Kansas City Brain Injury Lawyer

When the brain sustains an injury, it may never be the same. The complex components of the brain cannot always heal from traumatic injuries. This may result in permanent brain damage, such as an impaired motor function or cognitive skills. Brain injuries are often life-changing. If someone’s act of negligence, recklessness, or intent to harm resulted in a brain injury to you or a loved one, you have rights. Our Kansas City brain injury attorney can help you discover whether you’re eligible to file a personal injury claim.

Kansas City Brain Injury Resources

How a Brain Injury Attorney Can Help

After a serious accident, head and brain injuries may not be immediately obvious. Because of their late appearance,  there can be a delay in being diagnosed. Even though you may feel “off” and your family may sense that you are acting different, it can be difficult to prove this to the insurance company or jury. Brain injuries bring more than just medical problems with them, such as expensive medical bills and lost wages from missing time at work.

Consulting with a brain injury attorney can help you plan your next steps. If your brain injury was caused by the reckless actions or negligence of another party, you may have a right to compensation. Since all injury cases are unique, it would be beneficial to have an experienced brain injury attorney to guide you through the process. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Wendt Law Firm P.C. can answer any questions you may have and provide helpful guidance.

About Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one that develops after the brain sustains an impact, blow, jolt, or bump that affects its function. Severe TBIs can lead to permanent brain damage, coma, and death. Minor TBIs can still greatly affect an individual’s life, resulting in temporary impairments that may interfere with work or daily activities. Symptoms of brain injuries are highly varied, with no two individuals having the exact same experience. Symptoms may include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Dizziness
  • Confusion
  • Memory loss
  • Slurred speech
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Seizures
  • Loss of coordination
  • Coma

Some brain injuries may not result in immediate symptoms. Instead, symptoms will take days or even weeks to surface. It’s important to visit a doctor immediately after any incident that results in a bump to the head – especially after serious car accidents, as this is the most common cause of head and brain injuries. Sports incidents, acts of violence, explosions, and slip and falls can also culminate in brain injuries. Visiting the emergency room right away can lead to a timely diagnosis and effective treatment – potentially limiting the injury’s potential effects. It will also help your case should you go to court in pursuit of compensation.

Traumatic Brain Injury Statistics

You aren’t alone if you or a loved one is living with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In fact, TBI is one of the most common injuries in the United States. TBIs cause about 30% of all injury-related deaths in the country, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). TBIs take an average of 153 lives per day in the U.S. Traumatic brain injuries to cause approximately 2.8 million trips to the emergency room, 282,000 hospitalizations, and 50,000 deaths every year.

TBIs aren’t only common – they’re increasing. Over the span of six years, the CDC reported that TBI-related hospital visits increased by 47% and fatality rates increased by 5%. The number of hospitalizations for TBI, however, decreased slightly (2.5%). The rates of brain injuries in children during sports and recreation more than doubled over the span of one decade. Statistically, the leading causes of unintentional traumatic brain injuries are falls (47%), struck-by object (15%), and motor vehicle accidents (14%).

What Damages Can Be Recovered After a TBI?

The Kansas City civil justice system encourages victims with TBIs to pursue financial recovery, or “damages,” from the at-fault person or entity. The amount one might receive for a traumatic brain injury claim depends on the severity of the damage, permanency of symptoms, and the related losses the victim suffered. The types of damages potentially awarded, however, remain the same:

  • Past and future medical costs. The lifetime costs of a patient receiving treatment for a TBI can range from $85,000 to $3 million. Seek recovery for all TBI-related medical bills, doctor’s visits, and treatments during your personal injury claim.
  • Pain and suffering. The KC courts may reimburse a TBI victim for the physical pain, emotional suffering, mental anguish, distress, and lost quality of life he or she experienced because of the accident and brain injury.
  • Lost wages. A TBI patient who has to miss work for treatments, or one who can never return to his or her job because of a long-term disability, may request compensation for lost current and future earnings.

Successful TBI lawsuits can result in restitution for property repairs, punitive damages, loss of consortium, and many other types of compensation, as well. Find out what your individual claim could be worth during a free consultation with a Kansas City brain injury attorney. Hiring a Kansas City brain injury lawyer can help you secure maximum recovery for an injury as traumatic and damaging as one to the brain.

Impacts a TBI Can Have on Your Life

TBIs are often “catastrophic injuries” in the eyes of the law in Kansas City. This means they have long-lasting or permanent effects on the victim. Many survivors living with traumatic brain injuries will tell you they impact every aspect of life. Patients with TBIs may or may not be able to improve their status, depending on the type of injury, its severity, and the treatments required. The impacts on their lives could include:

  • Cognitive difficulties
  • Developmental delays
  • Trouble with speech or comprehension
  • Impacts to senses, such as loss of vision
  • Vertigo or problems balancing
  • Motor skill dysfunction
  • Neurological changes
  • Psychological challenges
  • Mood swings or behavioral changes
  • Seizures or uncontrolled muscle movement

A traumatic brain injury can change your entire life. You might have to adapt to new levels of physical and mental abilities, as well as undergo months or years of therapies and rehabilitation. Modifications may need to be made to your home, vehicle, or job to accommodate a permanent disability. You may never be able to work again because of your limitations. If you’re someone living with a TBI, you deserve justice against the at-fault party. Contact Wendt Law Firm P.C. for more information.

What to Do After a Brain Injury Diagnosis in Kansas City

Brain injuries are often “catastrophic” in the eyes of the law, meaning they result in permanent disability. Victims of permanent injuries have the most power in the civil court system. The law often entitles them to significant compensation for lifelong medical costs, equipment, lost capacity to earn, and lost enjoyment of life. The long list of economic and non-economic damages surrounding many brain injuries means an opportunity for greater financial recovery.

Brain injuries don’t only come from blunt force trauma – they can also happen when something cuts off the oxygen supply to the brain. This type of brain injury, called brain hypoxia, can happen during a child’s birth, to a patient under anesthesia, or if someone drowns. Lack of oxygen to the brain can lead to permanent damage and death. After a doctor diagnoses you or a loved one with any type of brain injury, seek help from a Kansas City injury lawyer. The right law firm can maximize your compensation after an incident that caused or contributed to your brain injury.

Contact a Kansas City Brain Injury Attorney

Serious injuries demand serious legal attention. As soon as possible after a brain injury diagnosis, contact our team of Kansas City brain injury attorneys. We can help you understand your rights in Kansas or Missouri and explain how best to proceed against an at-fault party or parties. Don’t let a negligent person or entity get away with causing your brain injury without repercussions. Seek help in the hands of the law.