Coma

California Brain Damage and Coma Litigation

There is no question that any accident victim whose condition can be described as comatose in the aftermath of a trauma has suffered a severe brain injury. More open to debate, and frequently litigated in personal injury litigation, is the pace and completeness of the patient's recovery from coma and the underlying traumatic brain injury. If you or someone in your family was diagnosed with coma as a consequence of a truck accident, an injury at a construction site, or a swimming pool accident, contact a personal injury lawyer at the San Jose law firm of Shea & Shea.

For more than 20 years, the attorneys at Shea & Shea have focused our practice on recovering full and fair compensation for the victims of severe brain and spinal cord injuries. As nationally recognized practitioners of neurolaw, we have developed extensive experience with the investigation and proof of brain injury cases involving coma, and we maintain consulting relationships with some of the leading experts in the field of coma treatment and recovery. Their involvement in your case can make a significant difference in both the resolution of your damages claims and your physical and psychological rehabilitation.

Coma is a general and profound lack of responsiveness to external stimuli. While most patients will appear to be unconscious most of the time, a coma patient can also get up, walk, talk, and appear to engage in normal behavior, but without any recognition of what is going on around them. Fortunately, most comas last only a few days or weeks, and most patients pass quickly through the stages of coma from more to less severe, but the chances of a full recovery decline with the duration of the comatose condition. A brain injury patient whose coma lasts for four months or longer is very unlikely to progress beyond a vegetative state.

Depth of coma is another key factor in projecting the patient's recovery. A longer but less profound coma is usually better for the patient than a shorter but broader lack of responsiveness.

In a lawsuit for damages where coma is one of the victim's injuries, the key issues are likely to involve the patient's prognosis for a full recovery based on the leading diagnostic tools--the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Functioning Scale (Rancho Scale). Generally speaking, the GCS focuses on symptoms and is used not only to rate coma but also traumatic brain injury generally. The Rancho Scale places more emphasis on the patient's recovery of cognitive function as he or she passes through various stages of coma.

Our experience with the medical evidence involved in the proof of claims involving coma can increase the likelihood that your case will be resolved on favorable terms. We know how to work with the medical and rehabilitative specialists whose expert analysis and interpretation of diagnoses under both the GCS and the Rancho Scale will be critical to the success of your claim.

For additional information about your damage claims regarding coma of any duration or severity, contact an experienced San Jose personal injury lawyer at Shea & Shea.