PENNSYLVANIA Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
Content Legally Reviewed & Approved
This page has been written and edited by a team of experienced legal writers. This page was approved by Managing Partner, Michael Saile who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney.
Brain injuries are often caused by a direct hit to the skull. The severity of a head injury can range from mild to severe. While most injuries fall into the mild category, severe brain injuries can cause catastrophic damage or even death. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control recorded 68,663 traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related deaths.
If you or a loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury because of someone else’s negligence, a Pennsylvania traumatic brain injury lawyer can help protect your financial future while you focus on your treatment and recovery.
Brain injuries often require ongoing medical care and can affect your ability to work and enjoy daily life. Our legal team fights for compensation that accounts for both your current losses and the long-term impact of your injury. Contact Cordisco & Saile to learn about who we are, how we have helped clients recover, and how we can assist with your case.
Navigate This Page
- How Cordisco & Saile Fights for Pennsylvania Brain Injury Victims
- Do You Have a Pennsylvania Brain Injury Case?
- Long-Term Effects of Brain Injuries
- How Can a Pennsylvania Brain Injury Lawyer Help With Your Case?
- Can You Collect Damages if a Loved One Dies From a Brain Injury?
- Who Can Be Held Responsible in a Brain Injury Case?
- How Much Time Do You Have To File a Brain Injury Claim in Pennsylvania?
- How Much Does a Pennsylvania Brain Injury Attorney Cost?
- Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Classifications of Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Causes of Brain Injuries
- Pennsylvania Brain Injury Treatment and Support Resources
- Contact Cordisco & Saile LLC for a Free Consultation
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Cordisco & Saile Fights for Pennsylvania Brain Injury Victims
Brain injury claims require a thorough investigation and a clear understanding of the injury’s long-term effects. At Cordisco & Saile, we gather evidence, review medical records, and consult neurologists, neuropsychologists, life care planners, and other experts when needed to document the full extent of your injuries and future medical needs.
Managing Attorney Michael L. Saile, Jr. is recognized in the Brain Injury Association of America’s Preferred Attorney Program and The National Trial Lawyers Brain Injury Top 25. Attorney Steven J. DeBonis is a member of the National Traumatic Brain Injury Association. Their background with traumatic brain and other catastrophic injury cases allows the firm to present complex medical evidence effectively.
While the average settlement amounts for TBI cases vary, some of our successful cases include:
$2.9M
SETTLEMENT
$792,500
SETTLEMENT
$1.3M
SETTLEMENT
- $2.9 Million Settlement: A motorcycle accident victim suffered a traumatic brain injury that required ongoing medical care and rehabilitation.
- $792,500 Settlement: A client sustained a traumatic brain injury in a rear-end collision that resulted in lasting cognitive and physical impairments.
- $1.3 Million Settlement: A client developed post-concussion syndrome and sustained spinal injuries following a rear-end crash.
Do You Have a Pennsylvania Brain Injury Case?
A traumatic brain injury results from external force, such as a blow to the head, while a nontraumatic injury comes from internal causes such as illness or oxygen deprivation, including hypoxic or anoxic injuries.
Recovery can take years or a lifetime, as brain cells rarely regenerate but can reroute signals to compensate. The extent of recovery may remain uncertain for years, especially in younger individuals.
TBIs are common in a number of scenarios, including automobile crashes, slip and fall cases, construction accidents, workplace incidents, and unsafe property conditions. Head and brain injury cases can lead to large settlements to compensate for the damages that result. However, the plaintiff must be able to prove negligence to have a viable legal claim.
To recover compensation, you generally must show that another party owed you a duty of care, breached that duty through a negligent act or omission, and directly caused your brain injury. You must also prove that the injury resulted in damages, such as medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, or future care needs.
