Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can arise from many different types of accidents or situations. There are also many different types of brain injuries. The damage caused by a head injury can range from mild to severe.
As a personal injury attorney who handles both brain injury and disability cases, I know how severe TBIs often result in permanent or long-term disabilities and that mild traumatic brain injuries can have long-lasting cognitive and mental effects.
If your loved one has not acted the same after suffering a brain injury in Kansas or Missouri, call our Kansas City personal injury attorney at 816-203-0143, for a free case review. We handle brain injury cases throughout Missouri and Kansas and can help answer questions about traumatic brain injuries or brain injury settlements.
Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Missouri & Kansas
The potential for debilitating consequences from a brain injury exists regardless of how the brain injury occurs. Common causes of traumatic brain injuries include, but are not limited to:
- Car accidents
- Falls
- Assaults and gunshots
- Motorcycle crashes
- Bicycle accidents
- Sports and recreational activities
- Pedestrian accidents
- Playground accidents
- Commercial truck accident
- Defective product accidents
- Dangerous property conditions
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Medical malpractice and negligence
- Shaken baby syndrome
If another party caused your brain injury, that party could be held liable for damages. Our Kansas City brain injury attorney can help you seek compensation for your damages. Unfortunately, money cannot undo the damages and impairments caused by a traumatic brain injury. Still, it can help you to receive the medical care and support you need as you continue your life after a tragic brain injury.
How Do Brain Injuries Affect Cognitive & Mental Health?
A traumatic brain injury impacts how the brain works.
The impacts of a TBI could be short-term or permanent. Many people who suffer mild TBI recover at home after being evaluated by a medical professional. However, some individuals may require hospitalization, rehabilitation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and other treatment to relearn the skills necessary to complete activities of daily living.
Cognition is the ability to think and know things. Cognitive abilities that a brain injury could negatively impact include:
- Concentration
- Attention
- Memory
- Understanding and processing information
- Reasoning and problem-solving
- Judgment and decision-making
- Organizing and planning
- Communicating thoughts and ideas
- Monitoring one’s behavior so that it is socially acceptable
In addition to impairment of cognitive functions, a brain injury can also cause emotional problems. A person who suffers from a TBI in Missouri or Kansas may experience depression and anxiety. They could develop dramatic mood swings and have angry outbursts. The result could be social withdrawal and isolation. The emotional impacts of a brain injury could severely impact the person’s ability to form and maintain personal relationships.
Children who sustain a traumatic brain injury are at a high risk for development, cognitive, physical, and emotional delays. Even a mild TBI can result in a child’s development being delayed or severely impaired. The result could be a debilitating disability in adulthood.
Mental and Cognitive Conditions That May Develop After a Traumatic Brain Injury
Research has indicated that traumatic brain injury victims are at risk of developing mental and cognitive conditions after the brain injury. The severity of these conditions is determined by factors that exist before, during, and after the injury.
Cognitive and mental health conditions that we have seen with clients of our Kansas City personal injury law firm include:
Cognitive Impairments
Cognitive impairments related to the speed and efficiency of information processing. Individuals may be less alert and may appear apathetic or withdrawn. Divided attention deficits may also be present.
Memory
Memory may be impaired after a TBI. Recent information may be forgotten. Depending on the location and severity of the brain damage, long-term memories may be lost.
Language Skills
Language skills may be impaired after a brain injury. Areas of the brain the process language could be damaged, resulting in aphasia (the ability to understand and express speech). The person may have trouble expressing themselves verbally. They may not be able to “find the right words” to say (anomia).
Verbal and Performance IQ
A severe brain injury can cause decreases in verbal and performance IQ. The person may recover verbal IQ faster than performance IQ. Studies have found decreases in performance IQ years after the TBI, especially with patients who experienced prolonged comas.
Personality Changes
Personality changes may be caused by traumatic brain injury. As a result, the person may develop a variety of disorders and conditions, including, but not limited to:
- Concentration and attention disorders
- Indifference or shallowness
- Obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Inability to anticipate
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
- Poor insight
- Psychomotor retardation
- Inflexibility
- Decreased initiative
- Apathy
- Irritability
- Change in quality of relationships
The severity of the injury and the location of the injury impact the level and type of personality changes after a brain injury.
