Columbia Brain Injury Lawyer

Traumatic Brain Injury Resulting from a Car Accident

Every year, tens of thousands of Missourians — 47,977 in 2014, the most recent year on record — get into a car accident. Many of those will suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI), a condition that can result in lost work, permanent disability, and death. According to statistics published by the Brain Injury Association of Missouri, 17 percent of TBIs are caused by car accidents, and 31.8 percent of all TBI deaths result from motor vehicle accidents and traffic-related incidents.
TBIs are devastating for those who suffer from them and for their loved ones.
Physical and mental changes to a loved one can lead to doubt, confusion, and stress in the entire family, particularly if that person was the primary breadwinner. You need someone who will take on insurance companies to recover payment for treatments and who can be your vigorous advocate in the event that you decide to sue for wrongful death. But first, you need to be informed.

What You Need to Know About Traumatic Brain Injuries

The brain floats in a bath of cerebral fluid, protected by the skull’s hard shell. TBIs occur when this state of equilibrium is suddenly disrupted, in one of the following ways:

Blunt force from an object fractures the skull, causing damage to the brain.
The force of a sudden movement causes the brain to collide with the skull from the inside. This common type of TBI, called a diffuse axonal injury, often results from car accidents. The collision causes the body, which is restrained by a shoulder harness, to stop abruptly. The brain inside the skull continues moving until it slams against the inside of the head, causing swelling and nerve cell damage. This is also known as a “deceleration injury.”

When you or a loved one suffers from TBI, there may be no external sign of injury. Nevertheless, there are some common symptoms to look out for:

Mild TBI may cause an individual to appear disoriented or lose consciousness for a moment. Other symptoms include ringing in the ears, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue or lethargy, lightheadedness, and temporary confusion. These symptoms should resolve within a few days or weeks.
In moderate or severe cases of TBI, people might experience any of the symptoms listed above, in combination with seizures, convulsions, slurred speech, dilated pupils, an inability to wake up after sleeping, numbness in the arms or legs, or impaired coordination.
A classic TBI symptom is headache. It’s not uncommon to experience headaches for several weeks after mild trauma. If the headache persists and becomes increasingly stronger, however, the damage could be more severe.

A Potential Link Between Head Injuries and Dementia

Dementia – the decline in mental ability that interferes with daily life – is an incurable condition. Types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and vascular dementia, which occurs in some people following a stroke.

Doctors and scientists have identified factors that may increase the risk of dementia in elderly people, but they haven’t yet determined how to halt the progression of the disease. New research, however, has revealed a possible factor in dementia that might respond to treatment… read more

What to Do if You Have Been in a Car Accident

If you experience any symptoms of TBI, you should seek medical treatment right away. Scientists do not yet have a “cure” that will reverse damage caused by the initial trauma, but individuals who receive one head injury are at greater risk of incurring permanent damage through re-injury. Immediate treatment will involve steps to keep this from happening.

If the doctors suspect TBI after a routine examination, they will perform X-rays of your head and spine to assess damage. They may order a computed tomography (CT) scan if they believe that the injury is moderate or severe. Doctors will stabilize your head and spine and make sure that a proper flow of oxygen is reaching the brain to help prevent a condition called hypoxia, where the brain is starved of oxygen.
After treatment, you may receive an individually tailored program of rehabilitation to repair damage to speech, movement, or memory.
TBIs are expensive. The Brain Injury Association of Missouri estimates that, all told, the cost to society exceeds $76.5 billion a year. You may need money for hospitalization, testing, and physical and occupational therapy. You may also need to recover money due to lost wages and emotional distress.

Seek Professional Help that You Can Trust

In the state of Missouri, you have five years to file suit to claim damages that result from TBI. You can recover payment for lost wages, both current and estimated future medical expenses, permanent disability, the cost of hiring a caregiver, and emotional distress.

In order to have a successful case, you must be able to show that the driver responsible for the car accident was both negligent and failed to use reasonable care. It is crucial not only to document the injury but also to make sure that you contact an attorney, one who has experience in serious personal injury cases involving brain injuries. The legal team of Bley & Evans Attorneys at Law understand what it takes to win significant damages for those who have been significantly harmed by others. Call them without delay if your loved one suffered a TBI in Missouri — 844-443-8385.

Recent posts

Guide to Missouri Wrongful Death Actions / In Missouri, a civil suit for wrongful death is a statutory action authorized by R.S.Mo. § 537.080, 537.085, and 537.090. The statutes created a new cause of action where none existed at common law. In other words, a wr...

Early Winter Weather / Early winter weather struck mid-Missouri late last month. While temperatures remained near 20 degrees with wind chills in the single digits, snow moved into the region. The City of Columbia preemptively deployed a 16 man...

Beware of Deer on Missouri Roads / The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is warning Missouri motorists of deer on roads during the peak months of October and November. MoDOT reported car and deer collisions result in almost 200 deaths and $1.1...

Back to School Road Safety / According to the United States Department of Transportation, 50 millions students will be attending America’s public elementary and secondary schools this fall. Included in that figure is 35 million kids who will be at...

