Subarachnoid hemorrhage accident attorney

A traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage is bleeding into the space between the arachnoid membrane and the brain surface. It is the most common form of intracranial bleeding after trauma. The characteriztic legal dispute is not whether the bleeding occurred but why: subarachnoid haemorrhage also occurs spontaneously from a ruptured aneurysm, and carriers argue that a spontaneous bleed caused the collision rather than the collision causing the bleed. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles head injury claims in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

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What the imaging and records show

CT performed early detects most significant subarachnoid blood, appearing as high density tracking through the sulci and basal cisterns. The distribution is informative: traumatic bleeding tends to lie over the convexities near the site of impact, while aneurysmal bleeding typically centers on the basal cisterns. CT angiography or conventional angiography is used where an aneurysm is suspected, and a negative study is significant evidence that the bleed was traumatic. Where the presentation is delayed, lumbar puncture may be used.

Why this injury meets the legal threshold

Confirmed intracranial bleeding is objective injury and satisfies any threshold. The disputed issues are aetiology and consequence — whether the trauma caused the bleed, and what deficits followed. Where vasospasm, hydrocephalus or a prolonged intensive care admission followed, that course establishes severity independently.

Typical treatment course and prognosis

Management is supportive and directed at preventing complications: monitoring for vasospasm, which can cause delayed ischaemic injury, and for hydrocephalus, which may require shunting. Where an aneurysm is identified it is secured by clipping or coiling. Recovery ranges from complete to profoundly limited. Headache, fatigue, cognitive difficulty and mood change are common in the months afterward, and whether they persist is a question that takes time to answer.

How insurance carriers attack this diagnosis

The primary argument is aetiological: that the person suffered a spontaneous aneurysmal bleed which caused the collision, inverting cause and effect. Supporting arguments include a family history of aneurysm, hypertension, smoking, or an account of severe headache preceding the incident. A second line attributes later cognitive complaints to pre-existing conditions or to unrelated causes. Vascular imaging and the distribution of blood on the initial CT are what ordinarily resolve the first question.

Proving the accident caused it

Obtain the earliest imaging and have the distribution assessed specifically. Obtain any vascular study; a negative angiogram is powerful evidence against the spontaneous-bleed theory. Reconstruct the sequence carefully from witness accounts, scene evidence and vehicle data — whether the person was reacting normally in the moments before impact bears directly on whether a bleed preceded it. Document the pre-incident health baseline honestly, including risk factors, because they will surface regardless and are better addressed than discovered.

Available insurance coverage

What can be recovered is limited by what coverage exists. The at-fault party’s policy is the starting point, but it is frequently not the only source: the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, household policies, employer coverage where a vehicle was used for work, umbrella and excess layers, and the coverage of any additional responsible party can all apply. Underinsured coverage typically requires notice and consent before any settlement with the at-fault party — settling first can forfeit it. Identifying every available layer is early work, not closing work.

How damages are categorised and proven

Damages are not a single number that gets negotiated. They are separate categories, each proven by different evidence. Past medical expense is proven by billing records and the reasonableness of the charges. Future medical expense requires a physician’s opinion that the care is reasonably certain to be needed. Lost income is proven by employment and tax records; lost earning capacity is a different and larger question requiring vocational and economic analysis. Non-economic loss — pain, limitation, and the effect on daily life — is proven through the medical record and through testimony from people who can describe specific changes rather than general decline. No one can responsibly tell you what a case is worth before that evidence exists, and any figure offered at the outset is a guess.

Filing deadlines

Every injury claim is governed by a statute of limitations, and the periods differ by state and by claim type. For personal injury actions the period is two years in Virginia under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), accruing at the date of injury; three years in Maryland under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; three years in the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 12-301(8); two years in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; and three years in New York under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5). These are general periods. Discovery rules, tolling for minors and incapacity, claims against government entities — the District imposes a six-month notice-of-claim requirement for claims against the District government — and claim-specific statutes can shorten or extend them. Do not rely on a general period for your own case; have the deadline confirmed on your facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a subarachnoid haemorrhage?

Bleeding into the subarachnoid space, between the membrane covering the brain and the brain surface itself. It can result from trauma or occur spontaneously, most often from a ruptured aneurysm. Traumatic subarachnoid bleeding is the most common form of intracranial bleeding after head injury.

How can anyone tell whether trauma or an aneurysm caused it?

Chiefly through the distribution of blood on the initial CT and through vascular imaging. Traumatic bleeding tends to lie over the brain convexities near the impact site; aneurysmal bleeding typically centers on the basal cisterns. A CT angiogram or conventional angiogram showing no aneurysm is significant evidence that the bleed was traumatic.

The insurer says I had a stroke that caused the crash. How is that answered?

With the imaging distribution, the vascular studies, and the sequence of events immediately before impact. Witness accounts, scene evidence and vehicle data can show whether the person was steering, braking and reacting normally in the seconds beforehand. Where the vascular workup is negative and the behavior before impact was normal, the argument is difficult to sustain.

What is vasospasm and why does it matter?

A narrowing of cerebral arteries that can occur in the days after subarachnoid bleeding and can cause delayed ischaemic injury — meaning a person who was stable initially may deteriorate later. Legally it matters because it can produce deficits that appear well after the incident, and because it explains a clinical course that a carrier might otherwise characterize as unrelated.

Will I need a shunt?

Some people develop hydrocephalus after subarachnoid bleeding and require a shunt to divert cerebrospinal fluid. Shunts require monitoring and can need revision over time. Where a shunt is in place or anticipated, that ongoing care is a future-care component of the claim and should be documented by the treating neurosurgeon.

I still have headaches and fatigue months later. Is that expected?

Persistent headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood change are commonly reported after subarachnoid haemorrhage. Whether they will resolve is a question for your treating clinicians and often is not answerable for some months. Because a settlement is final, this is a reason not to resolve the claim before the picture stabilises.

Does having high blood pressure hurt my claim?

It will be raised, because hypertension is a risk factor for spontaneous bleeding. It does not by itself defeat a traumatic claim, particularly where the imaging distribution and a negative vascular study point to trauma. An injured person is generally taken as found, and a pre-existing risk factor is not a defense to having caused the injury.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

Two years in Virginia and New Jersey, three years in Maryland, the District of Columbia and New York for personal injury actions, subject to tolling and discovery rules and to much shorter notice periods where a government entity is involved. Confirm the deadline on your own facts rather than relying on the general period.

About Mr. Sris

Mr. Sris is the owner and founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., which has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor and is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and handle matters alongside him. In 2019 Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee on House Bill 635.

Speak with Mr. Sris

Injury claims are governed by filing deadlines that vary by state and by claim type, and evidence degrades quickly. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.

Last reviewed: August 22, 2026.

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