Answers to Top 7 Questions About Traumatic Brain Injuries from Our TBI Attorney in Kansas City, MO

The leading causes of brain injuries include:

• Car accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Semi-truck accidents
• Slip and falls
• Pedestrian accidents
• Dangerous property conditions (such as falling items at a retail store)

In addition, traumatic brain injuries can also be caused by cardiopulmonary arrest, strokes, hemorrhage, infectious disease, exposure to toxic substances, or lack of oxygen or blood flow (also known as anoxic or hypoxic injury).

4. What Are Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury can cause a variety of devastating symptoms, including:

• Persistent headaches
• Confusion, difficulty concentrating 
• Loss of consciousness
• Slurred speech
• Loss of balance and coordination 
• Memory loss (short-term or long-term)
• Blurry vision
• Dizziness, nausea, fatigue
• Increased sensitivity to light, noise or movement
• Loss of smell
• Inability to concentrate or make decisions
• Loss of taste
• Loss of hearing or tinnitus 
• Sensitivity to light or sound 
• Mood swings or angry outbursts
• Depression, anxiety 
• Changed sleep patterns
• Numbness or weakness in toes and fingers

One of these symptoms is bad enough, but many victims of TBI experience with several, if not most, of these symptoms every single day of their lives. In addition to these issues, they worry about paying their increasing medical bills and how to support themselves and their families if they cannot go back to work. 

By allowing our law firm to handle your TBI case, we can take this pressure off of you and your family so you can concentrate on recovering and being with your loved ones.

5. What Are Common Types of Brain Injury in Missouri & Kansas?

As stated above, a TBI can be as simple as a jolt or blow to the head without experiencing loss of consciousness.  A TBI can also result from open head injury, such as when the head is struck by an object that causes an open wound and penetration of brain tissue. 

Your skull protects your brain, but if your head is violently shaken, the movement can cause the brain bounce, rotate and shake within the skull. This can result in the brain tissue being injured and damaged. There may be bruising and internal bleeding as a result.

Unlike many types of cells, brain cells that are damaged or destroyed cannot be repaired. The damage to your brain cells is permanent and cannot be reversed.

Below are the most common types of brain injuries sustained at the time of a traumatic event.

• Intracranial Hemotomas.  Intracranial hematomas are the rupture of a blood vessels, which causes the collection of blood in brain tissues or empty spaces. There are several types of hematoma, including the following:
  • Subdural Hematoma: A blood clot between the brain and the dura (the tough outermost membrane enveloping the brain).
  • Epidural Hematoma: A blood clot outside of the brain and the dura but under the skull.
  • Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Bleeding into the ventricles of the brain.
  • Intracerebral Hematoma: Bleeding within the brain tissue itself due to the rupture of a blood vessel inside the brain.
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Bleeding within layers of the dura, specifically under the aracnoid layer.
• Skull Fractures.  Skull fractures are very concerning because a fracture of the skull can cause injury to the brain and can enable an infection in the brain.  Types of skull fractures include:
  • A basilar skull fracture occurs at the base of the brain and can cause leakage of cerebral spinal fluid. 
  • A linear skull fracture is a break in the skull resembling a thin line or crack. 
  • A depressed skull fracture is a break in or crushing of part of the skull. This may require elevation of the skull through craniotomy to prevent increased pressure on the brain.
• Contusions/Coup-Countrecoup.  A contusion, or a coup-contrecoup injury, is a bruise of the brain tissue. This is the type of injury that one can sustain in a car accident, where the head is propelled forward and accelerated and then moved back in deceleration. 
• Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI).  Diffuse axonal injury or DAI usually results from rotational forces or extreme stopping motions.  Unlike brain trauma that occurs due to a direct blow, DAI occurs due to twisting and tearing of the connections between the cells of the brain.

6. What Are the Effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be devastating both physically and mentally. Closed head trauma is often more difficult to diagnose than other injuries because there may be no obvious external signs of injury.  You may look completely healthy, but on the inside, your brain has suffered serious harm. 

Your family and loved ones may not understand why you act differently, why your memory isn't the same, or why you struggle holding a job. When you or others are unable to see your injury, it is difficult to get proper treatment and care.

You or a loved one may have sustained a brain injury that is labeled “mild” by your health care providers because the person may appear normal on the outside but you know that he or she acts differently after the accident. 

As a Kansas City brain injury lawyer, I know that there is no such thing as a “mild brain injury” because all brain injuries can be devastating for the injured person and family.  A brain injury can make it hard to think; to make plans; and to remember important yet simple information. It can make you feel angry, irritable, anxious or sad, and you may feel unable to control extreme emotional swings.

A brain injury can cause a variety of difficult issues pertaining to your basic physical function, such as sleeping, headaches, dizziness, hearing and vision impairment, and more. It can cause short and long-term memory loss, which can make it difficult to function or to hold a steady job and even may put people at risk of harm.

7. How Should You Treat Brain Injuries in Kansas City?

Professional medical care and rehabilitation is needed to help the brain injury victim learn to cope with their injuries, to do basic activities of living, and find ways to control their emotions. They can help those suffering from after-effects of a brain injury to acquire the skills they need to function independently at home and at work and live a rewarding life. Such specialized care exists and is available, but only to those who are aware of it and able to afford it.  As a brain injury attorney in Kansas City, my highest purpose is to help those who suffered one of these injuries to recover the monetary amount they need to get such medical care and to maximize every other aspect of their recovery.

As detailed above, the types and severity of traumatic brain injuries varies greatly, and these injuries are complex and difficult to diagnose and treat. As with many injuries, it is important to get prompt medical care from providers who specialize in TBI. This may require the injured person to see a multi-specialty team, which may include: neurologist, neuropsychologist, physical therapist, speech therapist, physical and rehabilitation medicine specialist, psychiatrist, psychologist, occupational therapist, and rehabilitation and behavior therapist. 

The purpose of seeking such multi-disciplinary medical care is to help the injured person recover in every way possible and to learn coping techniques to enable them to live their life to the fullest. Usually, the primary goal is to support and educate the injured person’s family, so the person can be integrated back into their regular family and community life. In some cases, this may not be possible, and alternatives may need to be pursued, such as supported independent living, day treatment, or group home assisted living.

Contact Our Kansas City Brain Injury Lawyers

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury you need to seek the advice of our attorney who has experience in the complexities of TBI cases. Please contact our Kansas City office using the form below or by calling 816-203-0143, for a free, confidential consultation of your brain injury case, or to speak with a member of our law firm.

 

If you or a loved one are wondering whether certain symptoms could be from a brain injury, download our free brain injury checklist which guides you through the warning signs and offers next steps to consider.  Whatever you choose to do, take action because prompt medical attention will protect both your health and your legal rights. 

Related Links: Are Concussions Considered Traumatic Brain Injuries? What Are the Types of Brain Injuries? Our Kansas City Brain Injury Attorney Can Help.