A student at St. Joseph’s Lafayette High School was hit by a car while walking to school. Initial reports indicate that his injuries from the car accident were non-life-threatening, but that he suffered a concussion. The slick roads in western Missouri are being blamed for the incident.
Lafayette Student Hit By Car Sliding on Ice
The incident happened this morning before classes at Lafayette High School had begun.
At about 7:45am, a Lafayette student was walking to school and had reached the street just next to the school’s parking lot. That was when a car, driven by another Lafayette student, skidded on icy roads and hit the pedestrian.
The car accident garnered lots of police attention on a day where numerous similar accidents were occurring throughout St. Joseph. Freezing drizzle coated the roads with a thin layer of ice that made driving very difficult. At one point in the police response to the accident outside Lafayette High School, a city truck had to salt the roads so police could reach the top of the hill where the accident occurred.
While the injuries sustained by the walking student are not life-threatening, reports indicate that he may have suffered a concussion.
Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are some of the most devastating injuries that people can suffer. They are life-altering because they impair victims to such an extent that they are unable to mentally function at their previous levels. Traumatic brain injuries can cause extremely uncomfortable headaches for years after the event, as well as other symptoms, like:
- Slurred speech
- Intellectual haziness
- Dizziness
- Seizures
- Inability to concentrate
In the worst cases, traumatic brain injuries lead to a coma or a vegetative state.
Concussions are often classified as “mild traumatic brain injuries.” While most mild traumatic brain injuries see their chief symptoms – loss of consciousness, confusion, and disorientation – dissolve within 30 minutes of the accident, latent symptoms like memory problems and attention deficits can last far longer. Worse, they are often difficult to detect with an MRI or CAT scan, and doctors often fail to notice because they have no opportunity to form a baseline for a particular victim. Symptoms can even be delayed for days or weeks after the accident, making it unclear that they are connected to the accident.
Car Accident Lawyers at the Smith Law Office Serve St. Joseph
Concussions are tricky injuries to suffer in a car accident. Victims need to understand that they are not normal injuries, that they can suffer a wide variety of symptoms, and that it can take over a month to know for sure that the danger from the accident has passed.
The personal injury lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph regularly represent people who have been in a car accident and have suffered a concussion or more serious traumatic brain injury. By representing these victims in court, our lawyers can recover the compensation they need and deserve. Contact us online or call our law office at (816) 875-9373.