What Are the Most Common Causes of TBI?

What Types of Accidents Cause a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injuries often occur after a hard blow to the head, whether from falling, getting into a car crash, or being involved in an accident. These types of injuries can be life changing physically, emotionally, and financially.

If you or someone you loved has suffered from a traumatic brain injury due to someone else's negligence, speak to a lawyer today. The traumatic brain injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have decades of experience ensuring injury victims get the justice they deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.

How Common Are Traumatic Brain Injuries?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is different from a head injury in that it can cause serious complications, even if it is mild and not life-threatening. Most traumatic brain injury cases each year fall into this category, being mild brain injuries like a concussion, but that doesn't mean they can't have serious repercussions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 64,000 TBI-related deaths occurred in the United States in 2020; or about 176 TBI-related deaths every day. In 2019, there were 223,135 traumatic brain injury-related hospitalizations; or about 611 hospitalizations a day. Due to their increased fall risk, older adults over 75 years old are most at-risk for traumatic brain injuries.

Based on recent CDC data, 32 percent of TBI-related hospitalizations and 28 percent of TBI-related deaths happen in this age group. Males are also more likely to experience traumatic brain injuries. The CDC reports they are two times more likely to be hospitalized and thee times more likely to die from a traumatic brain injury than females are.

What Causes a Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury can happen in a variety of different circumstances. However, there are certain situations or places where you could be more likely to suffer from a brain injury if you are injured in an accident.

This could also mean the difference in the type of personal injury case you pursue. For instance, if your head injury was the result of a workplace accident on a construction site, in a warehouse, or other types of employment, then you would likely be able to file a workers' compensation claim with a workers' comp lawyer. Or, if your accident happened after a slip and fall or car accident, a personal injury lawyer would help you identify the negligent party in your case.

Here are some of the top causes of traumatic brain injury, according to the CDC:

Falls

One of the most common ways to sustain head injuries that can develop into severe injuries. According to the CDC, 1 out of every 5 falls causes an injury, including a brain injury. This could be falling from a large height, like on a construction site, or a slip and fall on a wet floor. A traumatic brain injury caused by a fall could be due to someone else's negligence in cleaning up a spill, malfunctioning safety equipment, or other issues with staff not properly maintaining a space.

Slip and fall head trauma can happen anywhere you have an expectation of safety. You could experience a traumatic brain injury in a variety of places:

• Apartments, hotels, or office buildings
• Retail establishments like restaurants, grocery stores, shopping malls, bars, casinos
• Amusement parks
• Construction sites
• Nursing homes

Blunt Trauma

If you work in an environment that could include falling items or even explosions, you could be at-risk for unintentional blunt force head injury or skull fractures. These would include incidences of falling items at a construction site or even explosions during combat or training exercises in military injuries.

Car or Truck Accidents

Car accidents and truck accidents account for 14 percent of brain injuries.  They are also responsible for 26 percent of all deaths related to traumatic brain injury. From whiplash to other impact, motor vehicle crashes can be incredibly dangerous when it comes to traumatic brain injury. It's important to avoid further injury by wearing your seatbelt and following all safety precautions when traveling, especially on the highway or long distances. If you do receive a TBI in a car accident, make sure you speak with an experienced car accident lawyer right away.

Physical Violence

Getting into a physical altercation can increase your risk of experiencing a severe head injury. Approximately 10 percent of all brain injuries were caused by violence. Types of violence that can cause traumatic head injuries and injuries to your brain tissue include domestic violence, a physical fight or altercation, gunshot wounds, knife wounds, or anything else involving blunt force trauma with a foreign object.

Medical Malpractice

If a doctor or medical professional does not monitor a patient properly it could result in a brain injury. For example, if the patient suffered from oxygen deprivation, that could cause brain damage and could have been prevented. A doctor should also be looking out for brain bleeds, swelling, tearing of the brain tissue, and other abnormalities.

Whether a medical error happens during the recovery process or a procedure itself, these can often be hard to prove. However, an experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you gather the evidence you need to prove your case and receive compensation.

Sports Injuries

Participating in sports or other types of recreation can cause a brain injury if you're not careful, or especially if you're not wearing proper equipment. Children are also susceptible to traumatic brain injury when playing sports. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 10 percent of traumatic brain injuries occur because of a sports or recreation accident.

Who is At-Risk for Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Anyone can be the victim of a traumatic brain injury. However, there are some who have more risk factors for head injuries or severe TBI based on their age, body size, professions, and other circumstances.

