Brain injuries are unlike other injuries in one important way: the damage often isn’t visible on standard imaging, and its full consequences may not be clear for months.
Morris & Dewett has handled serious injury cases in Central Louisiana for over 25 years.
TBI Classification and the Glasgow Coma Scale
TBI
Traumatic Brain Injury. A disruption of normal brain function caused by an external force, including a bump, blow, jolt, or penetrating injury. TBI ranges from mild (concussion) to severe (extended unconsciousness or coma).
GCS
Glasgow Coma Scale. A standardized neurological scoring tool that measures eye opening (1-4), verbal response (1-5), and motor response (1-6) for a total of 3 to 15. Lower scores indicate more severe brain injury.
Doctors classify TBI as mild, moderate, or severe using the GCS. Scores of 13 to 15 indicate mild TBI. Scores of 9 to 12 indicate moderate TBI. Scores of 3 to 8 indicate severe TBI.
This classification happens at the accident scene and in the emergency department. EMS personnel document the GCS score in the ambulance run report. That number becomes the baseline evidence of injury severity.
Mild TBI, including concussion, often shows no abnormality on a standard CT or MRI. Insurance adjusters point to a clean scan and argue the injury is minor. That argument is wrong, but it takes expert evidence to counter. Moderate TBI typically involves loss of consciousness lasting 30 minutes to 24 hours and produces findings on advanced imaging. Severe TBI involves a GCS score of 3 to 8, often extended unconsciousness, and carries a high probability of permanent impairment.
Morris & Dewett works with neuroradiologists who review raw DICOM imaging files, not just the written radiology report. That review often finds missed findings.
Serving Alexandria
Served from our Lake Charles office -- serving all of Rapides Parish.
4865 Ihles Road
Lake Charles, LA 70605
Open 24/7 for injured Alexandria residents
Get directions →How Do Traumatic Brain Injuries Happen in Rapides Parish?
Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of non-fatal traumatic brain injuries in Louisiana. State data documents 2,490 emergency department visits and 742 hospitalizations from traffic-related TBIs in a single year. 26% of vehicle crash hospitalizations in Louisiana involve a traumatic brain injury.
In Rapides Parish, I-49 and US-71 carry significant traffic volume. High-speed rear-end collisions on these corridors produce the rapid deceleration forces that cause brain injuries. Rollover crashes generate the rotational forces behind diffuse axonal injury. Falls, workplace incidents at industrial facilities, and pedestrian accidents cause brain injuries as well.
The mechanism of injury matters legally. Your attorney must connect the forces documented in the crash investigation to the biological mechanism of your brain injury. That connection is the causation link the jury must understand. Alexandria car accident lawyers and Alexandria truck accident lawyers at Morris & Dewett handle the most common TBI-producing crash types in this market.
Coup-Contrecoup Injuries and Diffuse Axonal Injury
Standard CT scans miss two of the most common and serious TBI injury patterns: coup-contrecoup and diffuse axonal injury.
Coup-contrecoup
A brain injury pattern where the brain bounces inside the skull. The coup injury occurs at the site of impact. The contrecoup injury occurs on the opposite side of the brain, where it rebounds against the skull. Both injury sites require documentation.
Coup-contrecoup injuries occur when a vehicle stops suddenly and the brain continues moving inside the skull. The brain injures on contact with the skull at the point of impact. It then rebounds and injures on the opposite side. One crash can produce two distinct injury zones.
DAI
Diffuse Axonal Injury. An injury pattern where axons (the connecting fibers between brain cells) shear and stretch across multiple brain regions due to rotational acceleration. DAI often does not appear on standard CT scans and requires advanced imaging to document.
DAI is the other commonly missed pattern. Rotational forces in rollover crashes or T-bone impacts stretch and tear the axons connecting different brain regions. A standard CT scan typically looks normal. The person experiences profound cognitive deficits. The insurance adjuster points to the CT and says nothing is wrong.
