Columbus Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
Fighting for Ohio Families Impacted by Traumatic Brain Injuries Since 1995
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among the most misunderstood and undervalued injuries in personal injury law. Unlike a broken bone or a visible scar, a TBI often leaves no outward sign. The person may look fine. They may even seem fine. But the people who know them best–their family, their friends, their coworkers–can see that something has fundamentally changed.
At Cooper Elliott, our traumatic brain injury attorneys in Columbus understand what’s at stake in these cases and how to prove it. We know how to capture the full impact of a brain injury–the personality changes, the cognitive shifts, the lost relationships–and present it in a way that a jury will understand and believe.
If you or someone you love has suffered a traumatic brain injury, contact us today for a free consultation.
Types of TBI Cases We Handle
Traumatic brain injuries can result from many different types of incidents. Our Columbus traumatic brain injury lawyers represent clients in cases involving:
Vehicle Accidents
Car crashes, truck collisions, and motorcycle accidents are among the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries. The force of impact–even in crashes that don’t appear catastrophic from the outside–can cause serious and lasting damage to the brain. We handle the full range of vehicle accident TBI cases, from rear-end collisions to catastrophic multi-vehicle crashes.
Assaults and Negligent Security
A TBI doesn’t always result from an accident. We’ve represented clients who suffered brain injuries after being attacked by another person or an animal. When an institution fails to provide adequate supervision or security, it can be held accountable for the harm that results.
Workplace and Premises Incidents
Falls, falling objects, and other workplace or premises incidents can cause serious brain injuries. When negligence on the part of an employer, property owner, or another party is responsible, we pursue every available avenue for recovery.
Why Choose Cooper Elliott as Your Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney in Columbus
We know what to look for and how to capture the full picture of what a brain injury has taken from someone. That means going beyond medical records to gather testimony from family members, friends, and coworkers who knew the person before and after the injury. It means looking for videos, photographs, and other evidence that show who this person was—not just what their MRI says.
One of the biggest challenges in TBI cases is establishing what the person’s baseline was before the injury. We build that baseline through witness testimony, employment records, and any other available evidence that captures who the person was before the injury and how they’ve changed since. We also work with neurologists and other specialists to identify physical markers of injury, including effects on the pituitary gland and other measurable changes, that help prove the injury in court.
Representing someone with a brain injury requires a different kind of attention and patience. Clients may process information differently, respond to setbacks in unexpected ways, or communicate better in some formats than others. We take the time to understand how each client’s injury affects them and adapt our approach accordingly. These cases require both legal skill and genuine care–and our team brings both.
TBI cases require significant investment–neurologists, neuropsychologists, life care planners, vocational experts, and economists who can quantify both the current and future impact of the injury. We front all of those costs because we work on contingency and are fully invested in your outcome. You pay nothing unless we win.
Our Big Wins
$750+ Million
Recovered for Our Clients
What to Expect When You Work With Our Columbus TBI Lawyers
We’ll listen carefully to what happened and how the injury has affected your life–or the life of someone you love. There’s no obligation and no cost. These conversations take time, and we don’t rush them.
We gather everything relevant to your case: medical records, imaging results, employment records, witness accounts, and any video or photographic evidence that helps establish who this person was before the injury. We look at the cause of the injury just as carefully–identifying every potentially responsible party before the investigation is complete.
In TBI cases, establishing who the person was before the injury is just as important as documenting what’s changed. We interview family members, friends, and coworkers, and gather any available records that paint a clear picture of the person’s pre-injury life and capabilities.
We bring in neurologists and neuropsychologists to document the injury and its impact, life care planners to calculate future medical needs, and economists and vocational experts to quantify lost earning capacity. When the evidence supports it, we pursue advanced imaging and medical testing to establish physical markers of injury that strengthen the case.
We prepare every TBI case for trial from the start–developing a narrative that translates complex medical and neurological evidence into something a jury can understand and connect with. That preparation changes how the defense approaches the case.
