Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have lasting effects on your physical and mental health. These injuries take their toll, impacting your coordination and balance as well as decision-making, cognition, and mood. This is why our Kirkland, WA lawyers take TBIs so seriously. People who have sustained concussions, brain contusions, and penetrating head injuries can count on our legal team for help.
Below we would like to briefly discuss some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries. This may help you understand how they may be sustained and what precautions can be taken to help protect yourself from harm.
Serious Falls
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 47 percent of traumatic brain injuries are the result of falls. This is particularly true of falls among the elderly and in children younger than 14. Major falls can also impact people who work in construction, which is a high risk occupation for many kinds of injuries.
Car Accidents
Even if you are wearing your seatbelt and deriving carefully, a car accident can result in a TBI. The CDC found that 14 percent of all TBIs were linked to motor vehicle collisions. There has been some suggestion that people who suffer from whiplash following a collision may have also suffered from a TBI.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists are especially vulnerable to injury. While helmets can minimize the amount of trauma to the face and cranium, brain injuries can still occur. Given the vulnerability of motorcyclists, the effects of a TBI from a collision can be severe, resulting in long-term impairment.
Contact and Combat Sports
Athletes in contact and combat sports are more prone to concussions and blows to the head that could result in brain injuries. This is particularly true of athletes in the following sports:
- Football
- Hockey
- Rugby
- Lacrosse
- Boxing
- Mixed martial arts (MMA)
- Wrestling
If you are an athlete who participates in any of the sports listed above, be sure to wear proper protective gear at all times. Caution can prevent brain injuries during practice and competition.
Construction Accidents
We noted above that people in construction are at risk for a whole host of injuries, TBIs among them. In addition to falls and accidents with vehicles and heavy equipment, construction workers also need to worry about falling objects. A hard had may not be enough to prevent cranial injury or brain damage when objects are particularly large.
Gunshots and Firearms
As you can imagine, guns can lead to severe injuries to the brain. If a person is shot in the head, the amount of damage done to the brain can be catastrophic if not outright fatal. Accidental or not, any bullet wounds to the head, skull, or face must be taken seriously.
Medical Mistakes
Avoidable medical mistakes by surgeons and doctors are unacceptable, and they can leave patients dealing with the repercussions for years to come. Errors during a surgical procedure or other kinds of medical treatments could result in trauma to the brain as well as other kinds of serious harm.
Electrocution and Electrical Injuries
Electricity can have unpredictable effects on the body. The heart can be harmed by electrical injuries, for instance, and so can the brain. As electricity courses through the body, it can affect the way the brain functions and cause severe issues with cognition, mood, motor skills, and memory.
Assaults and Altercations
Finally, TBIs may be sustained if you are involved in some sort of physical altercation. Fights, assaults, spousal abuse, or child abuse can all result in brain injury if someone receives a blow or repeated blows to the head.
Contact Our Personal Injury Attorneys
For more information about your legal rights and options following a catastrophic head injury, be sure to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer today. The team at Quick Law Group, PLLC is here to help you in your time of legal need.