A skull fracture is no minor injury. When one of the bones surrounding and protecting your brain cracks or breaks, it indicates significant trauma occurred. Beyond just the broken bone, underlying brain damage is also common with skull fractures. The complications can be severe, resulting in lengthy hospital stays, expensive medical treatment, lost wages, and even permanent disability.
At Pasternack Injury Law Group, we know how devastating skull fractures can be for victims and their families. We have represented numerous fracture cases over the years, seeing firsthand the pain and financial hardship they create. We aim to lift those burdens by helping clients understand their legal options and obtain full compensation.
What is a Skull Fracture?
Your skull comprises several bones that encase and protect your brain. A skull fracture refers to any crack or break in one of these cranial bones.
There are a few different types of skull fractures:
- Linear Skull Fractures: A break that follows the suture lines in the skull. These are the most common type of fracture and tend to only affect the outer table of the skull.
- Depressed Skull Fractures: When broken bone segments are pushed inward, resulting in indentation to the skull. These are more serious as they can cause damage to the brain.
- Diastatic Skull Fractures: Occur along the suture lines but without bone displacement. However, they can still injure blood vessels and tear dura matter.
- Basilar Skull Fractures: Breaks through the base of the skull, often involving the petrous bone, which contains the ears and brain stem. High risk of nerve damage.
Regardless of type, skull fractures should be taken very seriously, as underlying brain trauma may also be present even if the fracture itself is stable. Fractures along the base of the skull near critical nerves and blood vessels are especially concerning.
Common Causes of Skull Fracture Injuries
At our law firm, we have handled skull fracture cases stemming from a wide range of accidents and injuries, including:
- Car Accidents: A major impact or rollover crash can easily cause blunt force trauma, resulting in a skull fracture. This is particularly true if airbags fail to deploy properly.
- Slip and Fall Accidents: Falling from a significant height and hitting your head on a hard surface like concrete can lead to a skull fracture.
- Assault: Violent attacks involving blunt force blows to the head account for a portion of skull fracture cases we see. Domestic violence survivors may be at increased risk.
- Birth Injuries: Difficult deliveries involving forceps or vacuum devices can sometimes lead to infant skull fractures. Medical negligence may be involved.
No matter what negligence caused your skull fracture, you have legal rights. Speak with our skull fracture lawyers today during a free consultation to discuss the details of your case.
Diagnosing Skull Fracture Injuries
Doctors utilize a range of techniques to accurately diagnose skull fractures, check for underlying head trauma, and assess any related complications. Diagnosing a skull fracture may involve:
- Neurological Exam: Cognitive and coordination testing helps reveal any functional impairment from a head injury.
- Head CT Scan: CT imaging clearly visualizes bone breaks and can pinpoint fracture location/severity.
- X-rays: These may be used to check for fractures, especially if CT isn’t readily available. X-rays provide less detail than a CT scan.
- MRI: Soft tissue imaging can reveal brain trauma not visible on CTs, like diffuse axonal injuries or contusions.
- Assessing CSF Leak: Cerebrospinal fluid leaking from ears/nose may indicate a dural tear from the fractured base of the skull.
- Monitoring Intracranial Pressure: Pressure monitors help detect traumatic brain swelling and bleeding.
If you’ve suffered a skull fracture, contact us today. We can request copies of your medical records and imaging results to help verify the extent of your injuries for your claim.
Compensation for Skull Fracture Injuries
Because skull fractures often require extensive medical treatment and long recovery periods, victims can face extremely high costs.
Medical expenses, including emergency treatment, hospitalization, medications, surgery, and rehabilitation services, can add up very quickly for skull fracture patients. We thoroughly investigate and document these costs, fighting to recover both past expenses already incurred and estimated future costs of continued care. Costs can include:
- Emergency room treatment
- Inpatient hospital stays
- CT scans, X-rays, and diagnostic tests
- Medications and prescription drugs
- Neurosurgery or plastic surgery procedures
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- Ongoing rehabilitation services
If a severe (traumatic brain injury) TBI results from the fracture, the victim may also face lost income from an extended recovery period, keeping them out of work. Our team works to gather evidence like payroll records and doctor notes to prove the impact on earning capacity and lost wages.
No dollar value can erase the pain and suffering caused by a skull fracture, but financial compensation provides stability. We advocate for damages accounting for physical pain, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the overall reduced quality of life resulting from this trauma.
Seeking Legal Representation
Recovering from a major skull injury like a skull fracture poses enough challenges without having to take on a legal battle, too. Our San Diego personal injury attorneys make it our mission to lift those legal burdens so you can devote your energy to healing. With us as your advocates, you don’t have to handle negotiations or wade through complex injury law alone.
Our years of experience with insurance settlement negotiations allow us to craft persuasive arguments to maximize compensation offers. If an insurer tries to lowball or deny a fair settlement, we know when pushing forward with an injury lawsuit becomes necessary.
We gather the evidence necessary to prove liability and damages, from police reports and medical records to witness statements. If needed, we have the resources and expertise to build a compelling argument for trial before a jury.
With a skull fracture attorney as your advocate, insurance companies cannot take advantage of you during this vulnerable recovery period. We take on the tough negotiations so you can devote your energy to healing.
Contact Pasternack Injury Law Group Today
At Pasternack Injury Law Group, our attorneys have decades of experience advocating for injury victims after major trauma like skull fractures. As a family-owned firm, we provide personalized guidance and counsel to each client. We know this money can’t erase what you’ve endured, but obtaining maximum compensation is key to rebuilding your life.
With our skull fracture lawyers on your side, you gain trusted advisors willing to take on every legal and negotiation challenge so you can focus on your recovery. Don’t go it alone – contact us today to schedule your free consultation. We’re committed to helping you move forward and get the compensation you deserve.
