Has an accident or intentional wrongdoing left you with a brain injury in St. Louis, MO? When someone else’s negligence or intentional actions cause you harm, Missouri law allows you to seek compensation. Contact a St. Louis brain injury lawyer from Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers at (314) 400-0000 to schedule a free consultation.
With over 20 years of experience, our lawyers help accident victims of truck accidents, St. Louis boating accidents, boating accidents, motorcycle injuries in St. Louis, wrongful death claims, and more, fight for the full compensation they deserve. You may be entitled to money for your lost earnings, medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.
Contact our law office for a free consultation so we can fight tirelessly for the maximum compensation you need.
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How Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You After Suffering a Brain Injury in St. Louis
A brain injury can result in a significant financial burden in addition to the psychological, physical, and emotional consequences. When someone else is responsible for your injury, the St. Louis personal injury lawyers can help you seek the compensation you are owed.
At Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we make it our mission to fight for the maximum amount for all of the damages you suffered, from all possible negligent parties, and to the fullest extent of Missouri law. Our St. Louis, Missouri injury lawyers are often featured for recovering top settlements and verdicts in the state.
We have also earned many prestigious awards and top ratings, including the top AV rating from Martindale-Hubbel and a 10.0 Superb AVVO rating. Founding attorney E. Ryan Bradley is a member of the invitation-only Top 100 Trial Lawyers and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Choose Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to represent you in your brain injury case, and we will:
- Offer the insightful legal advice and guidance you deserve
- Perform an investigation into your accident to identify liable parties and gather evidence
- Accurately determine the full value of your damages
- Work with experts to build a strong case of negligence
- Handle communications and negotiations with the insurance company
- Present a persuasive argument to a jury to seek maximum compensation
You deserve a personal injury lawyer who cares and is willing to fight for all the compensation you deserve. Call Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation with an award-winning St. Louis brain injury lawyer who can help.
How Common Are Brain Injuries?
Every year, there are over 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the U.S.. Of these, 230,000 require hospitalization. TBI contributed to more than 56,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2014.
Seniors and children are particularly at risk of brain injuries. Among these two groups, falls then traffic accidents are the two main causes of TBI.
While an estimated 70% of brain injuries are mild, more serious brain injuries are the number one cause of injury-related death and disability.
Overview of Brain Injury
A head injury can often result in traumatic injury to the brain, ranging from mild to severe and life-changing. When mild, brain injury symptoms can be difficult to detect and go away within days. However, brain injuries can be catastrophic.
Types of Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injury is a broad type of head injury that refers to an injury caused by trauma, whether it is a blow to the head, a fall, or a penetrating injury. These injuries are different from brain injuries that result from health complications like stroke.
Common types of brain injuries are:
- Concussions. These mild brain injuries can cause a range of symptoms that generally go away.
- Localized or focal brain damage. This is confined to one small region or area of the brain. A small caliber bullet can cause localized damage.
- Diffuse brain damage. Damage to many areas of the brain.
- Closed head injuries. These happen when the brain strikes the inside of the skull without any penetration of the skull. These injuries are often caused by a blow to the head, a car accident, or a fall.
- Diffuse axonal injury (DAI). This injury refers to damage to both sides of the brain. It usually happens when the brain is rotated within the skull.
- Intracerebral hematoma or a brain contusion. This is essentially a bruise on the brain.
Primary brain injuries are profound, sudden, and typically caused by some trauma. Secondary brain injuries happen over time after a primary brain injury.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Brain Injury?
The symptoms of a brain injury depend a great deal on the severity of the injury, the type of brain injury, and the affected area of the brain.
Mild head injuries may result in:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Trouble with memory and concentration
- Balance difficulties
- Irritability
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Tinnitus
- Sleep changes
A more serious brain injury requires immediate medical attention and may cause:
- Loss of consciousness
- Severe, lasting headaches
- Weakness on just one side of the body
- Memory loss
- Difficulty with speaking or walking
- Seizures
- Behavioral or personality changes
- Vomiting or nausea
- One pupil more dilated than the other
Sometimes symptoms of a brain injury are immediately apparent after an accident. However, it’s common for symptoms to take hours or days to develop.
