Types of traumatic brain injuries
As many as 125,000 people in the United States are rendered permanently disabled due to a traumatic brain injury every year.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 14 percent of all brain injuries that happen in the United States are the result of motor vehicle accidents. New York residents should always be aware of the risk of sustaining a head injury when involved in a car crash or other type of accident such as a fall from a scaffold or ladder. The level of care that may be needed to attend to a brain injury can be intense, especially depending upon the severity of the injury.
How many brain injuries happen in the U.S.?
The CDC reports that there has been an increase in the number of brain injuries in the 10 years spanning 2001 to 2010. Brain injuries resulting in death, hospitalizations or emergency room visits rose from 521 per 100,000 people in 2001 to 823 per 100,000 people in 2010.
Brainline adds that as many as 125,000 people are rendered permanently disabled due to a traumatic brain injury every year.
Another 52,000 people die from their brain injuries annually according to WebMD.
Of people who survive, there is an estimated five million people who need some sort of help on a daily basis due to their injuries.
How is the severity of a brain injury measured?
The Brain Injury Association of America outlines that these injuries are classified into three categories-mild, moderate and severe. When diagnosing the severity of a brain injury, medical professionals evaluate a patient’s motor response, verbal response and eye-opening.
The motor response is measured on a scale of one to six. A verbal response is measured on a scale of one to five and eye-opening is measured on a scale of one to four. The numbers from each category are added together for the total score.
A score of eight or lower indicates the presence of a severe brain injury. Moderate injuries are denoted by scores between nine and 12. Scores of 13 and above are indicative of mild brain injuries.
What can cause a brain injury?
Brain injuries can result from blunt trauma to the head suffered in car accidents or construction site accidents. The injury may or may not involve an item penetrating the skull. Extreme shaking of the brain may also lead to a brain injury.
What challenges do brain injury patients experience?
The long-term prognosis for a person with a brain injury varies greatly. Many may experience problems making decisions, communicating, remembering, concentrating and learning or processing information.
Even a mild brain injury may find a person experiencing symptoms a full year after the injury occurred. This is just one reason that people who have experienced any form of head trauma in an accident reach out to an attorney for help. Talking with an experienced professional is one way that New York residents can understand their rights and seek the help they deserve.