TBI cases often settle once the defense understands how thoroughly we’ve prepared and how compelling the evidence is. When they won’t offer fair compensation, we take it to court.
Recognition & Results
The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
Recognition for excellence in trial advocacy and client representation.
U.S. News & World Report - Tier 1
Ranked in the region for personal injury litigation.
Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Fewer than 1% of lawyers are members of this elite group of attorneys.
Contingency Fee Basis
We only get paid if you win a verdict or receive a settlement.
30 Years of Experience
Serving clients since 1995 with a track record of holding negligent attorneys accountable.
Verified Peer Ratings
Research our firm and attorneys on martindale.com and superlawyers.com.
Frequently Asked Questions About TBI Cases
TBI symptoms can be physical, cognitive, and psychological, and they don’t always appear immediately.
On the physical side, they can include headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise, and nausea. Cognitively, TBI sufferers often experience memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and trouble processing information the way they used to. Psychologically, the effects can include personality changes, emotional dysregulation, irritability, and withdrawal from social situations.
One of the challenges with TBI is that these symptoms can feed into each other–sensitivity to noise, for example, can make social spaces overwhelming, which can lead to isolation and depression. If something feels different after a head injury, take it seriously.
This is one of the central challenges in TBI litigation, and we’ve spent years learning how to do it well. We build the case through a combination of medical evidence, including advanced brain imaging and testing for physical markers of injury, and testimony from the people who knew the person best before and after the injury. Family members, friends, coworkers, and supervisors can all speak to the changes they’ve observed. Videos and photographs from before the injury can be particularly powerful. The goal is to show a jury not just what the scans say, but who this person was and what they’ve lost.
The ability to hold a job or carry on with daily life doesn’t mean a TBI isn’t serious or compensable. Many TBI survivors function at a reduced level–working fewer hours, performing at a lower capacity, or struggling through tasks that used to be effortless. The question isn’t whether someone can get through the day. It’s whether they’re the same person they were before, and whether their quality of life and future opportunities have been diminished. In our experience, these cases are often undervalued precisely because the person appears to be managing. We make sure the full story gets told.
It depends on the nature and severity of the injury. Economic damages can include past and future medical expenses, lost income, and loss of future earning capacity. Non-economic damages–which are often the most significant in TBI cases–cover pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and the impact on relationships and daily functioning. Ohio law places caps on certain non-economic damages, but we pursue every available argument to maximize recovery, including establishing that the brain injury constitutes a permanent physical deformity under Ohio law.
It depends on the cause of the injury. Given how quickly evidence can disappear and how much work goes into building a strong TBI case, we strongly encourage reaching out as soon as possible.
TBI cases require time to build properly, in part because it can take up to a year to fully understand the long-term effects of the injury and establish what the new baseline will be. We factor that into how we approach the case, making sure we have a complete picture of the harm. Beyond that, the timeline depends on the complexity of the case, the number of defendants, and how the defense responds. We’ll be transparent with you about what to expect at every stage.
Testimonials
in the justice system. That means everything to us.
I was involved in a serious car accident after just having welcoming our new son into the world.
When you are at your lowest, you remember with great detail how people treat you. Sean and his team treated me and my family with nothing but compassion, grace and care.
The stress, anxiety, and fear were only mitigated by the EXTRAORDINARY passion, care, and speed this firm operates at.
A huge thank you to Sean Alto with his incredible professionalism. I never once felt that Sean and the team at Cooper Elliot had anything other than my best interest.
Thank you Cooper Elliot for being a light during a very challenging time.
Talk to an Experienced TBI Lawyer for Free
A traumatic brain injury can change everything–for the person who suffered it and for everyone who loves them. You deserve attorneys who understand what’s really at stake and know how to fight for it.
Call (614) 481-6000 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation with an experienced traumatic brain injury attorney in Columbus.
There’s no obligation and no cost–just an honest conversation about what happened and what your options are.