Personal Injury Law

Traffic Crashes and Fall Accidents Continue to be Leading Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries

By Altman & Altman

During Brain Injury Awareness month, our Boston traumatic brain injury lawyers would like to remind you that you may have grounds for a Massachusetts personal injury lawsuit if your TBI was caused by another party?s reckless or negligent actions. Sustaining a traumatic brain injury can be extremely traumatic and challenging. Living with a permanent TBI is life-altering, as well as devastating for the patient and loved ones.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fall accidents and traffic crashes are the two primary causes of TBIs. About 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries happen every year, resulting in 52,000 fatalities. In its current report, "Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Death," the CDC presents its latest figures on TBIs, including:

? TBIs are a factor in 1/3 of injury-related deaths.
? Assaults and getting hit by or hitting an object are among the other leading causes of TBIs.
? Seniors, teenagers in the 15-19 age group, and children under the age of 5 are at highest risk of suffering from a TBI.
? 75% of TBIs are mild traumatic brain injuries.

A brain injury is an injury that should be taken seriously. In some cases, failure to provide immediate treatment can result in death. Some brain injury victims may not even be aware that they are suffering from one. For instance, some people are diagnosed with having a concussion, which in most cases is a mild TBI. Findings from a recent study showed that kids who were diagnosed with a concussion, as opposed to a mild TBI?even though that is in fact what they were suffering from?were more likely to go back to school and resume their normal physical activities than children who were told that they had a TBI. This can lead to permanent disabilities.

There are ways to prove that your traumatic brain injury would not have occurred if only the responsible party hadn?t been negligent.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, Brain-Aware for Life

Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Death (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page

Brain Injuries Overview, Justia

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on March 23, 2010 (boomark / email).