Long-Term Effects of Brain Injuries
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, every brain injury is unique and will affect each person differently. Some of the most common short-term and long-term effects include:
- Memory deficits
- Inability to understand abstract concepts
- Decreased awareness
- Paralysis or weakness
- Problems swallowing
- Changes in hearing, vision, taste, smell, and touch
- Communication and language impairments
- Inability to drive or operate machinery
- Impaired social capacity
- Loss of control over bodily functions
- Personality or psychiatric changes
The most severe cases can result in traumatic epilepsy, coma, or a vegetative state. Some symptoms appear immediately, while others may not develop for days or even weeks after an accident.
Delayed symptoms are common with many traumatic brain injuries and do not necessarily prevent you from pursuing compensation, especially if medical evidence connects your condition to the incident.
How Can a Pennsylvania Brain Injury Lawyer Help With Your Case?
After you hire Cordisco & Saile, we begin investigating your traumatic brain injury claim so you can focus on your medical care. Our team gathers medical records, accident reports, witness statements, photos, video footage, and other evidence to support your claim. When appropriate, we also work with medical specialists and accident reconstruction experts to explain how the injury occurred and its long-term effects.
Cordisco & Saile puts clients first. That commitment is reflected in our 5-star Google rating and the feedback we’ve received from people who trusted us with their cases:
I will forever be grateful to John Cordisco for helping me through the most traumatic time in my life. He goes above and beyond for his clients. His kindness and thoughtfulness is like no other. John, Barb and the whole staff are so professional and treat you like family! I highly recommend Cordisco & Saile.
Recoverable Damages for Brain Injury Victims
Traumatic brain injuries can result in high medical costs, changes in earning ability, and long-term effects on a person’s independence and quality of life. Compensation in a brain injury claim may include:
- Economic damages: Medical treatment, rehabilitation, assistive care, lost income, and reduced future earning capacity
- Non-economic damages: Pain and suffering, emotional distress, and the impact the injury has on daily life
- Punitive damages: Additional compensation in cases involving intentional misconduct or extreme negligence
Future medical expenses and lost wages may be included when a brain injury requires ongoing care or limits a person’s ability to work. Pennsylvania generally does not cap personal injury damages, though limits apply to certain claims, including those against government entities.
Can You Collect Damages if A Loved One Dies From a Brain Injury?
When a traumatic brain injury results in a fatal outcome, the victim’s family may be able to pursue wrongful death damages, including:
- Medical expenses related to the brain injury
- Lost wages and future earning capacity
- Loss of companionship, guidance, and support
- The victim’s pain and suffering before death
- Punitive damages in cases involving extreme negligence or intentional misconduct
Pennsylvania limits punitive damages in wrongful death cases to twice the total economic and non-economic damages awarded.
Who Can Be Held Responsible in a Brain Injury Case?
Slip and Fall Cases
Slipping and falling on someone else’s property can place liability on the property owner or employer and involve a workers’ compensation claim, depending on your reason for being on the property and the cause of your slip and fall.
Property owners cannot be held liable for falls unless the victim can establish that the property owner’s negligence precipitated their fall.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
More than one party can be liable for a motor vehicle accident. An experienced car accident attorney can determine fault. The following parties may be liable in a motor vehicle accident:
- The other driver
- The manufacturer of defective automobile parts
- A negligent automobile mechanic
- Government entities responsible for the road condition
- Negligent bar owners who overserved alcoholic beverages and facilitated drinking and driving
In the event of a commercial motor vehicle accident, the trucking company may also be held liable.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice cases stem from any licensed healthcare provider who causes or contributes to a brain injury by failing to provide a reasonable standard of care. Potentially liable healthcare providers include:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Pharmacists
- Hospitals
- Health care facilities
How Much Time Do You Have To File a Brain Injury Claim in Pennsylvania?
Most personal injury cases in Pennsylvania have a two-year statute of limitations, though some exceptions apply. Claims involving a government entity generally require notice within six months. Brain injury symptoms can sometimes appear hours, days, or even weeks after an accident, which may affect when the injury is recognized and documented.
