New York, NY personal injury attorney Michael Ronemus talks about the trends he sees in traumatic brain injury cases. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is gaining increased recognition among the public, reflecting a departure from a period when both courts and the medical community grappled with acknowledging and comprehending its implications. The advancement of medical knowledge concerning the mechanisms and enduring consequences of traumatic brain injuries has resulted in a rising number of cases finding their way to court. Historically, lawyers might have exhibited hesitancy in undertaking such cases due to a lack of court understanding. However, the evolving comprehension of TBIs now allows for the presentation of these cases to a jury, supported by robust medical documentation and evidence.

This legal domain is expanding and achieving a more profound understanding, suggesting a trend likely to persist in the future. Traumatic brain injuries encompass a spectrum of types, ranging from severe cases featuring evident injuries like fractured skulls and brain bleeding to milder instances termed “mild traumatic brain injuries.” Despite the label “mild,” these injuries, characterized by short-term confusion, loss of consciousness, or a dazed effect during the incident, can yield long-term effects. The integration of advanced testing methods, such as diffusion tension MRI (DTMRI), provides objective evidence by specifically identifying shearing or tearing of the axons or neurons in the brain—an instrumental development in substantiating cases where objective evidence was previously lacking.