A brain injury can change how you think, work, and feel long before it ever shows up on a scan. That gap between how serious the injury is and how little it appears to be is exactly what insurance companies use against you. As a San Angelo brain injury lawyer, Scott Templeton builds these claims so the real damage cannot be waved away.
Templeton Law Firm has represented seriously injured people across West Texas for more than 25 years. We know how to document an injury that others cannot see and hold the at-fault party accountable for it.
The consultation is free. Call (325) 482-9120 or contact us online. You pay nothing unless we recover.
Why Are Brain Injuries So Often Undervalued?
Brain injuries are undervalued because their worst effects are invisible. A broken bone shows on an X-ray, but the memory problems, mood changes, and fatigue of a brain injury do not appear on any single image.
Insurers exploit that invisibility. They argue that if the scans look normal, the injury must be minor, even when the person’s daily life has clearly changed.
Farrah, our case manager and a licensed insurance adjuster with more than 15 years in the field, knows how these claims get minimized because she saw it from inside the industry. Building the medical and personal record that proves the injury is real is how that tactic gets defeated.
What Is the Difference Between a Mild and Severe TBI?
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is medically graded as mild, moderate, or severe, but the word mild is misleading. A mild TBI, often called a concussion, can still cause lasting problems with memory, concentration, and mood.
Severe TBIs involve extended loss of consciousness and can cause permanent physical and cognitive disability. These cases often require lifelong care and carry enormous future costs.
The grade describes the initial injury, not how much it changes a person’s life. A so-called mild injury can end a career, which is why the label should never decide the value of a claim.
The Danger of Delayed Symptoms
Brain injury symptoms often appear hours or days after the accident, not immediately. In the adrenaline of a crash, a person may feel fine and only later notice headaches, confusion, or trouble focusing.
This delay is dangerous for two reasons. It can cause someone to skip medical care they needed, and it gives insurers a chance to argue the symptoms came from something other than the accident.
That is why getting evaluated after any head impact matters, even if you feel okay. A prompt medical record connects the injury to the accident before anyone can claim otherwise.
How Common Are Brain Injuries in Texas?
Brain injuries are far more common than most people realize, and they affect a large share of Texans every year. The data shows both how widespread these injuries are and how many people live with their long-term effects.
Traumatic Brain Injury in Texas
| Data Point | Figure |
| Texans who sustain a TBI each year | About 144,000 |
| Texans living with a TBI-related disability | About 381,000 |
| Statewide share living with TBI disability | Roughly 2 percent of the population |
| Texas personal injury filing deadline | Generally 2 years from the injury |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, tracks traumatic brain injury nationally and explains how these injuries happen and why they are a leading cause of disability.
Can a Brain Injury Be Real if It Does Not Show on a Scan?
Yes. A normal CT or MRI does not rule out a brain injury, especially a milder one. Federal health authorities are clear that a brain scan is not required to diagnose a mild TBI or concussion, and that the injury can be real even when imaging looks normal.
This is one of the most important facts in a brain injury claim. Insurers lean heavily on clean scans to argue nothing is wrong, but the medicine does not support that argument.
Instead, a mild TBI is diagnosed through symptoms, neurological examination, and specialized testing over time. That is the evidence that proves the injury when a single image cannot.
How the Injury Is Documented
Neuropsychological testing measures memory, attention, and processing in a structured way. It can reveal deficits that a person notices in daily life but that no scan would capture.
Statements from family, coworkers, and friends fill in the rest. The people around you can describe the before and after in ways that make the injury concrete to a jury.
Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Most brain injuries come from a sudden blow or jolt to the head, and the causes overlap heavily with other accident types. Car and truck crashes, motorcycle wrecks, and falls are among the most common.
Frequent causes of TBIs include:
- Car, truck, and motorcycle collisions
- Falls on unsafe or poorly maintained property
- Being struck by falling objects or equipment
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
- Workplace and construction site incidents
When someone else’s negligence caused the impact, the responsible party can be held liable for the injury. Identifying every source of fault is part of building a full recovery.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the NIH, provides medical background on how brain injuries affect the nervous system and long-term function.
Compensation in a Brain Injury Claim
A brain injury claim can pursue compensation for both the costs you can count and the losses that are harder to measure. Because these injuries often affect earning ability and require ongoing care, the future costs frequently outweigh the immediate ones.
