Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer in St. Louis, MO

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can completely upend a person’s life by permanently impairing their mobility, coordination, personality, memory, and critical bodily functions. Sadly, a TBI can prevent a person from participating in their favorite activities or finding gainful employment. TBIs can also change a person and their relationships with others, creating a significant strain on the victim’s family.

If you or a loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury that was someone else’s fault, you could be entitled to compensation. For over 20 years, the TBI attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC have advocated for injury victims in St. Louis and surrounding areas, helping them pursue the financial relief they deserve for injuries that weren’t their fault. We are prepared to work as a team in pursuit of the positive outcome you need. And because we don’t charge any fees unless we win, there’s no cost or risk to engaging our services.

Contact our office today for a free consultation with a St. Louis traumatic brain injury lawyer and find out what you could be owed.

What Is a TBI?

A traumatic brain injury can occur when a person suffers a hard blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury, which impacts the brain’s ability to function correctly. There are three types of traumatic brain injury: mild, moderate, and severe. In many cases, the damage from a traumatic brain injury cannot be reversed.

Brain Injury Statistics in St. Louis

Traumatic brain injuries are common in St. Louis and the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 224,000 people nationwide sought treatment at a hospital for a traumatic brain injury in one recent year. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says about 16,500 people in Missouri are hospitalized annually for traumatic brain injuries and about 5.3 million people across the country are living with disabilities related to traumatic brain injuries.

What Are Some Traumatic Brain Injury Causes?

Hard blows and jolts to the head are the primary cause of traumatic brain injuries. TBIs are often due to incidents such as:

TBI Caused by Truck Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents are one of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries in the United States, particularly when trucks are involved. Tractor-trailers are much heavier than passenger vehicles, which means they impart an enormous force on smaller vehicles in the event of a collision. This force can cause occupants in passenger vehicles to strike their heads on hard surfaces, like dashboards, seat backs, and windows. These blows to the head are often serious enough to cause severe TBIs.

Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury

According to the Mayo Clinic, some common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include:

Proving a Brain Injury

Proving a traumatic brain injury can be difficult. Symptoms may not immediately appear.  For this reason, testimony from medical experts can prove valuable.

Doctors can use various tests to determine the nature and severity of TBIs, including:

• Diagnostic imaging– Tests like X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) scans, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allow doctors to examine a detailed view of the brain to look for fractures, contusions, and other evidence of a TBI.
• Intracranial pressure monitors– A traumatic brain injury can lead to swelling in the brain, causing it to press up against the skull. An intracranial pressure monitor lets doctors monitor the pressure as they evaluate an injury.
• Glasgow coma scale– This 15-point test allows doctors to determine how severe a brain injury is by seeing how well patients can follow directions, move their eyes and limbs, and speak clearly. Using the test results, a doctor will rank the patient’s injury on a scale from 1 to 13, with lower scores indicating more severe injuries.

To recover compensation for a traumatic brain injury, you will need to establish that another person is to blame for your injury and the extent of the losses you suffered as a result.

This requires evidence such as:

• Medical records that show the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury symptoms
• Bills and invoices from hospital stays, doctor’s visits, and diagnostic tests
• Testimony from medical experts
• Documentation showing what might have caused the TBI, such as police reports or testimony from eyewitnesses

Compensation for a Brain Injury

If someone else is to blame for your or your loved one’s traumatic brain injury, they could owe you compensation for the harm they caused you.

The value of this compensation varies depending on the circumstances, but you can generally pursue money to cover losses like: 

• Lost wages if you cannot work while you are recovering from your injury
• Medical costs, including hospital stays, doctor’s visits, diagnostic tests, physical therapy, medical equipment, and medications
• Loss of future earning capacity if your injury prevents you from returning to work or being gainfully employed
• Costs of in-home care
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Lost quality of life

Talk to Our Skilled St. Louis Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers

If you or someone close to you suffered a traumatic brain injury, you could be facing mounting medical bills, lost wages, and emotional trauma. The TBI attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC understand how devastating these injuries can be. We are prepared to work tirelessly to get you the compensation and justice you deserve.

Contact our St. Louis TBI lawyers today to schedule a free consultation.