The Experienced Legal Judgment
You Want In Difficult Injury Cases
When it comes to brain injuries, spinal injuries and dram shop cases, Annette Griggs and her legal team at the Griggs Injury Law firm each have over 20 years of experience to fight for their clients in a personal, professional manner.
Experienced Brain Injury Counsel
Every part of Angelique’s brain suffered damage after a car accident that did not even look that bad. She was in a coma for six weeks. Formerly a bright college student, she had to start over and relearn basic functions. She will never be able to hold down a job or even prepare a meal for herself. We got her an insurance settlement to cover the costs of a lifetime of medical care.
Focused On Your Brain Injury Needs
Griggs Injury Law spends a significant portion of its practice handling traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases. We combine that focus on the law with a focus on you, personally. For instance, individuals with brain injuries may exhibit subtle symptoms that can be mistaken for other ailments. Unfortunately, doctors, loved ones and attorneys often miss those TBI symptoms.
Penny’s car was T-boned at highway speed. Memory, reasoning, anger management and ability to function in a normal life were gone instantly. The CT scan did not show the permanent changes to her personality and loss of ability to function in her daily life. However, we were able to prove what damages she suffered and that they were caused by the automobile accident.
We know brain injuries are as unique as each client. For that reason, we will spend time with you to get to know you, to determine for ourselves whether you and your case can benefit from further medical investigation.
If you have been injured in an accident, look for some of these brain injury symptoms:
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Dizziness, blurred vision
- Vomiting
- Memory loss
- Changes to your sense of smell and taste
- Change in social skills and behaviors
- Fatigue and sleep disorder
- Out-of-character behavior such as breaking the law
- Aggressive or irritable behavior
If anyone you know has been in an accident and begins to show any of these signs, seek medical assistance right away.
Our office handles all forms of brain injury cases, from concussions to serious traumatic brain injury caused by slip-and-fall accidents and motor vehicle accidents involving:
Types Of Brain Injuries
Every head trauma has the potential to result in serious and permanent brain damage. While traumatic brain injuries can vary in severity, all need careful diagnosis and proper medical care. In many cases, people with mild to moderate brain damage aren’t even aware of their injury, but their friends and family members probably notice differences. A TBI can result from car and truck accidents, slip-and-fall cases, sports injuries and falling objects, to name a few.
- Concussion: This is the most common type of brain injury. You may get a concussion from a direct blow to the head such as from a falling object, whiplash in an automobile accident or a sports injury. This injury may or may not show up on a CT scan or other diagnostic test.
- Closed head injury: A closed head injury is caused by the brain slamming against the inside of the skull from rapid acceleration, deceleration or a collision. A closed head injury may result in a global brain injury (multiple parts of the brain), a frontal lobe injury, an occipital lobe injury or injury to other parts of the brain. The violent smashing and banging of the brain results in nerve tissue ripping apart or completely separating from the brain. Closed brain injuries typically cause diffuse tissue damage that results in disabilities, which are generalized and highly variable.
- Recurrent traumatic brain injury: This occurs when someone suffers a second or multiple concussions or brain injuries before a primary concussion can heal. These are dangerous as the cumulative effect of concussions is more likely to result in brain swelling and permanent damage.
- Diffuse axonal injury: This is caused from the brain moving back and forth in the skull as a result of rapid acceleration or deceleration or rotational forces. This type of injury is most commonly caused by automobile, motorcycle and bicycle accidents, sport injuries and slip-and-falls.
- Coup-contrecoup injury: Contusions occur both at the site of impact and on the complete opposite side of the brain. This occurs when the force impacting the head is so great that it moves the brain and causes it to slam into the opposite side of the skull.
- Anoxia: If the brain does not receive enough oxygen, brain death or permanent injury can occur. This may result from a near drowning or suffocation, drug overdose or chemical exposure.
- Skull fractures and open brain injuries: We have a thick skull to protect our brains. However, severe blows to the head can result in a cracked skull. This may be caused by car accidents, bicycle or motorcycle accidents, truck accidents or falling objects. Open or penetrating injuries may occur with a gunshot wound.
- Hematoma: These are basically a bruise or blood clots on the brain.
Disability Caused By Brain Damage
Brain injuries are classified as mild (Glasgow Coma Scale of 13-15), moderate (Glasgow Coma Scale of 9-12) or severe, depending on the location and extent of the injury. Even in the absence of impact, significant acceleration or deceleration of the head can cause TBI; in most cases, however, a combination of impact and acceleration or deceleration is to blame. Forces involving cranial impact, also known as contact or impact loading, are the cause of most focal injuries, which send shock waves through the skull and brain, resulting in tissue damage. Movement of the brain within the skull, termed noncontact or inertial loading, is most often the cause of diffuse head injuries.
Griggs Injury Law has represented head injury victims with brain damage ranging in severity from mild to severe. Some clients had mild limitations and others had to start life all over after an accident. Our experienced personal injury lawyer can read your medical reports and understand the medical terminology that is most critical to your case.
Long-Term Consequences And Costs Of A Traumatic Brain Injury
Some people with head injury make a complete recovery, but many do not. As a result, the injured may be unable to work or care for themselves. Our firm has the resources to get a guardian or family member appointed to help with finances, daily activities, self-care and life decisions if necessary.
When we represent a client with a brain injury, we work hard to obtain a settlement or verdict that will cover all past and future losses. We work with top experts to determine the costs of serious brain damage, including:
- Lost income: We consult with forensic accountants, life care planners and economic experts to determine wage loss, impairment of earning capability, lost benefits and opportunities, and future loss of income.
- Medical care and rehabilitation: We know the area’s top neuropsychologists, neurologists and other medical specialists who are best suited for the extent and severity of the injury, as well as the cost of past and future health care, therapy and rehabilitation.
- Pain and suffering: In addition to seeking damages for financial losses, we work to recover for the physical and emotional effects of a brain injury. We seek compensation for pain, suffering and emotional distress. We create day-in-the-life videos and gather other evidence to show the impact that a brain injury can have on every aspect of life.
- Lifelong services and treatment: For many victims of brain trauma, their work and relationships completely change and they may need a lifetime of care, treatment and services.
Helpful Information And Resources On Brain Injuries
Journal of Neurotrauma: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408240/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/severe.html
University of Missouri-KC: http://health.mo.gov/living/families/shcn/pdf/HeadStartTBIPresentation.pdf
Missouri Brain Injury Advisory Council: http://health.mo.gov/living/families/shcn/pdf/TBIGuideGreenBook.pdf
Schedule Your Initial Consultation With Us
With over 15 years of experience as a personal injury lawyer, Annette Griggs has the seasoned legal judgment you need to bring your brain injury case. Drawing on Annette’s experience, our entire firm understands how to deal with injury cases, including those situations where the insurance company is undervaluing a case or treating a client unfairly.
Call Griggs Injury Law, LLC, to learn more about how we can help you: 816-474-0202. You can also reach us online.
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