Because delayed symptoms can make it harder to connect an injury to an accident, it is important to seek medical attention and speak with a Pennsylvania brain injury attorney as soon as possible. Your attorney can help preserve evidence, review medical records, and build a claim before important information is lost.
How Much Does a Pennsylvania Brain Injury Attorney Cost?
So traumatic brain injuries are a silent killer. Many times we get a lot of clients from these motor vehicle crashes, that really don't know that they suffer a traumatic brain injury. These brain injuries can be lack of balance, headaches, fatigue, based on the person and it's real important to understand who this person was before and who they were after.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
According to Flint Rehab, a brain injury can occur from a bruise, hemorrhage, blood clot (hematoma), or tearing of the brain tissue. The effects of these injuries vary depending on the region of the brain impacted and the severity of the damage.
Contusions
Contusion is another word for bruise. A brain bruise is a mild form of bleeding in the brain, which can sometimes self-resolve without long-term effects. A contusion should not be confused with a concussion since they are different in many ways.
Hemorrhages
A brain hemorrhage is uncontrolled bleeding in the brain. This serious injury can result in severe brain damage and excessive blood loss.
Intracranial Hematomas
Coup-Contrecoup Brain Injury
A coup-contrecoup brain injury is characterized by two separate injuries caused by a blow and a subsequent counterblow on opposite sides of the brain. This occurs when the brain moves within the skull due to a sudden impact, then bounces back.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
A diffuse axonal injury is a serious injury that occurs when the brain is shaken and twisted, causing the brain tissues to tear. These tears disrupt signals in the brain, resulting in a loss of function. The tears may be microscopic, making them difficult or impossible to detect on imaging tests.
Classifications of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Severity of Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury is diagnosed as mild, moderate, severe, or a persistent vegetative state. The severity of traumatic brain injury is measured using the Glasgow Coma Scale, which assesses a patient’s level of consciousness following a traumatic brain injury. Lower scores indicate higher severity.
Mechanisms of Injury
The three mechanisms of injury that could result in a TBI are penetrating, blunt, and blast.
- Penetrating injury: This type of brain injury occurs when sharp objects or broken skull bones pierce the brain.
- Blunt injury: Also known as a closed injury, blunt injury occurs when the brain is injured through a jolt or blow that does not penetrate the skull.
- Blast injury: A blast injury occurs when the brain is injured in an explosion.
Causes of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries may be due to traffic accidents, falls, medical malpractice, violence, near-drownings, or exposure to toxins.
- Traffic accidents: Car crashes can cause traumatic brain injuries from the force of impact, including hitting your head on the vehicle interior, being struck by loose objects, or being thrown from the vehicle.
- Vulnerable roadway users: Motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians face a higher risk of brain injuries because they have less protection and are more likely to suffer direct head impact during a crash.
- Commercial vehicle accidents: Truck and bus accidents often involve greater force due to the size and weight of commercial vehicles, increasing the risk of serious head and brain injuries.
- Slips and falls: Falls are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries and can occur on unsafe property, with children and older adults facing increased risks.
- Medical malpractice: Brain injuries may result from medical errors, birth injuries, lack of oxygen, surgical mistakes, medication errors, or inadequate supervision in nursing facilities.
- Swimming accidents: Near-drownings can cause brain injuries when a lack of oxygen affects the brain, including situations involving unsafe pool conditions or inadequate supervision.
- Workplace accidents: Workplace incidents, especially in construction, can cause brain injuries through falls, electrocution, exposure to harmful substances, or being struck by objects.
Pennsylvania Brain Injury Treatment and Support Resources
After a brain injury, victims may need medical treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to address the effects of their injury. The Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania provides education, referrals, and support programs for individuals and families affected by brain injuries.
Rehabilitation hospitals, therapy providers, and community programs may also help patients recover and adjust to changes caused by their injury. Medical records, therapy notes, and rehabilitation documentation can also support a brain injury claim by demonstrating the care required, ongoing symptoms, and the injury’s impact on daily life and future needs.
