A traumatic brain injury is a head injury caused by some trauma to the body (as opposed to degenerative or genetic brain disorders). It is a form of brain damage caused by a head injury resulting from a bump, blow, or bash to the head.
One mild form of traumatic brain injury is called a concussion, which is usually temporary.
How prevalent is a head injury from trauma?
Traumatic brain injuries are a major cause of death and disability in the United States.
Almost one-third of all injury-related deaths are a result of a traumatic brain injury. That’s
153 people who die every day from traumatic brain injuries. But not every head injury is fatal. Symptoms of a closed head injury (signs of brain damage), like a traumatic brian injury, can last anywhere from a few days to a lifetime. Head injury symptoms include foggy thinking, memory impairment, inhibited movement, loss or distortion of the senses, personality changes, and depression (not an exhaustive list).
What causes a traumatic brain injury?
In 2013, the
Centers for Disease Control collected data for all emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths related to traumatic brain injury. Their data revealed the top three causes of brain damage:
- 47% of all the traumatic-brain-injury-related hospitalizations, deaths, and emergency room visits were caused by some kind of fall (seniors and infants are most susceptible to these kinds of head injuries);
- 15.4% were caused by the head being struck by or against some object (children, youth, and young adults have the highest prevalence of this kind of brain damage); and
- 13.7% were caused by a traffic accident (people from 15 to 44 years of age are most often injured in this manner).
Do I need a brain injury attorney?
Because traumatic brain injuries are caused, by definition, by some kind of trauma or blow to the head, it is very often the case that this head injury is the result of someone else’s careless or intentional act. These kinds of injuries implicate brain injury law and require a brain injury attorney. Consider the following scenarios:
- Someone who has been in a traffic accident, and their head hit the headrest or steering wheel (or any other part of the vehicle) would want to consult with a brain injury attorney.
- Someone who was seated in a defective chair that collapses beneath them, causing them to hit their head, would want to see a brain injury attorney.
- Someone who slips and falls in a puddle of water at a casino and hits their head would want to see a traumatic brain injury attorney.
- Someone whose tires fail, resulting in a traffic accident, would want to see a brain damage attorney.
In short, if you were hit in the head, and there was some mechanism or outside factor that you think caused your head injury symptoms, seek out a brain injury law firm and speak to a qualified brain damage attorney.
Other than consulting with a brain injury lawyer, people in these situations would also, obviously, need to see a doctor who specializes in brain damage and the treatment of head injuries.
At
H&P Law, we understand traumatic brain injuries and can help you get compensated for your cognitive losses and make sure your treatment at the neurologist is paid for.
