Yes. When a blow or penetrating injury to the head tears a blood vessel, and blood collects inside the skull, that bleed counts as a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Doctors treat it as a medical emergency because the trapped blood raises pressure inside the skull within minutes, and even with fast treatment, many survivors are left with lasting cognitive or physical changes.
If a blow to the head that led to your bleed happened because of someone else’s negligence, the San Luis Obispo brain injury lawyers at Ernst Law Group can help you sort out what happened and what you’re owed.
When is a brain bleed considered a traumatic brain injury?
A brain bleed is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) when an outside force, like a blow or jolt, tears the blood vessel. When a brain bleed happens on its own, from a spontaneous stroke, a ruptured aneurysm, or uncontrolled blood pressure, doctors don’t classify it as a TBI, even though it can look similar on a scan.Â
Either way, blood pools around or inside the brain, and the added pressure squeezes healthy brain tissue and starves it of oxygen. That’s what makes it dangerous even after the bleeding slows down: the pressure can keep damaging brain tissues until a doctor relieves it.
Common causes of TBI-related brain bleeds include:
- Car accidents
- Falls
- Bike accidents
That’s not a complete list. Any hit or jolt hard enough to tear a blood vessel can cause one, and if someone else caused that impact, it’s worth talking to an attorney about your options for recovery.
What are the different types of brain bleeds?
There are four main types of brain bleeds, and which one you have depends on where the blood collects and which areas of the brain end up under pressure.
- Epidural: blood collects between the skull and the dura mater, the outermost layer covering the brain, usually after a hard blow to the head.
- Subdural: blood collects just beneath the dura mater, in the subdural space, after a blunt or penetrating injury, or sometimes with no trauma at all in older adults or people on blood thinners.
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage: blood collects in the subarachnoid space, closer to the brain’s surface, most often from a head injury, though a ruptured aneurysm can cause one without any trauma.
- Intraparenchymal: blood collects inside the brain tissue itself, and while trauma can cause it, high blood pressure and abnormal blood vessels cause it more often.
Epidural and subdural bleeds are often called hematomas, because the blood forms a blood clot in that confined space; subarachnoid and intraparenchymal bleeds are usually just called hemorrhages. The type you have affects your prognosis directly. A small epidural bleed caught early behaves very differently than a large subdural bleed that goes undetected for hours.
How are brain bleeds diagnosed and treated?
Doctors diagnose a brain bleed with imaging, usually a CT scan first. A computed tomography scan can show the location and size of a bleed within minutes, which matters because treatment decisions often need to happen fast. Doctors may follow up with an MRI, blood tests, additional CT scans, or testing of cerebrospinal fluid when the cause isn’t obvious from the first scan.
Treatment depends on the size and type of the bleed. Smaller bleeds may be managed with medication, including drugs that control blood pressure or prevent seizures, along with close monitoring. Larger or worsening bleeds often need surgery to relieve the pressure. Recovery frequently involves time in intensive care, where doctors track vital signs and manage oxygen levels around the clock, sometimes with a feeding tube or IV nutrition while the brain stabilizes.
If you or someone you’re with has a head injury and shows loss of consciousness, a severe or worsening headache, or confusion, get to the emergency room right away. Pressure inside the skull can keep building even after the initial impact, and some brain injuries don’t show symptoms right away, so waiting to see if you feel better on your own is the biggest mistake people make after a possible brain bleed.
Can you recover compensation for a brain bleed injury?
Yes, if someone else’s negligence caused the impact that led to your brain bleed, California law allows you to pursue compensation for what that injury cost you. What that includes depends on your case, but it typically covers medical bills, including the ongoing therapy many brain bleed survivors need, from physical therapy that rebuilds strength and coordination to speech therapy for communication or swallowing difficulties. Occupational therapy to relearn daily tasks is common too.
The long-term outlook after a brain bleed varies widely. Some people recover most of their prior function within months. Others are left with permanent cognitive, speech, or motor deficits, and a smaller number of brain bleeds are fatal. That range is why the value of a claim depends on your specific medical evidence, not a general formula, and why documenting your treatment and prognosis carefully matters as much as the initial diagnosis.
How Ernst Law Group can help after a brain bleed
A brain bleed diagnosis is frightening, for you and for the people who love you, and figuring out what comes next while you’re still focused on recovery is a lot to carry alone. Ernst Law Group has represented injury victims across California for more than 35 years from our office in San Luis Obispo, and we work on a contingency fee basis.
Call us at (805) 541-0300 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation and talk through what happened and what comes next.