Serving Clients Across Pennsylvania
Contact Cordisco & Saile LLC for a Free Consultation
We are proud to announce the selection of one of our attorneys, Michael Saile, to the Brain Injury Association of America’s (BIAA) Preferred Attorneys Program. This is an exclusive database of expert brain injury lawyers practicing in personal injury. Cordisco & Saile LLC has been selected as a personal injury expert in Pennsylvania.
If you or your loved one sustained a brain injury because of someone else’s negligence, you can count on Cordisco & Saile to aggressively pursue maximum compensation through every possible avenue.
Protecting your future after a brain injury starts with taking action early. Call Cordisco & Saile at 215-642-2335 for a free consultation to discuss your legal options and learn how our team can help pursue the compensation needed for your recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to questions we frequently receive.
Is a concussion a brain injury?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. However, all brain injuries, including concussions, are serious and can have severe consequences, especially without medical treatment. If you or someone you know experienced a head injury, take our concussion quiz.
Will My Traumatic Brain Injury Case Go to Trial?
What if I Am Partly at Fault for the Accident?
Law enforcement and insurance company determinations are not final. Never accept blame until your attorney investigates and confirms that you are partly at fault.
Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence law allows you to recover compensation as long as your share of the fault is 50 percent or less. However, your compensation will be reduced in proportion to your share of the fault.
An exception under the Fair Share Act makes the defendant responsible for the entire accident if the defendant’s share of the fault is 60 percent or more.
Can I Still Recover Compensation if I Wasn’t Wearing a Helmet?
Pennsylvania motorcycle helmet laws do not require adults 21 and older to wear helmets. However, a defendant could argue that failure to wear one contributed to your injuries, and this could reduce your compensation.
Your decision to ride without a helmet doesn’t make the driver who hit you less negligent. A qualified Pennsylvania brain injury lawyer can determine what effect, if any, riding without a helmet may have on your compensation.
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Our Attorneys
Real Stories. Real Results.
“I was in a serious accident in 2021. My injuries were new however they mimicked some of the injuries I received in a 2017 accident. After treating with 2 doctors, both who stated my injuries were permanent, I was recommended to Cordisco & Saile. My attorney, Steven DeBonis, was wonderful. He listened and guided me through the process. He worked endlessly to ensure I received a proper settlement. I am so grateful for his effort and kindness. I would highly recommend him to anyone who needed someone to fight for them. The staff was friendly, informative and helpful. They are the best legal team around. Thank you for all you have done.”
I had a slip and fall on Saturday, December 21, 2024. I waited a few days before calling Barbara’s firm and when I decided to reach out, I left a message late at night on the 23rd. First thing Christmas Eve day, Barbara calls me to let me know. She received the message and wanted to chat about my fall. She was extremely professional, detailed the process, and what they would look for in terms of backup documentation, but also instilled a sense of safety and security because she was kind, compassionate and empathetic. She gave the distinct impression that my case would be well researched thoroughly but also be done ethically without having me jump through a whole lot of extra hoops. Five stars, would highly recommend.”
“I had a car accident in January 2019. I called Cordisco and Saile. Michael Saile Jr. worked with me along with his associate Steve, and para legal Michele. They treated me with kindness and respect. I had injuries to my neck and spine. I went through months of physical therapy. The person who t- boned my car had no license, registration or insurance, therefore Mr. Saile had to put together a lawsuit against my own insurance company. I had limited tort insurance but Mr. Saile and his people fought to get me the most money that I was entitled to from my insurance company. It took four years due to the pandemic but they kept at it until they reached the maximum. I cannot thank them enough. Everyone in their office worked very hard for me. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone who has had an accident, or any legal work.”
We’re here to listen, help you understand your legal options, and support you during this difficult time. Remember, there is never any cost or obligation when you call our team to learn about your options.
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