A middle school girl outside Kansas City died in early December after suffering a head injury. The girl had been sent home from school early after hitting her head against a wall during gym class. According to the Kansas City Star, she woke with a headache and stayed home from school again the next day. When her mother checked on her later that morning, she was unresponsive. Emergency workers could not revive her and the death is under investigation.
Unfortunately, this terrible tragedy follows a pattern that’s not unusual for brain injuries. As a brain injury attorney in St. Louis, I know it’s not unusual for patients with serious head injuries to report only a mild headache, or even no problems at all, at first. It’s only later that they and their loved ones begin noticing permanent effects from the injury, including personality changes, damage to sight or other senses or trouble controlling emotions. And in many cases, a blow to the head is only the trigger for a secondary brain injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, swelling or other events that can make a minor brain injury substantially worse.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sports and recreation cause as many as 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) every year. Many of these patients may go untreated because they don’t seem or feel seriously hurt, or because coaches and teachers may have a “tough love” mentality. Unfortunately, TBIs are a leading cause of injury and death among young Americans, sending 435,000 kids ages 14 and under to emergency rooms each year and killing an estimated 2,685. Some TBIs don’t cause lasting damage, but others leave their victims disabled or with permanent changes to their abilities and personalities.
At the Lowe Law Firm, we represent patients whose lives have been changed by brain injuries sustained through sports accidents, car crashes, medical mistakes and many other causes. Our attorneys have the experience and resources necessary to thoroughly prove the serious injuries associated with a TBI. If you or someone you love has sustained a serious head injury (including a wrongful death) and you would like to speak with us about your options, please contact us today for a free evaluation of your case.
