Traumatic brain injuries due to falls and car crashes on the rise in the U.S.

by Tim O’Hare

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 1.7 million people in the U.S. suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. Traumatic brain injury contributes to more than 30 percent of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. and thousands of other victims of brain injury will experience permanent disability.

Traumatic brain injury can happen as the result a blunt blow or hit to the head from a fall, car accident, sports-related injury, assault or medical malpractice. More than half of the traumatic brain injuries cases in the U.S. are caused by falls (35.2 percent) and traffic-related accidents (17.3 percent). Traumatic brain injuries often require extensive medical care or even surgery.

Nearly 75 percent of traumatic brain injuries are mild injuries or concussions. Signs of mild brain injury include:

  • Brief unconsciousness or confusion
  • Headache
  • Blurry vision
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty concentrating

Twenty-five percent of traumatic brain injury cases are severe. Symptoms or signs of a severe injury include:

  • Unconsciousness lasting more than 30 minutes
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Abnormal or slurred speech

Brain injuries are becoming somewhat of an epidemic in the U.S. Between 2002 and 2006, emergency room visits for traumatic brain injuries increased an estimated 14.4 percent and hospitalizations for traumatic brain injuries rose 19.5 percent.

Click here to read prevention tips from the CDC.

Medical care for a traumatic brain injury and long-term care is expensive. An estimated $76.5 billion was spent in the U.S. in 2000 on direct and indirect costs of traumatic brain injury. For the injured and their families, the expenses can be crippling.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to a fall on the job, an automobile or motorcycle accident, or medical negligence, contact the experienced legal team at The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare. We will help you receive all due compensation for your injury or loss.

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