Aggression
A person who sustains a TBI may become physically and verbally aggressive and impulsive. In some cases, a brain injury can exaggerate a previous quality of personality. The exaggeration could result in a problem that requires mediation and treatment to manage.
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders may also be detected after a traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of depression and suicide could be difficult to identify because of overall personality flattening. Mania may also occur in some TBI patients.
Psychoses and Neuroses
A TBI patient may experience a variety of psychoses and neuroses. Conditions that might be present include paranoid psychoses, anxiety, phobias, dissociative disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
How Our Kansas City Brain Injury Attorney Can Help
The cost of treatment for traumatic brain injuries can be substantial. A person may require ongoing care from a team of medical and mental health professionals. The team may include:
- Neuropsychologists
- Occupational, speech, vocational, rehabilitation, and physical therapists
- Psychologists and psychiatrists
- Mental health counselors and therapists
- Neurologists and neurosurgeons
In addition to the cost of medical care, a person may be unable to work, resulting in a significant loss of income. If the person returns to work, the brain injury could substantially reduce earning potential.
While money will not make dealing with a brain injury easier, it can pay for treatment. A personal injury settlement can also help pay for personal care and living expenses.
Our Kansas City brain injury lawyer assists you and your family pursue a personal injury claim against the party who caused your brain injury. Because our legal team has extensive experience handling brain injury claims, we can put you in touch with resources and experts who can assist you with the care and treatment of a traumatic brain injury.
We often hire neuropsychologists and other experts who identify and measure the extent of the cognitive and mental health conditions caused by brain injuries. The information provided by these experts helps us build a strong case for compensation of all damages caused by a traumatic brain injury.
Damages You May Recover After a Brain Injury in Missouri & Kansas
Under Missouri and Kansas law, you may recover a variety of damages after a brain injury:
- The cost of medical treatment, mental health treatment, therapies, and personal care
- The loss of income and benefits if you cannot work, including future lost wages and reduction in earning potential
- The pain and suffering caused by a brain injury, including your physical pain, emotional distress, and mental anguish
- Psychological injuries, including cognitive, developmental, and emotional impairments
- The reduction in your quality of life and loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium for your spouse
By carefully documenting the conditions and impairments caused by a TBI, we can increase the odds that you receive fair and just compensation for a traumatic brain injury.
Insurance Companies Often Downplay Brain Injuries in Missouri & Kansas
Do not allow the insurance company for the other party to convince you that you do not deserve compensation for the consequences of a brain injury. If you develop any conditions as a result of a TBI, you deserve compensation for those conditions.
The insurance adjuster may tell you that it is “normal” to feel depressed or anxious for a few weeks or months after an accident. Likewise, you might be told that it is “normal” for you to be confused and having memory problems, but those issues will also go away with time.
Insurance companies are aware of the conditions and impairments that brain injuries may cause. Further, they are aware that these impairments and conditions can be debilitating and permanent. Therefore, the insurance company may pressure you to settle your claim quickly before you realize the severity of your injuries.
It is not in your best interest to accept a settlement offer until you complete medical care, including evaluations for long-term impairments. In addition, you need to discuss the potential for developing cognitive and mental health conditions because of the brain injury with your physician.
You should also consult a Kansas City brain injury lawyer before signing any documents for the insurance company or accepting a settlement offer. Once you settle your claim, it is too late to demand additional compensation for damages.
Even if you discover additional injuries or damages, you may have given up your right to sue the at-fault party when you agreed to the settlement offer.
Contact Our Kansas City Brain Injury Attorney for a Free Consultation
The legal team at The Law Office of Kevin J. McManus has extensive experience handling brain injury cases. We aggressively investigate these cases to identify all parties liable for your injury, losses, and damages. In addition, we provide the legal advice, support, and guidance you need after suffering a tragic brain injury.
Contact our office to schedule your free consultation by calling 816-203-0143 or completing our online contact form. Our brain injury lawyer in Kansas City is licensed to represent clients in Missouri and Kansas.