Tips to Prepare for Summer Travel / The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released its list of Cool Tips for a Safe Summer Trip. Following these tips could help avoid a breakdown or even a highway collision. First, before you embark o...

Work Zone Safety: Buckle up Phone Down / The Missouri Department of Transportation wants to remind motorists to buckle up and put phones down. As warmer weather arrives in the region, work zones will become more common on the state’s highway system. While wor...

Missouri Motorist Insurance / According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, the Show Me State requires that all motorists keep liability insurance coverage. Liability insurance is designed to indemnify the policyholder when his or her actions caus...

Aviation Consumer Protection / The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released a new website of the Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD). The ACPD receives and reviews consumer complaints directed at airlines. The website contains a wealt...

4 Reasons a Personal Injury Attorney Helps Your Case / One of the most well-known sentiments in the legal field is that someone who represents themselves in court has a fool for a client. One of the central ideas behind this axiom is that even attorneys typically have the go...

Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week / The Federal Highway Administration’s second annual Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week runs from November 13 – November 19. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a 7.2% increase in ...

Seatbelt Usage on the Rise as MoDOT Reminds Motorists to Drive Safely Around Big Trucks / The Missouri Safety Center and the University of Central Missouri recently released the results of the 2017 Missouri Seat Belt Usage Survey. The results showed that more Missourians are making the smart choice to buckle ...

Annual Fatal Traffic Crash Data / Last week the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its annual report of fatal traffic crashes for calendar year 2016. The NHTSA collected information from ...

Pavement Blow-ups / Columbia has had its first pavement blow-up of the year, according to Barry Dalton, a public information officer for the Columbia Public Works Department. Eastbound Bernadette Drive was closed down for over 24 hours earl...

Takata Airbag Recall / The deaths of eleven people have spurred the expansion of the Takata airbag recall. The recall now includes some 28 million airbag inflators in the United States alone. However, only 8 million bags have been replaced, ac...

Bill in Missouri Legislature May Limit Consumer Protections for Plaintiffs / A bill currently in the Missouri Legislature threatens to limit consumer protections in Missouri. The proposal, Senate Bill 5, specifically changes current laws relating to unlawful merchandising practices, class actio...

Laptop Battery Pack Recall Expanded / Toshiba has recently expanded a recall of Panasonic lithium-ion battery packs that were installed on over 40 models of Toshiba Satellite laptops. The original recall was announced in March 2016, but was expanded in Janu...

Five Injured after Multiple Vehicles Collide on I-70 / Snow and ice once again contributed a number of accidents in early January in the Mid-Missouri area. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that five people were injured in a four-vehicle crash on I-70 near Columbia on Janu...

Snow and Ice Create Dangerous Road Conditions in Mid-Missouri / Snow and ice over the last week has caused dangerous road conditions in Columbia and surrounding areas. Since Friday morning, nearly 400 accidents have been reportedly caused by icy conditions. Additionally, first respon...

MoDOT to Missouri Motorists: Move Over for First Responders / On average, emergency crews working for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) respond to 5,500 traffic accidents per month. Every year, hundreds of these emergency responders, including fire fighters, law enf...

Semi-Truck Accidents Increasingly Common in Missouri / How new and proposed rules may decrease accidents. According to a study conducted by the Missouri Department of Transportation in 2011, accidents involving commercial motor vehicles made up 9.2% off all traffic crashe...

Missouri Strikes Down Red-Light Camera Ordinances / Earlier this week, the Missouri Supreme Court struck down local ordinances regarding the use of red-light cameras in St. Louis, Kansas City, and St. Peters. While the Court did not ultimately decide the legality of using...

10-Year Statute of Repose for Medical Malpractice / Missouri Supreme Court Upholds 10-Year Statute of Repose for Medical Malpractice Claims Earlier this year, The Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a medical malpractice claim after a heal...

Flooding Roadways / Flooded Roadways Extremely Dangerous to Motorists Due to the high amount of rain in the past few weeks, many lakes, rivers, and streams across Missouri have seen an increase in water levels and flooding. Because flooded...

Takata Airbag Recall / What you should know and what owners of recalled vehicles should do As of June 12, faulty deployment mechanisms in airbags produced by the Japanese supplier Takata have caused seven fatalities, as well as over one hundr...

Best Practices to Prevent Workplace Accidents / Merriam-Webster's definition of accident is, "an unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance." The first example of the word used in a sentence is, "He was injured in an accident at work." Why d...

Viking Gas Range Recall / Hazard: The ranges’ ovens can turn on by themselves, posing a burn hazard to consumers. If you or someone you know has been injured by a Viking Gas Range, contact us immediately. You may be entitled to compensati...

What to Do After a Car Accident / Get your injuries treated If you have injuries at the accident scene, do not drive yourself away. Have yourself fully evaluated and treated by a medical professional. Document your injuries It will be much eas...

Work Safety Guide / The backbone of a safe working environment is a proper injury and accident prevention program that incorporates the aforementioned practices and encourages employees to take safety measures seriously. As an employer, it'...