Brain Injury Lawyer In Williamsport

Determining if you have a brain injury claim that will hold up in court requires more than just a diagnosis; it requires proving that your traumatic brain injury (TBI) was the direct result of another party’s negligence. A strong legal claim may entitle you to compensation to help pay for medical bills, therapy and rehabilitation costs. The experienced and compassionate Williamsport brain injury attorneys at Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters know how debilitating TBI is, and we understand what you are going through. We offer consultations on personal injury cases to help you investigate the cause and extent of your injury and determine the options you have to secure lifetime benefits and compensation.

The Key Pillars Of A Brain Injury Claim

Whether your injury occurred on a dangerous stretch of I-180, resulted from a fall on an icy storefront in downtown Williamsport, or was the consequence of a workplace accident in the local manufacturing or gas industries, our firm investigates the specific circumstances that led to your injury. The first pillar is proving negligence and that the negligent party owed you a duty of care to avoid actions that might result in someone getting injured. This could be a distracted driver failing to stop, a property owner ignoring a hazardous walkway or a medical professional failing to diagnose a brain bleed. You must then prove that you have significant injuries or losses directly related to your brain injury that resulted from your accident.

Because TBI cases involve high stakes and complex neurology, we focus on proving how the negligent act caused your injury and the extensive financial and personal damages that followed. If you are asking “do I have a case?”, the answer lies in the evidence we gather to link the defendant’s actions to your long-term cognitive or physical deficits.

The Causes Of Your Brain Injury Is Important For Your Legal Case

When clients come to us needing help, we put all our years of experience, knowledge of the law and skill to work. We are ready to do the same for you. We understand how a severe brain injury can send your life reeling in an unexpected direction and battling insurers for full and fair compensation is not a burden you need to carry. Our sole aim is to win your brain injury case so you can move forward with your life. You shouldn’t be weighed down by the stress of a legal case. Rely on our brain injury lawyer to fight for you so you can focus on healing.

The leading causes of brain injuries are:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Slip-and-fall injuries
• Sports injuries
• Obstruction of the airway
• Near drowning
• Toxic exposure
• Heart attack or stroke
• Aneurysm
• Electrical shock

Brain injuries may occur at birth through hospital negligence or errors made by doctors, nurses, or other health care personnel. Our attorneys have handled a wide range of cases for clients with severe head injuries, including tragic birth injury cases. When the neglectful actions of others cause your injury, you may make a personal injury claim to recover damages.

Common Symptoms And Delayed Signs After Head Trauma

Brain injuries are uniquely deceptive. While some symptoms appear immediately, many “silent” symptoms are delayed, manifesting days or even weeks after the initial impact. Recognizing these signs is crucial – not just for your health, but for the integrity of your legal claim.

If you or a loved one has sustained a blow to the head, watch for the following:

• Cognitive symptoms: Persistent confusion, brain fog, difficulty finding words, memory gaps or a noticeable decrease in processing speed.
• Emotional and behavioral changes: Increased irritability, uncharacteristic outbursts, depression, anxiety or a general “flattening” of personality.
• Sleep disturbances: Sleeping significantly more than usual, an inability to fall asleep or feeling constantly fatigued regardless of rest.
• Sensory and vestibular issues: Sensitivity to light and sound, blurred vision, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or a loss of balance and coordination.
• Physical red flags: A headache that worsens over time, nausea or a feeling of pressure in the skull.

Note: Never wait for symptoms to “clear up” on their own. Seeking an immediate medical evaluation from a neurologist or a specialized concussion clinic is the most important step you can take. A medical record created shortly after the trauma is the strongest evidence we can use to fight for your compensation.

