KANSAS CITY CONCUSSION LAWYERS

A concussion can change how you think, work, sleep and get along with the people you love, even when it looks like nothing is wrong. When it comes from a car wreck, a motorcycle or bicycle crash, or a fall someone could have prevented, the people and companies responsible should answer for it. At Sanders.Law, our Civil Prosecutors and trial attorneys stand with people living with a concussion, and with their families, across the Kansas City metro in Missouri and Kansas.

Call (816) 457-6006. Calls are answered 24/7, and consultations are confidential.

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What is a concussion?

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). The CDC explains that it is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or by a hit to the body that makes the head and brain move quickly back and forth. That sudden movement can make the brain bounce or twist in the skull, cause chemical changes in the brain, and stretch and damage brain cells.^[1]

Doctors may call a concussion mild because it is usually not life-threatening. Even so, the CDC notes that its effects can be serious.^[1] So a crash can cause a concussion even if the head doesn't hit anything.^[1]

How crashes and falls cause concussions

Falls and crashes are the two leading causes of brain injuries serious enough to need a hospital stay. In a CDC study of 2018 U.S. hospital data, falls caused 51.0% of nonfatal TBI-related hospitalizations and motor-vehicle crashes caused 23.8%.^[2]

Many of those injuries didn't have to happen. A driver who was texting, a trucking company that pushed a tired driver, or a property owner who left a broken step or a wet floor in place can each leave someone with a concussion. Holding the responsible people accountable is how we push back, and how we work to keep the next family safe.

Car wrecks · Motorcycle wrecks · Semi-truck wrecks

Concussion symptoms

Some concussion symptoms appear right away. Others may not show up for hours or days after the injury. Symptoms are different for each person and can affect how you feel, think, act or sleep.^[3] The CDC lists these:

• Physical: headaches, nausea or vomiting (early on), dizziness or balance problems, being bothered by light or noise, feeling tired or having no energy, vision problems
• Thinking and remembering: trouble with attention or concentration, feeling slowed down, foggy or groggy, problems with short- or long-term memory, trouble thinking clearly
• Social or emotional: irritability or getting angry easily, anxiety or nervousness, feeling more emotional, sadness
• Sleep: sleeping more or less than usual, or trouble falling asleep

Symptoms can change during recovery. The CDC gives an example: headaches and an upset stomach early on, then, a week or two later, feeling more emotional than usual or having trouble sleeping.^[3] A person with a concussion may not recognize or admit they are having problems, and problems can be overlooked by the person, their family or their health care provider.^[3] If you are worried about someone you love, writing down the changes you see can help their doctors.

When to get emergency care

In rare cases, a dangerous blood clot can form after a head injury. The CDC says to call 911 or go to an emergency department right away if the person:^[3]

• Has a headache that gets worse and does not go away
• Has weakness, numbness, decreased coordination, convulsions or seizures
• Vomits repeatedly
• Has slurred speech or unusual behavior
• Has one pupil larger than the other
• Cannot recognize people or places, or gets confused, restless or agitated
• Loses consciousness, looks very drowsy or cannot be woken up

For a child who had a bump, blow or jolt to the head or body, also get emergency care right away if the child won't stop crying and can't be comforted, or won't nurse or eat.^[3]

Recovery: most people get better, but not everyone

Symptoms generally improve over time, and the CDC says most people with a mild TBI or concussion feel better within a couple of weeks.^[3]

For some people, recovery takes longer. In TRACK-TBI, a study of people 17 and older seen for mild TBI at 11 U.S. Level I trauma centers, an estimated 53% reported at least some injury-related limitation in daily life 12 months later, compared with 38% of people treated for orthopedic injuries.^[4] Because everyone in the study was seen at a major trauma center and had a head CT, the results may not reflect every concussion.

The CDC also notes that a person who has had more than one concussion may have a longer recovery or more severe symptoms, and may have long-term problems with concentration, memory, headache or balance.^[1]

Mild traumatic brain injury · Loss of consciousness · Amnesia · Traumatic brain injury

A normal scan doesn't rule out a concussion

The CDC says a brain scan, such as a CT scan, is not needed to spot a concussion, though doctors may order one for patients at risk for bleeding on the brain. Doctors may also use tests of learning, memory, concentration and problem-solving, and the CDC notes that a person may still have a concussion even if the injury doesn't show up on those tests.^[1]

In that same trauma-center study (TRACK-TBI), 49% of the mild TBI patients whose head CT scan showed no bleeding or other sign of injury inside the skull still reported some limitation 12 months later.^[4]

Can I bring a case after a concussion?

You may, when someone else's negligence or wrongful act caused your injury. A concussion case generally needs proof that the other side was at fault, and evidence, usually medical, connecting your concussion and your losses to what happened. If you have a concussion and believe someone else caused it, we can talk it through in a confidential consultation.

