St. Louis Brain Injury Lawyer & Brain Injury Attorney

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), car accidents are responsible for over 14% of all brain injuries in the U.S.

While car accidents can cause a wide variety of injuries, the head and the neck are particularly vulnerable. Even a minor car accident can cause serious head injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), car accidents are responsible for over 14% of all brain injuries in the U.S. Brain trauma is challenging to treat, and victims face a lengthy recovery period. Some victims cannot return to work and can never have the same active lifestyle they have before the injury. In this post, we will highlight the four most common brain injuries that result from car accidents.

Car accident injuries that a driver may sustain can vary from mild to severe. When it comes to a brain injury, the consequences and long-term repercussions are typically far more significant than other types of injuries. Traumatic brain injuries are common in car accidents. Due to the nature of inertia, when the car stops suddenly, and the passengers don’t, they can easily collide with the dashboard or window. When the impact is hard enough, the sustained traumatic brain injury can cause disability for a lifetime.

The reason that brain injuries can be complicated for car accident compensation is that sometimes the damage from a car accident-related brain injury will not surface until later. Often, the full consequences of a brain injury take time to show. If you don’t know that you have been injured or have the proper tests done after the accident, then there is no way to anticipate what type of medical treatment you may need or consequences you can suffer as time goes on.

So, if you are in a car accident in Missouri, and you hit your head, you must seek medical attention. Even if you think it is nothing serious, there is the potential that it could be, and you might not know. If you don’t investigate and have the proper testing done, there is no way to be aware of brain swelling, internal bleeding, or to see if you will suffer from a brain injury in the future.

Seek Medical Attention ASAP

Seeking medical attention is imperative – not just to know the extent of your brain injury, but also to prove a chain of causation for your car accident case. Your St. Louis car accident attorney will need the documentation either when they are negotiating for a settlement with the insurance company, or if the case should proceed to court, to get you all that you are entitled to receive.

The treatment for a brain injury is usually very expensive, and often involves multiple surgeries and months of rehabilitation.

Signs That You May Have a Brain Injury

• Foggy brain
• Headaches
• Feeling nauseous
• Being sensitive to sounds and lights
• Having difficulty with your balance
• Extreme fatigue
• Not appropriately dealing with your emotions
• Seizures
• Unconsciousness
• Uneven or dilated pupils
• Being confused
• Having a slow response time

If you notice any of these signs after a car accident, even if you weren’t aware that you hit your head, you must seek treatment and get the right tests done to eliminate the potential that you have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

What is Cognitive Ability?

Cognition refers to our ability to be able to think clearly and understand the world around us. Cognition allows us to function normally in our everyday lives. A traumatic brain injury can cause a loss of cognitive ability, which may dramatically change the course of your future. Cognitive ability includes:

• Attention and concentration
• Being able to process and then understand information
• Your memory – both short and long-term
• How you can communicate
• Skills for planning and organizing
• Your ability to reason, solve problems and make decisions
• Impulse control

These skills are used every day, and the sudden loss of one or more from a car accident is devastating. You may be left unable to go to work, raise your family, or even live alone without assistance. The level of injury to the brain and the cognitive ability lost will determine how much therapeutic and living assistance you will need in the future.

Common brain injuries resulting from car crashes

• Contusion – These are bruises on the brain that, in some cases, require surgical treatment. A powerful impact on the head can cause a contusion. In a car accident, the head is prone to contact with the side window, windshield, or the steering wheel, so there is always a possibility of the victim suffering a contusion.

• Concussion – While many people think that concussions are not too serious, these can be a sign of severe brain damage. A victim can suffer a concussion from a sharp blow to the head. There is usually no open wound when a person suffers a concussion, so people tend to think that they are fine. A concussion can cause blood vessels in the brain to stretch, and this can cause nerve damage. Most concussions do not cause long term problems; however, if the symptoms get worse, brain damage may become permanent. If you experience persistent dizziness or disorientation after a car accident, you should immediately see a doctor.

• Penetrating injuries – In a car crash, broken pieces of metal, plastic projectiles, and glass shards can cause serious injuries. If a foreign object penetrates the brain, the victim will likely require immediate surgery. The surgeon will remove the object from the brain and stop the bleeding. Severe brain penetration injuries can cause permanent disability or paralysis.

• Diffuse Axonal Injury – These injuries occur due to sudden acceleration and deceleration. This can cause the brain to jerk forward and backward within the skull and can cause nerves and blood vessels inside the brain to tear. It can also cause internal bleeding and loss of certain brain functions.

Securing Compensation for Future Care

After an automobile accident that has resulted in a traumatic brain injury, a victim and their family may begin to consider which type of long-term care will be necessary. The expense for that care can be added to the compensation received from a car accident claim.

To ensure that you or your loved one is taken care of adequately, consult with an auto accident attorney from our law firm. With the help of medical testimony, we will be able to provide a detailed description of the type of care needed and its cost. We may also be able to include losses such as quality of life and future wage earnings in your car accident claim.

Contact Brain Injury Lawyers

To learn more about how we can help people who have suffered a brain injury or spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident, call (314) 361-4242 or contact fill out our online contact form. Attorney Christopher Hoffmann will speak with you personally. Your initial consultation is always free, and we do not charge attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.