries per 100,000 residents

These numbers placed Berkeley and Dorchester Counties among the South Carolina counties with the highest rates of traumatic brain injury. 

South Carolina thus sees deaths from brain injuries occur at a rate 53.8 percent higher than the national average. South Carolina’s rate is higher than neighboring North Carolina, at 19.4 deaths per 100,000 people (37.6 percent above the national average). South Carolina’s rates are also higher than Georgia’s, at 20.3 deaths per 100,000 people (17.3 percent higher than the national average) and Tennessee’s, at 20.6 deaths per 100,000 people (19.1 percent higher than the national average).

South Carolina’s traumatic brain injury statistics are clear: South Carolina sees higher brain injury rates than neighboring states. Within South Carolina, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties see high rates of brain injuries.  

South Carolina Brain Injury Claim Basics

Many brain injuries are preventable. They occur because a person or company failed to take due care to prevent harm. 

When someone else’s negligence causes an injury, an injured person can seek compensation for the harm they’ve suffered. Typically, the injured person files a personal injury claim to seek compensation. If the injuries proved fatal, the injured person’s surviving family members can seek compensation through a wrongful death claim. 

Compensation in a brain injury case covers both financial (or “economic”) and non-financial (or “non-economic” losses. Common losses included in brain injury claims include:

• Medical bills,
• Lost wages,
• Costs to repair or replace damaged property, such as a damaged vehicle,
• Future medical bills, 
• Future lost wages.

These claims can also seek compensation for your physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and the mental or emotional anguish resulting from a brain injury, scarring, or disfigurement. 

In a wrongful death claim, surviving family members can seek compensation for funeral and burial expenses, lost support from their loved one, and similar losses. 

All South Carolina personal injury and wrongful death claims must be filed within the state’s “statute of limitations,” or time limit. This time limit typically falls three years from the date of injury. Some exceptions apply, however. To calculate the exact deadline in your case, speak to an experienced South Carolina brain injury lawyer.

Contact a Dedicated North Charleston Brain Injury Lawyer for Immediate Assistance

If you or someone in your family has recently sustained a severe head injury, reach out to the skilled North Charleston brain injury lawyers at the Steinberg Law Firm. For more than 95 years, we have been aggressively pursuing compensation on behalf of injury victims. As a result of this extensive experience, our team of personal injury attorneys is well-suited to help you hold those responsible for your injuries accountable. Call our law offices today at 843-720-2800 to speak with one of our experienced team members about what our Charleston brain injury lawyers can do for you.