Brain Injuries from Accidents in Missouri & Kansas
If you suffer a blow to the head or another kind of trauma that impacts your brain, the injury is usually described as a “traumatic brain injury” or “TBI.” However, this term is broadly used to describe many different types of brain injuries, and each of these types of brain injuries can happen in different ways.
In order to receive the right kind of medical treatment, you need to determine the precise kind of brain injury you sustained. In addition to assisting you in pursuing your medical recovery, the proper classification and treatment of a brain injury will be critical for your brain injury attorney in pursuing a legal claim to recover compensation for that injury.
Common Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Below are some common types of TBIs. Each of these TBIs can result from a myriad of circumstances, including auto accidents, truck crashes, motorcycle or bike crashes, slip and falls, assaults, or other traumatic incidents.
- Concussion. A concussion is considered a type of a "mild traumatic brain injury" (MTBI). Although this is considered to be a less serious type of TBI, the symptoms can be anything but "mild" - they still can be devastating, cause life-long complications and increase your risks of future brain injuries. Multiple concussions can have a compounding negative impact over your lifetime.
- Recurring TBI. While one concussion or MTBI may not be serious, a recurring TBI creates a compounding effect of damage and complications on the brain. A recurring TBI occurs when one suffers another brain injury before the first one has fully healed. in some instances, recurring brain injuries can result in a life-threatening condition called "second impact syndrome".
- Closed Injury. This term generally refers to any brain injury that is not externally visible and the source of the injury never comes into contact with the brain (ie. the skull/head remains "closed"). This is the most common type of brain injury and can results from a car accidents, falls, sports incident or other accidents.
- Open/penetrating injury. The opposite of a "closed" injury is an open one or penetrating injury. An open or penetrating brain injury happens when an object actually goes into the skull and penetrates the brain tissue. This can cause serious damage. The skull will also be fractured and the skull fragments can also damage the brain. Causes of open brain injuries include stab wounds, bullet wounds, debris from explosions or high-speed accidents.
- Contusion. A contusion occurs when trauma causes a bruise on your brain. This happens due to blood vessels being crushed and then bleeding inside the brain. Some contusions are relatively minor, but others can cause dangerous, even life-threatening, hemorrhaging or swelling.
- Coup-Contrecoup. A coup-contrecoup injury occurs when the brain hits the skull at the point of contact and then also rebounds and hits the skull on the opposite side. This type of brain injury typically results in multiple areas of the brain being damage.
- Diffuse Axonal Injury. A diffuse axonal injury occurs when the brain shakes inside the skull, which results in various parts of the brain hitting the skull and with multiple areas being injured and shearing effect on the brain tissue. Shearing can result in serious injury and complications, including lesions, killed brain cells, less blood circulation to the brain, and increased pressure inside the cranium.
- Anoxic Injury. An anoxic injury happens when the brain is deprived of oxygen, which kills brain cells. Anoxic events happen in variety of situations, including electrocution, drowing, suffocation, toxic inhalation, chemical poisoning, and other serious incidents.
Contact Our Experienced Kansas City Brain Injury Attorney
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Regardless of the type of brain injury you or a loved one may have suffered, you likely have many questions about what to do next to protect your rights and ensure that you are able to recover the compensation you deserve.
First and foremost, you need to make sure the brain injury signs and symptoms are fully identified and treated. This is critical for both a medical and legal recovery. Our Traumatic Brain Injury Checklist is a great resource for brain injury victims and family members, and you can download the PDF checklist for free right now.
To learn about an TBI victim's legal rights, please call our office to speak with our Kansas City brain injury lawyer at (816) 203-0143. We would be happy to provide a free, confidential consultation and answer any questions you may have.