• Older adults: Those 75 or older are more susceptible to injury because they are at greater risk for falling, the most common reason for traumatic brain injury TBI.
• Younger adults: Children are also at a higher risk for falling and tripping hazards, making them at higher risk to experience traumatic brain injury TBI.
• Truck drivers or other frequent drivers: Many severe head injuries happen after motor vehicle accidents, so those who are more frequently on the road are at-risk for TBI.
• Construction workers: Blunt force trauma from falling objects is a leading cause of traumatic brain injury. So construction workers and manual laborers can be at greater risk depending on their working site conditions.

What Are the Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Not every traumatic brain injury is created equal. Depending on the force of the head injury, motor vehicle accident, or other trauma, you could end up with anything from a mild TBI to a moderate or severe TBI. Here are some of the ways you can differentiate the symptoms in a mild TBI versus more severe injuries, from the Mayo Clinic:

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue or drowsiness
• Problems with speech
• Dizziness or loss of balance
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in the ears
• Bad taste in the mouth or changes in the ability to smell
• Sensitivity to light or sound
• State of being dazed, confused or disoriented
• Memory or concentration problems
• Mood changes or mood swings
• Feeling depressed or anxious
• Difficulty sleeping

Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries

• Loss of consciousness
• Constant headache or headache that worsens
• Repeated vomiting or nausea
• Convulsions or seizures
• Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes
• Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears
• Inability to awaken from sleep
• Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes
• Loss of coordination
• Profound confusion
• Agitation, combativeness or other unusual behavior
• Slurred speech
• Coma and other disorders of consciousness

What Are the Main Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Closed Head Injury

The most common type of traumatic injury to the brain. These are commonly caused by falls, blunt force trauma, motor vehicle accidents (especially those that cause whiplash). They are characterized by head injuries in which the skull stays intact. These traumatic injuries can include a concussion, brain bleeding, pressure on the brain, or other trauma.

Open or Penetrating Head Injury

A penetrating injury is one involving a skull fracture. This is severe injury caused by a foreign object or trauma after having your head hit the ground. Leading causes of penetrating injuries include a stray bullet, knife, domestic violence involving weapons, and more. In an open or penetrating injury, your brain tissue is directly impacted.

Why Should I Work With a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer?

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious head injury, the last thing you need be worrying about is how to navigate a personal injury case. An experienced personal injury lawyer can investigate, argue, and win your case so you can focus solely on your recovery. Whether you're filing a workers compensation claim after a workplace injury or a personal injury claim after a car accident or other crash, we are here to help. A Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys traumatic brain injury lawyer will handle communication with insurance companies, third parties, witnesses, and more.

Here are just a few reasons you should work with an injury lawyer who has a winning track record in traumatic brain injury cases. An experienced head injury lawyer will:

• Defend Your Rights: An injury lawyer will work tirelessly to ensure your rights are protected, as well as those of your family.
• Investigate Your Case: These types of cases can be incredibly hard to prove, unless your case is backed up with evidence to prove how your accident occurred and who is negligent. A personal injury lawyer will investigate your case by visiting the scene of the accident if available, talk to witnesses, get expert testimony, and compile medical reports and diagnoses. If needed, we can also reconstruct the accident to show you did not cause your injury and a negligent party must be held accountable.
• Negotiate A Settlement: In general, many personal injury cases do not make their way to court. Instead, they are settled out of court in an agreement between the victim or victim's family and the negligent party. This can save victims with brain damage, and their families, from having to withstand a trial. Instead, a lawyer will help you reach a fair settlement. This can be a long, arduous process, dealing with large insurance companies. It's not a journey you should take without an experienced injury lawyer by your side.

Choose a Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer

If your live has been forever changed by a head injury, reach out to a traumatic brain injury lawyer today. You will want someone who can fight for you to ensure you and your family have the support you need to recover from your injuries, physically, mentally, and financially. A lawyer can help you prove negligence in your case, and hold that negligent party accountable for financial compensation in your personal injury case.

At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, our team of personal injury lawyers has been helping accident victims for more than 60 years. We have the experience, dedication, and skills to fight for you. If we need to go to court, our lawyers also have extensive trial experience to ensure we will win. Our lawyers can help you recover compensation for:

• Medical bills and procedures
• Long-term care or rehab programs
• Lost wages and earning power
• Pain and suffering

In these cases, time is of the essence. To ensure maximum compensation, we'll need to prove the details of your accident, so you want to get started as soon as possible. Do not delay reaching out to a lawyer to understand the specifics of your case and how we can help. At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, you do not owe us any money up front. Instead, we work on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not get paid unless we win your case.

Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss the specifics of your case and how we can help you and your family on the road to recovery.