A traumatic brain injury is a massive head injury that causes a brain dysfunction, specifically resulting from an external force. The effects of this trauma can range from mild dysfunction of some cells to bruising, all the way to long term impairment and even death.
While it is difficult to know the full extent of people who suffer a TBI each year, the number is estimated to be 1.7 million people. Out of those people, 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1.365 million, or about 80% are released from the emergency department after being treated.
Currently, there is no cure and so prevention is often the best bet at avoiding a complication from TBI. But in order to understand how to avoid TBI, you must first understand what causes them.
Causes
- Open Head Injury: Open head injuries result from an item actually penetrating the skull and causing damage to the brain. This is most often the result of a bullet wound or another assault.
- Closed Head Injury: Slip and fall accidents, serious car accidents, and other blunt trauma can cause this kind of damage. Unlike open head injuries, this sort causes a much more diffuse sort of damage.
- Deceleration Injuries: Like closed head injuries, these are a diffuse injury; however, in this case, it is the skull itself that causes the injury. They result when the sudden deceleration causes your brain to slam against the inside of your skull.
- Chemical/Toxic: These result when harmful chemicals, like carbon monoxide, lead, or insecticides damage the neurons in your brain.
- Hypoxia: When blood flow is depleted of oxygen, brain injuries can occur, resulting in severe cognitive or memory deficits.
- Tumors: Tumors growing in the brain can cause damage to sensitive neurons or can apply pressure that compresses parts of the brain.
Hopefully, this guide has given you an understanding of what TBIs are and what causes them. In the second part of this post, we will discuss ways that you can better avoid these injuries. Of course, one cannot always guard against the recklessness of others. In that case, it is important to contact an attorney quickly.
If you or a loved one has experienced a TBI as a result of someone else’s negligence, contact an attorney with Golden Law Offices.