Concussions are often invisible to everyone except the person who was hurt and the people closest to them. The other side may say the injury is minor, or that something else caused it, and doctors can sometimes disagree. That is why the evidence matters.

What to do after a possible concussion

1. Get checked by a health care provider as soon as you can, and get emergency care right away for any danger sign above.^[1][3]
2. Follow your provider's instructions, including when it's safe to return to work, driving, sports and other activities.^[1]
3. Keep a simple daily note of your symptoms, and ask family to write down changes they notice.
4. Keep copies of medical records, bills, the crash or incident report, and photos of the scene and your injuries.
5. You generally don't have to give the other side's insurer a recorded statement, and it's wise to talk with a lawyer first. Cooperating with police, and with your own insurer as your policy requires, is different.
6. Call Sanders.Law at (816) 457-6006.

How Sanders.Law builds a concussion case

We answer "it's only a concussion" with evidence:

• What happened: police and incident reports, photos, video, vehicle data and witness accounts, which we work early to have preserved.
• The medical record: emergency and follow-up care, imaging, and any testing of learning, memory, concentration and problem-solving that your doctors order.
• Your doctors: treating physicians and, when a case calls for it, other qualified physicians who can explain the injury to a jury in plain language.
• The people closest to you: family, friends and co-workers who can describe life before the injury and after it.

Our trial attorneys build each case carefully and prepare it as if it may be tried in front of a jury, so our clients can focus on healing while we focus on accountability.

What the law allows after a concussion

If someone else's negligence caused your concussion, Missouri and Kansas law may allow you to recover compensation for losses such as medical care, lost wages or income, and pain, suffering and the ways the injury has changed your daily life. Punitive damages, meant to punish and deter, require clear and convincing evidence: in Missouri, that the defendant intentionally harmed the injured person without just cause or acted with a deliberate and flagrant disregard for the safety of others;^[5] in Kansas, that the defendant acted toward the injured person with willful conduct, wanton conduct, fraud or malice.^[6]

Filing deadlines in Missouri and Kansas

Don't let a deadline decide your case. Many Missouri personal injury claims must be filed within five years^[7] and many Missouri wrongful-death claims within three years.^[8] Many Kansas personal injury and wrongful-death claims must be filed within two years.^[9] Exceptions can shorten or extend these periods, so call us about your own deadline. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Talk with a Kansas City trial attorney

If you or someone you love has a concussion, and you believe someone else's carelessness caused it, call (816) 457-6006. Let us help you obtain justice – not only for your family, but for the sake of our community. Calls are answered 24/7, and consultations are confidential.

Call (816) 457-6006 – calls answered 24/7 Contact us

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Sources

1. CDC, "About Mild TBI and Concussion" (Sept 15, 2025). Re-read Oct 21, 2026, ~4:22 AM PT. Same wording Medical Advisor cleared on the TBI hub draft, Oct 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/traumatic-brain-injury/about/index.html (checked Oct 21, 2026)
2. Peterson AB, Thomas KE, "Incidence of Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injury–Related Hospitalizations — United States, 2018," CDC MMWR, Dec 3, 2021;70(48):1664–1668, Table 2 (unintentional falls 51.0%, motor vehicle crashes 23.8%). Re-verified Oct 21, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7048a3.htm (checked Oct 21, 2026)
3. CDC, "Symptoms of Mild TBI and Concussion," incl. "Danger signs in adults" and "Danger signs in children" (Sept 15, 2025). Re-read Oct 21, 2026, ~4:22 AM PT. https://www.cdc.gov/traumatic-brain-injury/signs-symptoms/index.html (checked Oct 21, 2026)
4. Nelson LD et al., "Recovery After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Patients Presenting to US Level I Trauma Centers: A TRACK-TBI Study," JAMA Neurology 2019;76(9):1049–1059 (erratum 76(12):1520), doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.1313, PMID 31157856 (12 months: 53% mTBI vs 38% orthopedic controls; CT-negative mTBI 49%; participants aged 17 and older). Re-verified on PubMed and PMC Oct 21, 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6547159/ (checked Oct 21, 2026)
5. RSMo 510.261.1 (punitive damages; clear and convincing evidence; effective Aug 28, 2020). Re-verified Oct 21, 2026. https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=510.261 (checked Oct 21, 2026)
6. K.S.A. 60-3702(c) (punitive damages; clear and convincing evidence). Re-verified Oct 21, 2026. https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch60/060_037_0002.html (checked Oct 21, 2026)
7. RSMo 516.120(4) (five years). Re-verified Oct 21, 2026. https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=516.120 (checked Oct 21, 2026)
8. RSMo 537.100.1 (wrongful death, three years). Re-verified Oct 21, 2026. https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=537.100 (checked Oct 21, 2026)
9. K.S.A. 60-513(a)(4), (a)(5) (two years). Re-verified Oct 21, 2026. https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch60/060_005_0013.html (checked Oct 21, 2026)