Understanding the Dangers of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

The definition of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is trauma or damage to the head or brain. It’s important to take any type of head trauma as a serious injury. All types of head trauma can disrupt your ability to perform daily tasks and affect your quality of life. It will likely require costly treatment and lengthy rehabilitation.

Traumatic brain injuries can lead to bleeding inside the skull. If left untreated, it can cause a permanent injury, or even death. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that more than 50 people die from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every day. Brain injuries should not be taken lightly, even if there are no outward signs of the injury. This is why we are taking a closer look at traumatic brain injuries to help you understand why it is critically important to seek legal counsel if you suffer from this type of injury.

Common Causes of Brain Injuries

Brain injuries can be very traumatic due to the fact that sometimes the signs are only recognizable by a trained physician. In 2013, the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries was due to falls, accounting for 47% of all TBI-related hospitalizations. Other common causes of brain injuries include but are not limited to:

• Sports-related accidents
• Slips and falls
• Vehicle accidents
• Violent crime or assault
• Motorcycle accidents

We created a helpful infographic to provide more information on common causes of brain injuries, which can be viewed here.

Classification of Brain Injuries

There are three classifications of traumatic brain injuries. It’s ranked on scale of 3 to 15 according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). This is used to assess a person’s level of consciousness. In terms of this scale, a higher score indicates a higher level of consciousness.

Mild: A score of 13 – 15 as assessed by the physician is generally considered mild. Symptoms can include loss of consciousness for a few seconds, headache, nausea, vomiting, tired eyes or blurred vision. Some people may experience mood changes, depression, and even bouts of confusion.

Moderate: A score of 9 – 12 on the GCS scale can lead to chronic headaches, nausea/vomiting, convulsions, dilation of one or both pupils and overall loss of coordination and confusion.

Long-term symptoms can include lapses in judgment in social situations, inability to concentrate, as well as speech issues. Mild and moderate symptoms can improve to some degree with rehabilitation over a period of time.

Severe: A score of 3 – 8 on the scale indicates severe brain trauma. This can be fatal if the pressure inside the skull becomes too great (due to bleeding from the brain). Decreasing levels of consciousness, weakness on one side of the body, and a blown eye pupil are all signs of severe TBI.

Schedule a Free Consultation with our TBI Attorneys in Tacoma, WA

Each case of traumatic brain injury is slightly different from the rest. Whether or not a person can fully or partially recover from a TBI is entirely dependent upon the type of brain injury and the ability of their own body to heal itself. Even a mild TBI can have lasted negative effects upon the lives of a person and their family members. Loss of income, major medical bills, and pain and suffering can all take their toll. The insurance companies only have their best interests in mind, and will attempt to pay out as little money as possible.

Due to the uncertainty of traumatic brain injuries and unforeseen medical expenses or complications that could occur years down the road, it’s imperative that you seek legal counsel as soon as possible. Personal injury attorneys have the requisite experience needed to help you and your loved ones seek justice and fair compensation from the insurance companies. 

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury schedule a consultation to learn more about your rights as a victim. At Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel, we’ve helped countless people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury get the justice and help they deserve.

Read articles from Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel on catastrophic injuries:

What Defines a Catastrophic Injury?
Life After a Spinal Cord Injury
Discussing Burn Injuries
All About Spinal Cord Injuries