Documenting DAI requires diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) or susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI). Some neuroradiologists also detect microhemorrhages on susceptibility sequences that standard reads miss.
What We Handle
Alexandria Practice Areas
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Car Accidents Rear-end, intersection, and highway collisions across Louisiana. -
Truck Accidents 18-wheeler and commercial-vehicle wrecks governed by federal trucking rules. -
Motorcycle Accidents Serious-injury motorcycle crashes where bias against riders is common. -
Bus Accidents Transit, school, and charter-bus crashes involving public and private carriers. -
Catastrophic Injury Brain, spinal-cord, amputation, and severe-burn injuries that change a life. -
Brain Injury Traumatic brain injuries with long-term cognitive and physical effects. -
Wrongful Death Claims brought by families after a fatal accident or act of negligence. -
Construction Accidents Falls, struck-by, and equipment injuries on the job site. -
Offshore Accidents Rig, platform, and vessel injuries beyond the shoreline. -
Workers' Compensation On-the-job injuries and the benefits owed to injured workers.
Long-Term Consequences of Moderate and Severe TBI
Cognitive impairment, personality changes, seizure disorder, and chronic headache are the most common long-term outcomes after moderate or severe TBI. These are not temporary symptoms. They define what the rest of a survivor’s life looks like.
Cognitive impairment is one of the most common long-term outcomes. Memory loss, slowed processing speed, and deficits in executive function affect the ability to work, manage finances, and sustain relationships. These deficits are measurable through neuropsychological testing.
Personality and behavioral changes are often more disabling than physical symptoms. Impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, depression, and anxiety emerge after TBI at rates that are significantly higher than the general population. Families adjust to someone who is not the same person they knew before the accident.
Post-traumatic seizure disorder develops in 5 to 10% of closed-head TBI patients. It requires ongoing neurological management, medication, and driving restrictions that further limit independence. Post-traumatic headache is the most common persistent symptom after mild TBI. When it lasts beyond three months, it is classified as chronic post-traumatic headache and may require long-term specialist care.
Many TBI survivors cannot return to their prior employment level. A vocational expert documents the earning capacity reduction by analyzing the documented cognitive deficits against occupational requirements. For severe TBI, life expectancy may be shortened, which affects how the life care plan is structured. Morris & Dewett retains life care planners certified in catastrophic injury assessment to project needs over the adjusted life expectancy of each specific client.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; each case is decided on its own facts. See our full case results.
The Medical Experts Who Build Your TBI Case
A TBI case is built on expert testimony. The medical evidence does not organize or present itself. Here is who builds it.
The neurologist is the medical foundation of the claim. They document the injury, interpret imaging studies, and provide the causation opinion that connects the accident to the brain injury. Without a clear neurological causation opinion, the defense challenges every connection in the claim.
neuropsychologist
A licensed psychologist who specializes in the relationship between brain function and behavior. In TBI cases, neuropsychologists administer standardized cognitive tests to document deficits in memory, processing speed, attention, and executive function. Test results are objective and admissible.
The neuropsychologist administers standardized cognitive testing, including tests like the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), to quantify deficits in objective, admissible terms. Subjective complaints become measurable scores.
life care planner
A certified professional who projects all future medical and support needs for a catastrophically injured person. The plan covers rehabilitation, medications, equipment, in-home care, and therapy over the person’s remaining life expectancy and is converted to a present-value dollar figure by an economist.
The life care planner projects every anticipated future need over the remaining life expectancy. For a severe TBI, this document can support a claim in the millions. The Louisiana Department of Health provides rehabilitation resources in Rapides Parish, but private rehabilitation needs often exceed what public programs cover.
loss of earning capacity
The difference between what a person could have earned over their working life before the injury and what they can earn after it. This is not the same as lost wages. It is the permanent reduction in lifetime earning potential, calculated by a vocational expert and converted to present value by an economist.
The vocational expert calculates loss of earning capacity by comparing pre-injury work capacity against post-injury limitations documented by the neuropsychologist.
