It’s unfortunate, but insurance companies make it very difficult to litigate a brain injury. In pursuing a brain injury claim, the insurance company may try to prove that your injury is non-existent, was pre-existing or even faked. The key to pursuing such a claim is to offer objective evidence supporting it. In the past, however, that has been difficult to do with brain injuries.
With the help of a knowledgeable Burlington personal injury lawyer who specializes in traumatic brain injuries, you have access to new diagnostics in order to support your claim. In the last couple decades, new technology has emerged to allow us to understand the brain’s vulnerability to injury. We now know that someone can experience permanent brain injury without losing consciousness and can even present with a normal MRI or CT scan.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Diffusion Tensor Imaging is an MRI-based imaging technique that enables a physician to estimate a brain’s white matter tracts. Performed with an MRI machine outfitted with software known at Diffusion Tensor Imaging, this imaging is sensitive to any damage to the white matter of the brain. Brain white matter is located in the interior of the brain and connects the different lobes of gray matter. When white matter is injured, impairment is the result.
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging is another form of MRI testing that allows the physician to locate micro-hemorrhages in the brain. These typically arise when a brain is shaken vigorously. Micro-hemorrhages are not seen on a regular MRI but Susceptibility Weighted Imaging locates iron molecules from the tiny brain bleeds. After a trauma, there may be hundreds of these micro-hemorrhages found in a patient’s brain.
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy is another diagnostic tool for measuring changes in the brain. As another form of MRI imaging, spectroscopy is a series of tests that measure the chemical metabolism of areas of the brain and imbalances due to trauma.
Get Medical Care Immediately
After an accident, it’s important to get medical attention as soon as possible. That said, many physicians who are associated with brain injuries are not aware of the latest research and tools available in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries.
We have seen medical providers refuse to take cases when they know an automobile accident was the cause of the injuries. Others can be dismissive and can unfairly assume that the patient is only looking for money from a claim. This is unfortunate.
Ignorance and Dismissive Attitudes
Ignorance and dismissive attitudes can result in a brain injury patient not getting the care or appropriate testing and reports needed to support a traumatic brain injury claim. You will want to seek the counsel of a lawyer who specializes in brain injury claims in order to get a good specialist referral to ensure that the appropriate tests and diagnostics are being conducted.
Call the Burlington injury lawyers at MPC Law if you think you or someone you love has sustained brain injuries in an accident. We work with brain injury specialists who can provide the correct diagnostic evidence you will need in order to pursue a traumatic brain injury claim. We offer a no-obligation consultation to discuss your injuries and the viability of a claim.
