A traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, is a serious injury that, according to the United States Center for Disease Control, affects 1.5 million Americans each year. A brain injury is very different than breaking an arm or spraining an ankle. Your brain makes you who you are, so an injury to that part of your body can affect everything from your personality to your motor skills. The tricky thing about diagnosing a traumatic brain injury is that symptoms are different for every person and might not begin to appear until days or even weeks after an incident.
Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury
The top three causes of TBI are car accidents, falls and firearms. Some mechanisms of injury that are the most common in causing a traumatic brain injury are:
- Open head injuries, such as a firearm wound.
- Hypoxia, which is lack of oxygen to your brain.
- Deceleration injuries, when your brain moves inside the walls of your skull.
- Closed head injuries, such as a car accident.
- Strokes, when blood flow is blocked from the brain or there is bleeding within the brain.
TBI does not have any official treatment - it differs from case to case.
Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury
Mild traumatic brain injuries are often known as concussions. Most cases of mild TBI go unnoticed at the time of the injury. Symptoms of mild TBI range from fatigue and headaches to loss of balance and seizures. Severe brain injuries are less common and are defined as a brain injury that results in at least six hours of unconsciousness. Severe TBIs can affect everything from loss of memory and senses to changes in personality. Severe traumatic brain injuries are easier to diagnose - but much harder to recover from.
Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries can have serious long-term effects on the injured. For most people with TBI, months or even years of rehabilitation is necessary. Since every case is different and there is no defined cure, making a full recovery is not always an option. A TBI can have major effects on your day to day life.
If you or someone you love is the victim of a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, contact a lawyer that will help you navigate a personal injury case. Consultation service from the Maloney Lawyers is free.