The defense will retain an IME (independent medical examination) physician to challenge your injuries. That examiner is paid by the insurance company. Your attorney should review the IME findings before any deposition and prepare your treating physicians to respond to specific IME criticisms.
Your Alexandria Injury Attorneys
Founding partners Trey Morris and Justin Dewett lead every Alexandria injury case Morris & Dewett takes.
Rapides Regional Medical Center and the Trauma System
Rapides Regional Medical Center is a Level II trauma center in Alexandria. Level II designation means the facility is capable of providing definitive care for most traumatic brain injury patients. Neurosurgical coverage is available 24 hours a day.
Complex cases requiring specialized neuro critical care may transfer to LSU Health Shreveport. That transfer creates additional medical records that document the severity of the injury and the level of care required.
Your medical records from Rapides Regional are central to your case. Emergency department records contain the initial GCS score. Neurosurgical operative notes document any interventions. ICU flow sheets track neurological status over time. Obtain these records as soon as possible. The treatment timeline builds the severity narrative that your experts reinforce.
At Morris & Dewett, record preservation is part of the initial intake process. Delays in record collection create gaps that the defense exploits.
What Louisiana Law Allows You to Recover After a TBI
Louisiana law divides recoverable damages into two categories.
Economic damages include past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity. The 2024 tort reform under La. R.S. 9:2800.27 changed how medical damages are calculated. Recoverable medical expenses equal the amounts actually paid to providers, not the amounts billed. For uninsured clients or those with Medicaid, this distinction affects how medical damages are presented and valued at trial.
Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, mental anguish, cognitive impairment, personality changes, and loss of enjoyment of life. Louisiana courts impose no cap on personal injury non-economic damages. This is distinct from medical malpractice, which has a $500,000 cap. Lifetime TBI care costs in Louisiana can reach $3 million. Your non-economic damages may add significantly to that economic foundation.
loss of consortium
A legal claim by a spouse for the loss of companionship, affection, and support caused by the injured partner’s condition. It is a separate damage category from the injured person’s own claim and is available to spouses under La. C.C. Art. 2315.
A spouse may bring a separate loss of consortium claim under La. C.C. Art. 2315.
Comparative Fault
A legal rule that reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault. In Louisiana, if you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. If you are 50% or less at fault, your damages are reduced proportionally.
Comparative Fault under La. C.C. Art. 2323 took effect January 1, 2026. If you are 51% or more at fault for your accident, you recover nothing. At 50% or less, your damages reduce proportionally. Insurance adjusters use comparative fault as a primary defense strategy. Morris & Dewett addresses fault allocation early by preserving crash scene evidence and retaining accident reconstruction experts before evidence is lost.
See Alexandria catastrophic injury lawyers for related practice area coverage.
What clients say
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I hired Morris and Dewett back in November of 2025.
They helped me get through my hard times of being off work, stress, and worry. Anytime I had a question I could call and they always had an answer. Very nice and professtional people. Thank you Morris and Dewett for making this an easy process for me and my family.
- ★★★★★
Morris and Dewett and their team of attorneys and staff go above and beyond.
They always were there to support me and answer all my questions after a shoulder injury that included multiple surgeries. They are caring and compassionate and that goes a long way! Highly recommended!
- ★★★★★
Thanks Morris and Dewett for the excellent work you have done on my behalf.
I want to personally thank Sarah for her kindness.
- ★★★★★
Morris & Dewett does things the right way!
They put their clients first in measurable and impactful ways.
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First time being injured and needing a lawyer they where very helpful.
They answered my questions Id have very well. Highly recommend them.
- ★★★★★
Wonderful experience with Morris and DeWitt, everyone was articulate and punctual, and open to all my questions about the process.
My case couldn't have been handled by a better team! Caity Nerren, Jessica Christian, and Meghan Nolen were all fantastic and helped every step of the way. Thanks again for all of your hard work.
Reviews reflect individual client experiences. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Filing Deadlines and the 9th Judicial District Court
Prescriptive Period
Louisiana’s term for statute of limitations. The legal deadline to file a lawsuit. For personal injury, it is two years from the date of injury under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1 (effective July 1, 2024).
