A traumatic brain injury can change everything — memory, concentration, speech, mobility, mood, work, and family life. If someone else's negligence caused your TBI, Bur Oak Injury Law fights for the full value of your medical expenses, lost wages, future care, and life impact. We handle your case personally — no handoffs to associates or paralegals.
(573) 499-0200 — Free ConsultationChris Miller has spent more than two decades representing seriously injured clients in Columbia and across Central Missouri. He personally handles every TBI case — no handoffs to associates or paralegals. From the first call to the final outcome, your case stays with Chris. That matters in TBI litigation, where complex medical proof, expert coordination, and a proven trial track record make the difference between a lowball settlement and full compensation.
Traumatic brain injury cases are legally and medically more complex than standard personal injury claims. Insurance adjusters routinely challenge the severity of brain injuries — especially mild TBI and concussion cases — and may dispute whether long-term symptoms are genuinely connected to the accident. Without strong evidence and experienced legal advocacy, you risk accepting a settlement that fails to cover your future needs.
An experienced Columbia personal injury lawyer can level the playing field. Here is what dedicated TBI legal representation provides:
We compile diagnostic imaging, neuropsychological test results, and specialist reports to document the full nature and extent of your brain injury — including symptoms that may not appear on initial scans.
Our team gathers accident reconstruction data, witness statements, police reports, video footage, and insurance documentation to establish who is responsible for your injury.
Life-care planning for TBI cases involves projecting long-term costs for ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, cognitive therapy, home modifications, and permanent disability needs.
We work with neurologists, neuropsychologists, speech therapists, life-care planners, and economists to build a case that fully values your injury — not just the immediate costs.
We calculate both economic losses — medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity — and non-economic losses including pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
We handle all communication with the insurance adjuster so you can focus on recovery. If the insurer refuses fair compensation, we are prepared to take your case to trial in Missouri court.
TBIs can result from any incident that causes a sudden impact or violent movement of the head. These are the most common causes we handle for clients across Boone County and Central Missouri:
Collisions on I-70, US-63, Stadium Boulevard, and Providence Road can cause a serious brain injury when the head strikes a window, steering wheel, dashboard, or pavement at speed.
Motorcycle accident victims face a high risk of traumatic brain injuries because there is little protection between the rider and the road, another vehicle, or roadside hazards.
Ice, snow, wet entryways, and untreated sidewalks cause falls at businesses, apartment complexes, and public spaces throughout Columbia, Missouri, resulting in serious head trauma.
Contact sports, recreational athletics, and spectator-area incidents may lead to concussions or more severe brain injuries when proper safety protocols are not followed.
Falling objects, ladder falls, scaffold incidents, machinery accidents, and unsafe worksite conditions in Columbia's growing development areas can cause head trauma and long-term medical needs.
Cyclists may suffer traumatic brain injuries when hit by vehicles, forced off the road, or injured by unsafe road conditions on Columbia's bike routes and shared pathways.
Industrial equipment, falling materials, vehicle movement, and unsafe work practices can cause head injuries that may support workers' compensation and third-party personal injury claims.
Preventable medical errors that cause or worsen brain injuries carry a two-year statute of limitations in Missouri — a shorter deadline than standard personal injury claims.
Pedestrians near crosswalks, intersections, campuses, and entertainment areas may suffer severe head trauma when drivers fail to yield, speed through intersections, or drive distracted.
A nursing home resident may suffer a TBI when staff fail to prevent falls, respond to known risks, or provide safe living conditions — giving rise to both negligence and elder abuse claims.
A successful traumatic brain injury case requires careful preparation, substantial evidence, and a clear strategy. Engaging an attorney early — before evidence disappears and the insurance company frames the narrative — gives your case the strongest possible foundation.
We begin with a no-obligation consultation to discuss the accident, your injury, medical care received, and how the incident has affected your life and your family. We review medical records and accident details, assess the strength of your TBI claim, and explain your legal rights under Missouri law — including relevant deadlines.
We collect accident scene evidence, witness statements, video footage, police reports, insurance documentation, diagnostic imaging, neuropsychological test results, and records from your treating providers. When needed, we engage medical experts — neurologists, neuropsychologists, speech therapists — to document the full extent of the brain injury and connect it to the accident.
We calculate current and future medical expenses — including emergency treatment, rehabilitation, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, medication, assistive devices, home modifications, and long-term care — alongside lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Life-care planners and economists help establish the full monetary compensation available under Missouri law.
We handle all communication with the insurance company so you are not dealing with an adjuster alone. Our focus is maximum compensation for your traumatic brain injury through settlement negotiations, mediation, or — if the insurer refuses to offer fair value — trial. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning no payment unless we win your case.
Traumatic brain injuries range from mild concussions — which may produce persistent post-concussion syndrome — to severe diffuse axonal injuries and coup-contrecoup injuries that cause permanent disability. Contusions and intracranial hemorrhaging require immediate medical attention and ongoing neurological care. Whether your TBI is classified as mild, moderate, or severe, Missouri law recognizes your right to recover the full range of economic and non-economic damages caused by another party's negligence.
Economic damages in a TBI claim include emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, surgery, neurological rehabilitation, cognitive and speech therapy, prescription medication, assistive devices, home modification costs, future medical expenses estimated through life-care planning, past and future lost wages, and reduced earning capacity. Non-economic damages address physical pain, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life — losses that are real but harder to quantify. In cases involving egregious conduct, Missouri courts may also award punitive damages.
Under RSMo §516.120, most personal injury lawsuits in Missouri — including traumatic brain injury cases — must be filed within five years of the accident or injury date. Medical malpractice TBI claims carry a shorter two-year deadline. Wrongful death claims arising from a fatal TBI must be filed within three years of the decedent's death. Acting quickly matters: physical evidence can disappear within months, witnesses become harder to locate, and the insurance company begins building its defense from day one. Contact Bur Oak Injury Law as soon as possible after a TBI to protect your rights across Columbia, Missouri, and the surrounding communities of Central Missouri.
No fee unless we win. Free consultation for TBI victims and families across Columbia and Central Missouri.