Brain Injury After a St. Louis Truck Accident

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Tractor trailer accidents often result in traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries are commonly referred to as TBI’s or head injuries. TBI’s can occur in collisions when your head endures some type of sudden trauma. The trauma from the crash often damages the brain.

Types of brain damage include focal or diffuse. Focal brain damage simply means the damage is confined to one area of the brain. Diffuse brain damage means the damage involves more than one area of the brain.

Brain injuries resulting from a crash can result from a closed head injury or a penetrating head injury . A closed injury can occur in a tractor trailer accident when the head suddenly and violently hits an object but the object does not break through the skull. A penetrating injury caused by a tractor trailer accident would occur if something enters the skull and then enters the brain itself.

Traumatic brain injuries resulting from tractor trailer accidents are serious medical conditions. You should seek medical attention immediately if you were in an accident and you believe you have injured your head.

• Did the Collision Cause A Traumatic Brain Injury?
• Causes Of Traumatic Brain Injuries
• What Type Of Medical Care Do People With Traumatic Brain Injuries Get?
• Is There Any Type Of Rehabilitation For People Who Suffer from Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Did The Collision Cause A Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury can be mild, moderate, or severe. The severity of the injury depends on the extent of damage to the brain. Brain injuries resulting from crashes are sometimes immediately identified. Other traumatic brain injuries may not be known for days or weeks following the collision.

A person who suffers a traumatic injury from a tractor trailer accident can remain conscious or suffer a loss of consciousness. The length of unconsciousness can last seconds or minutes. Often, after someone suffers a traumatic brain injury during a tractor trailer accident, they feel dazed or confused. The dazed or confused feeling can often last for days or weeks. Other common complaints from people who suffer a traumatic brain injury in a collision include headache, fogginess, lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion, blurry vision, ringing in the ears (also known as tinnitus). Traumatic brain injuries can cause fatigue, sleeplessness, mood swings, and memory problems. Victims who suffer from brain injuries sometimes report trouble concentrating and paying attention. It is common for victims with brain injuries to report memory issues.

A moderate or severe brain injury may cause headaches, vomiting, nausea, seizures , dilation of the pupils, speech problems, weakness or numbness in the arms or legs, confusion, restlessness, or agitation. Seek medical attention immediately.

If your traumatic brain injury is the result of a crash, it is very important that you speak with an experienced Missouri truck accident attorney immediately. Why?

Most likely, tractor trailer companies have investigation teams and their insurance companies have investigation teams on the scene within minutes of a collision. They are interviewing witnesses, taking pictures, taking measurements, and talking with the police. You also need to be aware that trucking companies often begin destroying documents that are beneficial to the victim. Documents that could potentially help prove the truck company or the truck driver was negligent. I understand you may not be worried about the legal aspect of the collision right now. Your injuries, your loved one’s injuries, or the death of a loved one are certainly your main concern right now. I am an experienced St. Louis accident lawyer and I will help protect you and your family from the truck company and the insurance company during these tough times. Call me, 24 hours a day, (314) 322-8515. I will personally take your call and alert our team. We will immediately begin taking the same actions as the truck company and the insurance company. The call and consultation are free. There is no fee unless we recover for you.

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Causes Of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A big portion of traumatic brain injuries are caused from vehicle collisions.

The most common type of a traumatic brain injury is a concussion. A concussion also happens to be the most minor type of TBI. A concussion is a loss of consciousness for a short duration after an injury such as a blow suffered in a crash.

A skull fracture is a more severe type of traumatic brain injury. A fracture occurs when the skull is actually broken or cracked. There are varying degrees of skull fractures. A depressed skull fracture means that parts of the skull are actually pressed into the brain tissue. A skull can be penetrated (penetrating skull fracture) when something breaks through the skull. A penetrating skull fracture is commonly seen in gunshot victims who have been shot in the head. They can also be seen in a collision in which an object enters a vehicle and strikes a person in the head.

Skull fractures can cause bruising of brain tissue called a contusion. A contusion is a distinct area of swollen brain tissue mixed with blood released from broken blood vessels. A contusion can also occur in response to shaking of the brain back and forth within the confines of the skull, an injury called contrecoup . This injury often occurs in car accidents after high-speed stops and in shaken baby syndrome, a severe form of head injury that occurs when a baby is shaken forcibly enough to cause the brain to bounce against the skull. In addition, contrecoup can cause diffuse axonal injury , also called shearing , which involves damage to individual nerve cells ( neurons ) and loss of connections among neurons. This can lead to a breakdown of overall communication among neurons in the brain.

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What Type Of Medical Care Do People With Traumatic Brain Injuries Get?

After a crash the ambulance is usually the first medical personnel that arrive on the scene. The ambulance will most likely take the injured person to the emergency room. If the injuries from the collision are severe enough, sometimes a helicopter is called in to take the victim to the hospital. First responders will try to stabilize the patient and try to prevent further injury. It is common for people who are in collision to suffer a spinal cord injury in addition to a traumatic brain injury. This is why the medical personnel stabilize the patient. A back-board and a neck restraint is typically used when transporting the patient to the hospital.

Medical professionals take great care in moving and transporting head-injured patients. Often back-boards and neck restraints are used to immobilize patients and prevent further injury.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient may undergo further testing. The hospital has different type of diagnostic tests that can be used to further diagnose an a traumatic brain injury. Imaging tests help in determining the diagnosis and prognosis of a TBI patient.

Patients with mild traumatic brain injuries may X-rays to look for fractures. Patients with moderate traumatic brain injuries may undergo a computed tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan creates a series of images of the head and brain. The CT scan is used to find bone fractures and signs of brain contusions or swelling. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could also be ordered to further assess the brain damage. An MRI uses magnetic fields to detect subtle changes in the brain. The MRI can show more detail than X-rays or CT. Most People who suffer from traumatic brain injuries in crash often suffer injuries to other parts of their body. These injuries typically require immediate care. A blow to the chest during a crash can cause cardiovascular problems. Trauma to the abdomen during a collision can cause injury to the stomach, intestines, and pancreas.

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Is There Any Type Of Rehabilitation For People Who Suffer from Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Rehabilitation is crucial for someone who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Rehab is available in the intensive care unit of a hospital for those who have suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. When a patient becomes stable, they can seek rehab at an outpatient unit of the hospital or a separate rehab facility. There is a very wide range of options during the rehabilitation process.

Truck companies have teams on standby that are ready to investigate crashes as soon as they occur. This is partially because the insurance companies for the truck companies know they will never have another chance to take original scene photos or speak with witnesses while the facts are fresh in their head. The legal issues in a truck crash case are extremely complex. The trucking industry is governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). The FMCSR are a set of detailed rules that truck companies and truck drivers have to follow when they operate their trucks interstate (state to state). You need an experienced lawyer to begin protecting you and your family from the truck company and the insurance company. I can be reached, 24 hours a day, (314) 322-8515. Call me personally and I will immediately alert our team and begin taking the same actions as the truck company and the insurance company. The call and consultation are free. There is no fee unless we recover for you.

Rehab will hopefully allow the patient with a traumatic brain injury to once again function in society. A physical therapist and a life care planner will be able to help assist the victim adapt to the disabilities resulting from the traumatic brain injury.

There are numerous resources for people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. I have listed a couple of the resources below for your convenience. I also have significant resources and useful information that I have gathered from my experience of dealing with clients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries resulting from a collision. Feel free to call our St. Louis truck accident brain injury attorneys anytime at (314) 322-8515.

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