The Prescriptive Period for personal injury in Louisiana is two years from the date of injury under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1, which took effect July 1, 2024. Incidents before that date were subject to a one-year prescriptive period under the prior statute.
Louisiana applies the discovery rule narrowly. The clock may begin from the date of TBI diagnosis in limited circumstances where the injury was not reasonably apparent at the time of the accident. Courts scrutinize these arguments closely. Do not count on the discovery rule to extend your deadline.
Minor children are protected. The prescriptive period suspends until the child’s 18th birthday, at which point the two-year clock begins.
TBI cases in Rapides Parish are filed in the 9th Judicial District Court. Missing the filing deadline means the court dismisses the case. No exception exists for being unaware of the law. The only way to confirm the deadline is to know the exact date of injury and the applicable law at that time.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between a mild TBI and a concussion?
- A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. The terms are used interchangeably. "Mild" refers to the GCS classification (score of 13-15), not to the severity of long-term consequences. A mild TBI can produce persistent cognitive deficits, chronic post-traumatic headache, and lasting personality changes even when all initial imaging is normal.
- My CT scan was normal. Can I still have a serious brain injury?
- Yes. Standard CT scans do not detect diffuse axonal injury (DAI), the most common injury pattern from rotational acceleration in vehicle crashes. DAI requires diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) or susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) to document. Insurance adjusters routinely cite a normal CT to minimize claims. That argument fails when advanced imaging and neuropsychological testing show the actual deficits.
- How long do I have to file a brain injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
- Two years from the date of injury under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1, which took effect July 1, 2024. Incidents before July 1, 2024 were subject to a one-year deadline. If a minor child was injured, the two-year period does not begin until their 18th birthday. Missing this deadline results in dismissal.
- What doctors do I need to see to build a strong TBI case?
- The core medical team for a TBI claim includes a neurologist, a neuropsychologist, and a life care planner. The neurologist establishes the diagnosis and causation opinion. The neuropsychologist administers standardized cognitive testing to quantify your deficits in objective, admissible terms. The life care planner projects your future medical and support needs. For cases involving lost earning capacity, a vocational expert joins the team. An accident reconstructionist ties the crash forces to the injury mechanism.
- What does La. R.S. 9:2800.27 mean for my medical expense claim?
- La. R.S. 9:2800.27, effective under the 2024 tort reform, limits recoverable medical expenses to amounts actually paid to providers, not the amounts originally billed. This affects TBI cases significantly because the gap between billed charges and paid amounts is often large. Your attorney needs to structure the medical damages presentation around paid amounts and anticipated future care costs under the new rule.
- Can I recover for future losses like ongoing care and lost earning capacity?
- Yes. Louisiana law allows recovery for future medical expenses, future lost earning capacity, and non-economic damages projected into the future. A life care planner documents anticipated care needs over your life expectancy and assigns costs. A vocational expert calculates the permanent reduction in your earning potential. An economist converts those future values to present value for the damages calculation. There is no cap on personal injury non-economic damages in Louisiana.
- What happens if I was partially at fault for my accident?
- Under La. C.C. Art. 2323 (effective January 1, 2026), Louisiana uses a 51% comparative fault bar. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. If you are 50% or less at fault, your damages reduce proportionally by your percentage of fault. Insurance adjusters build defense strategies around pushing your fault percentage above 50%. Your attorney needs to address fault allocation from the first day of the case by preserving crash scene evidence and retaining reconstruction experts before that evidence disappears.
- How do I pay for TBI treatment while my case is pending?
- TBI treatment does not wait for a case to settle. Options include your own health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and medical provider liens where the provider agrees to be paid from the settlement. Some treating physicians work on a lien basis for injury patients. Morris & Dewett discusses payment structure options at the initial consultation. The contingency fee arrangement means you pay no attorney fees unless there is a recovery.
Last updated June 5, 2026