What Are the Long-Term Consequences of a Brain Injury?
Brain injuries can be catastrophic, life-changing, and disabling. The sooner treatment is received, the better the prognosis.
Possible long-term consequences of a traumatic brain injury include:
- Cognitive impairment affecting communication, memory, concentration, perception, and information processing
- Physical impairment affecting strength, motor skills, balance, and coordination
- Psychological changes like depression
- Personality changes and emotional changes like behavioral disorders, reduced judgment, impulsivity, and difficulty regulating emotions
- Post-concussion syndrome (PCS)
- Coma or vegetative state
- Locked-in syndrome with consciousness but an inability to move
- Brain death
Depending on the injury, symptoms may alleviate within days, weeks, or years. Some people achieve some improvement with mild to moderate lasting effects. Others suffer permanent impairment.
What Causes Brain Injuries?
Brain injuries happen when there is external force to the head that injures the brain, causes the brain to strike the inside of the skull, or when an object pierces the skull.
Brain injuries in young adults and teenagers are often sports-related. Sometimes brain injuries are not related to trauma at all but instead are “acquired brain injuries” due to a tumor, hemorrhage, stroke, or other condition.
Traumatic brain injuries are usually caused by:
- Traffic accidents. These are the second-leading cause of TBI in the U.S. and the leading cause for people 15 to 34.
- Violence. About 12% of TBI and 35% of TBI deaths among people aged 25 to 34 are the result of violence.
- Falls. Falls are the top cause of traumatic brain injuries and responsible for almost half of TBI-related emergency room visits. Falls account for 81% of TBI in seniors and about half of TBI in kids under 18.
Sadly, while many brain injuries are unavoidable consequences of health issues, a large number are due to avoidable accidents and human negligence.
What Is My Brain Injury Case Worth?
The value of a brain injury case depends on a number of factors highly individual to your case.
Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers will assess your case and give you an estimate of your claim’s value based on factors like:
- Whether you contributed to your accident
- The amount of insurance coverage available
- The circumstances of the accident
- The severity and type of injury you sustained
- The long-term consequences of your injury
- Whether you require ongoing medical care
- Whether your injury left you with permanent impairment and disability that prevents you from working
Your case’s value will be determined by economic losses, most of which are easy to calculate, and non-economic losses. We may work with medical and financial experts to properly value all of the damages you suffered.
What Compensation Can I Recover for My Brain Injury in St. Louis, Missouri?
Missouri law gives you the right to seek compensation for the damages you suffered when someone else is responsible for your injuries.
You may be entitled to economic and non-economic damages for:
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity if disabled or impaired
- Medical expenses, including future medical bills for ongoing medical treatment
- Pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life
In some rare cases, you may even be entitled to punitive damages. A jury may award these damages if the defendant engaged in egregious conduct or intentional wrongdoing.
How Long Do I Have to File a Brain Injury Lawsuit in Missouri?
The Missouri statute of limitations for personal injury claims is five years. You must file your brain injury lawsuit before this deadline or lose your legal right to recover compensation through the civil court system.
Five years is a long time, but delays can make it harder to investigate your accident, gather evidence, and prove liability. Contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers as soon as possible to protect your brain injury case.
Contact a St. Louis Brain Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Our St. Louis brain injury lawyers are ready to put decades of experience to work on your case. We understand how devastating a brain injury can be and how it can affect you for the rest of your life. We will not rest in seeking the maximum compensation you are owed under the law.
Contact our St. Louis law office today for a free consultation with a St. Louis personal injury lawyer. We work on a contingency fee basis. You face no out-of-pocket costs and no attorney’s fees unless we win your case.
Our St. Louis personal injury law firm also provides:
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