Head Injury Lawyer in Portsmouth, VA

Not every head injury involves the brain, but that doesn’t make it any less serious. Facial fractures, scalp lacerations, and skull fractures can cause significant pain, disfigurement, and long recovery times of their own. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area who have suffered head injuries because of someone else’s negligence.

When people talk about a head injury, they sometimes mean a traumatic brain injury specifically, but the head includes far more than the brain itself. Types of head injury we regularly handle include:

• Skull fractures, ranging from a simple linear fracture to a more serious depressed or compound fracture
• Facial fractures involving the jaw, cheekbones, nose, or eye sockets
• Scalp lacerations requiring stitches or staples, which can bleed heavily even when not life-threatening
• Dental injuries, including broken, chipped, or knocked-out teeth
• Eye injuries, ranging from bruising to more serious trauma affecting vision
• Ear injuries, including ruptured eardrums from a significant impact

These injuries deserve their own careful documentation and treatment, since facial fractures in particular can require specialized surgery to properly heal and may result in permanent scarring or changes to a person’s appearance. For traumatic brain injury specifically, see our dedicated Brain Injury page.

Head injuries frequently result from the same types of accidents that cause other serious trauma:

• Auto Accidents — contact with a steering wheel, dashboard, window, or airbag deployment
• Truck Accidents — the greater forces involved often cause more severe facial and skull trauma
• Motorcycle Accidents and Bicycle Accidents — direct impact with the ground, a vehicle, or another object
• Pedestrian Accidents — striking the ground or the vehicle itself
• Premises Liability & Slip and Fall — falls onto a hard surface or nearby fixture

Some head injuries are obvious immediately, including visible cuts, swelling, or deformity. Others, particularly certain fractures, may not be apparent without imaging, especially if the skin isn’t broken. Persistent headache, facial numbness, difficulty opening or closing the jaw, vision changes, or a change in your bite alignment can all signal an underlying fracture or other injury that needs medical evaluation.

Depending on the specific injury, treatment can range from stitches and observation for a scalp laceration to complex reconstructive surgery for a facial fracture. Some injuries heal fully with time, while others result in permanent scarring, changes in sensation, or, in cases involving the eyes or ears, lasting effects on vision or hearing. Recovery timelines and outcomes vary significantly depending on the specific structures involved.

A head injury claim can pursue compensation for emergency treatment, surgery, and any follow-up or reconstructive care, along with lost wages and pain and suffering. Where an injury results in permanent scarring, disfigurement, or sensory loss, compensation should also account for that lasting impact on your life.

Diagnosis usually begins with a visual examination and, where a fracture is suspected, imaging such as an X-ray or CT scan to check the underlying bone structure. Facial fractures in particular often require a specialist, such as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or an ophthalmologist for injuries near the eye, to fully assess the extent of the damage and the best course of treatment. Prompt, thorough diagnosis matters both for your recovery and for building an accurate record of your injury.

Facial injuries carry a dimension that many other injuries don’t: the visible, lasting change they can cause to someone’s appearance. Scarring and disfigurement can affect a person’s confidence and social interactions long after the physical pain has subsided, and Virginia law allows this kind of harm to be considered as part of a pain and suffering claim. Documenting how a visible injury has affected your daily life, not just the medical details, is an important part of a properly valued head injury claim.

Because a single accident can cause both a skull or facial injury and a traumatic brain injury at the same time, it’s important not to focus on the more visible injury while overlooking a brain injury that isn’t immediately obvious. If you experienced any loss of consciousness, confusion, or ongoing cognitive symptoms alongside a head injury, that should be evaluated and documented separately, since it can significantly affect the value of your claim.

Seek medical evaluation promptly, even if the injury seems minor or the skin isn’t broken, since some fractures aren’t visible without imaging. Photograph any visible injury as it heals, since this can help document both the initial severity and any lasting scarring. Follow up with any recommended specialists, particularly for injuries involving the eyes, ears, or jaw.

Our attorneys bring more than 60 years of combined courtroom experience to head injury claims, and we work to ensure that every aspect of your injury, not just the most obvious symptoms, is properly documented and valued. Facial and skull injuries in particular deserve careful attention to their long-term cosmetic and functional impact.

Levin & Levin, P.C. has served the Portsmouth and Hampton Roads community since 1968. We take facial and head injuries seriously, understanding the real impact they can have on how someone looks, feels, and moves through the world.

Levin & Levin, P.C. represents head injury victims throughout Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and the wider Hampton Roads region. If you suffered a head injury because of someone else’s negligence, contact our office today for a free case evaluation.