Recoverable damages often include:
- Past and future medical care, including rehabilitation and therapy
- Lost income and reduced future earning capacity
- The cost of long-term or in-home care
- Pain, suffering, and cognitive and emotional impairment
- Loss of the quality of life the injury took away
Valuing a brain injury requires looking years ahead, not just at today’s bills. Settling before the long-term picture is clear can leave a lifetime of costs uncovered.
Make sure your future costs are counted. Call (325) 482-9120 or contact us online.
What Should You Do After a Head Injury?
The steps you take after a head injury protect both your health and any future claim. The most important one is simple: get evaluated by a medical professional, even if you feel fine.
See a Doctor Right Away
A prompt medical evaluation creates the record that ties your injury to the accident. It also makes sure a serious injury is not missed during the window when symptoms may be delayed.
Follow through on all recommended follow-up care and testing. Gaps in treatment are one of the first things an insurer points to when it wants to argue an injury was not serious.
Track How You Are Actually Doing
Keep a simple record of your symptoms, from headaches to trouble concentrating to changes in mood. Dated notes over the weeks after an injury can show a pattern that a single appointment would miss.
Ask the people close to you to note what they observe as well. Their perspective often captures changes that are hard to see in yourself.
Brain Injury Cases in San Angelo and West Texas
People in and around San Angelo suffer brain injuries in the same situations that drive our other injury cases. Vehicle crashes on highways like the Loop and Bryant Boulevard, falls, and job-site accidents in the region’s energy and agriculture industries are all common sources.
The distances in West Texas can add a layer of difficulty. A serious brain injury may require specialized care that is not available locally, which adds travel and cost to an already hard situation.
Those added costs are part of what a full claim should account for. Understanding how a brain injury affects someone living in this region is part of valuing the case correctly.
Talk to a San Angelo Brain Injury Lawyer Today
A brain injury deserves a claim built on real evidence, not one an insurer can dismiss because the damage does not show on a scan. Templeton Law Firm has fought for seriously injured people across San Angelo and West Texas for more than 25 years, and the consultation costs nothing.
Call (325) 482-9120 or contact us online. Free consultation. No fee unless we recover.
Se Habla Español | 905 S. Abe Street, San Angelo, TX 76903
Frequently Asked Questions
My scans came back normal, but I do not feel right. Do I still have a claim?
Yes, you may. Many real brain injuries do not appear on standard imaging, especially milder ones. Symptoms like memory trouble, headaches, and mood changes are documented through medical evaluation over time, not just a single scan. That record is what supports the claim.
How do you prove a brain injury that no one can see?
Through a combination of evidence, including medical evaluations, neuropsychological testing, and testimony from people who knew you before and after. Together they show how the injury changed your daily functioning, which is often more convincing than any single image.
A family member has a severe brain injury and cannot handle their own case. What do we do?
A family member or legal representative can pursue the claim on their behalf. Texas law also protects people who are incapacitated by pausing certain deadlines in some situations. The most important step is getting legal guidance early so nothing is lost.
How much does it cost to hire a brain injury lawyer?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, which means you pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover for you. The consultation is always free.
How long do I have to file a brain injury claim in Texas?
Texas generally allows two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Some situations, such as a delayed diagnosis or an incapacitated victim, can change when the clock starts or runs. Confirming your deadline early protects your right to recover.
Is a concussion really a brain injury?
Yes. A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, and mild does not mean harmless. Concussions can cause lasting cognitive and emotional symptoms, and repeated concussions can have serious long-term effects.
What if my brain injury symptoms started days after the accident?
Delayed symptoms are common with brain injuries and do not defeat a claim. What matters is getting medical care as soon as symptoms appear and documenting the connection to the accident. An attorney can help address any argument that the delay weakens your case.
Who can be held responsible for a brain injury?
Any party whose negligence caused the injury can be held responsible, including drivers, property owners, employers, or manufacturers. Identifying every responsible party is important because it can open additional sources of compensation for a costly injury.
How Long Does a Brain Injury Case Take?
There is no single answer, because it depends on the injury and the facts. A key reason is that a good claim should not settle until your medical picture is clear.
With a brain injury, that can take time. Doctors often need months to see how you heal and what effects may last, and settling too soon can leave real costs unpaid.
We keep the case moving while that picture comes into focus. The goal is a result that reflects the full, long-term cost of the injury, not a quick check that falls short.