What To Do If You Suffer A Brain Injury

If you have a head injury from an accident, there are steps you can take to help your case:

• Seek immediate medical help. Urgent medical care may help reduce the extent of your damage. If you think you may have a brain injury, make sure your MRI or other diagnostic testing is of the type that will show damage to soft tissue or the blood vessels in your brain, and be sure you see a specialist in brain injuries.
• Obtain evidence. If you were in an accident that involved a vehicle, get photographs of the damage and make sure the vehicle you were in is not sold or crushed. If there were witnesses to the accident, get their names and statements. See if there was evidence from video surveillance cameras. This needs to be done quickly as tapes are erased and witnesses may disappear or forget details as time goes on.
• Record your symptoms or have others help do so. Note whether you lost consciousness, had seizures, have post-traumatic amnesia or loss of memory or signs of a concussion, or alteration of consciousness after injury.
• Find “before and after injury” witnesses – people, not from your family, who have known you and can testify to the change in your behavior and abilities.
• Contact a competent, experienced brain injury attorney. Head injuries have a devastating impact on your quality of life and your ability to support yourself, and they require substantial and expensive medical and rehabilitative care. Loss of cognitive function or other permanent disabilities are understandable and can be horrendous in terms of quality of life.

Our compassionate brain injury lawyers know how important it is for you to get compensation for medical expenses and other related costs. That’s why our team will dedicate ourselves to ensuring you get full and fair compensation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a brain injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania?

Generally, Pennsylvania has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. This means you must file your lawsuit within two years of the date the injury occurred. However, in cases of medical malpractice or injuries to minors, the discovery rule or other tolling statutes may apply. It is vital to have an attorney review your timeline immediately to ensure you do not lose your right to recovery.

How is a brain injury settlement worth calculated?

Settlements are calculated by totaling “economic damages” (medical bills, lost wages, and the cost of future life care) and “noneconomic damages” (pain and suffering, loss of life’s pleasures, and emotional distress). Because brain injuries can lead to permanent disability, we often use economic experts to project your lost earning capacity over a lifetime to ensure the settlement covers your needs for decades.

What should I do if the insurance company asks for a recorded statement?

You should politely decline and tell them you need to speak with your attorney first. Insurance adjusters often look for statements that downplay the severity of your cognitive symptoms or suggest you were partially at fault. Because brain injuries can affect memory and communication, giving a statement without legal counsel puts your claim at significant risk.

Contact Our Trusted Attorneys For Honest Answers

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, defective product or other negligence or wrongdoing, take steps to ensure that you obtain the compensation you deserve. Call us at 570-796-7613 or reach out using our online contact form.

Brain and head injury cases are complicated, as each person’s symptoms and circumstances are unique. Since symptoms change over time and evidence and witnesses disappear, it is important to contact an attorney experienced in brain injuries as soon as possible. Whether in gathering evidence, dealing with medical professionals and insurance companies, negotiating settlements or pursuing a trial verdict, the experienced Pennsylvania brain injury attorneys are familiar with the law and thoroughly prepared and committed to achieving a just outcome. With our sizeable staff, we offer strength in numbers while providing top-notch personal service.

Based in Williamsport, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania. More than that, we offer you experience, knowledge, compassion and a long history of results.

Attorney Cliff Rieders

Cliff Rieders is a Nationally Board-Certified Trial Lawyer practicing personal injury law. A large part of Cliff’s practice are serious personal injury matters involving vehicles, trucks, medical and hospital malpractice, products liability claims involving personal injury, and multi-district litigation including cases related to pharmaceuticals, vitamin supplements, and medical devices. He is admitted in several state and federal courts, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. Rieders is the past regional president of the Federal Bar Association and is a life member of the distinguished American Law Institute, which promulgates proposed rules adopted by many state courts. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. As a founder of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, he served on the Board for 15 years.

Not only has Rieders held many highly esteemed, leadership positions, he authored legislation related to the Patient Safety Authority and the Mcare Act, which governs medical and hospital liability actions in Pennsylvania. He authored texts upon which both practitioners and judges rely, including Pennsylvania Malpractice Laws and Forms, and Financial Responsibility Law Issues in Pennsylvania, the latter governing auto and truck collisions in Pennsylvania. In addition, he wrote several books on the practice of law in Pennsylvania regarding wrongful death and survivor actions, insurance bad faith, legal malpractice claims and worker rights, among others. Rieders also serves as a resource to practitioners as a regular speaker for Celesq, an arm of the world’s largest legal publisher, Thomson Reuters West Publishing.

As recognition of his wide range of contribution to his profession and of his dedication to protecting the rights of his clients, he received numerous awards, among them the George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award, the Milton D. Rosenberg Award, the B’nai B’rith Justice Award and awards of recognition from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers. [ Attorney Bio ]