According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, common causes of traumatic brain injury include vehicle accidents, contact sports, outdoor activities, and workplace accidents.
Traumatic brain injuries range from mild concussions to more severe injuries, such as penetration of the skull, internal bleeding in the brain, and contusions or bruising of the brain. These injuries can be expensive to treat. Depending on the severity of your injuries, their effects can last for weeks, months, or years.
There Are Multiple Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Depending on the nature of your accident, you may suffer brain injuries that are mild, moderate, or severe. Mild brain injury cases can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to recover. Serious cases can take years or even a person’s entire lifetime to recover.
Traumatic brain injuries include the following categories:
Concussions
Concussions are one of the most common forms of traumatic brain injury. Impacts on the head can lead to a concussion. Concussions may occur while a person is playing in sports or fighting another person, among other potentially violent activities. People can also get concussions in motor vehicle accidents. The effects of concussions can last for months and can hamper your ability to perform basic tasks.
Contusions
A brain contusion is bruising of the brain’s tissue. You can develop a contusion and a concussion from the same accident, and contusions are often caused by blunt force impacts on the head. Coup/contrecoup is one form of traumatic brain injury involving a contusion, meaning an impact to one side of the head caused the brain to strike both sides of the skull from the inside.
Diffuse Axonal Injuries
If brain tissues tear because of an impact or skull penetration, this is known as a diffuse axonal injury (DAI). These injuries can be life-threatening and, in severe cases, might not be treatable.
Penetration of the Skull
The penetration of the skull is a severe form of head trauma. Concussions and contusions often develop when the head is struck, and the brain is injured by an impact that is not strong enough to break through the skull. Penetration injuries, on the other hand, involve direct physical damage to the brain. A foreign object might penetrate through the skull and be found at the site of entry to the brain. In addition to the physical damage that this can cause, bacteria and other contaminants can harm a patient after a penetrative injury.
Blood Clots
Blood clots can develop in the brain, leading to the death of brain cells, swelling of the brain, or abnormal brain development.
You Need a Doctor to Identify and Diagnose Your Traumatic Brain Injury
Understanding the causes of traumatic brain injury is an important first step in diagnosing accident victims. A doctor may diagnose your traumatic brain injury by observing your symptoms.
According to the Mayo Clinic, common symptoms of traumatic brain injuries include:
- Physical symptoms: These symptoms might include seizures, fluid buildup in the brain, infections, blood clots, headaches, nausea, and balance issues.
- Sensory symptoms: These symptoms might include facial paralysis, inhibited taste and smell, blurry vision, and limited hand-eye coordination.
- Cognitive symptoms: These symptoms might include trouble with memory, an inability to concentrate or focus, and issues with decision-making.
- Communication symptoms: These symptoms might include speech impediments, misunderstandings with family members, and frustration from being misunderstood.
- Emotional symptoms: These symptoms might include depression, mood swings, anxiety, and aggression.
- Other symptoms: Patients with traumatic brain injuries are at a higher risk of developing numerous brain disorders
We May Help You Determine Fault and Liability for Your Traumatic Brain Injury
Brain injuries can be caused by negligence, incompetence, and preventable accidents. Depending on how you or your loved one sustained a traumatic brain injury, you may be able to sue for damages.
For example, if medical errors led to a preventable brain injury, you might be able to hold the medical team responsible for your care liable for damages. Similarly, if an intoxicated driver causes an accident, and it led you or your loved one to suffer a brain injury, you might be able to hold the driver liable for damages. Also, if you suffer a brain injury on the job because of your employer’s or a third party’s negligence, you might be able to hold your employer or the third party liable for damages.
Traumatic brain injuries can have a serious impact on your quality of life and your ability to make a living. They can also affect your interpersonal relationships. Anyone whose actions cause you a brain injury may be held accountable for their dangerous, reckless, or negligent actions. Ohio is an at-fault state, so you can file a claim or lawsuit against the liable parties for compensation to cover the cost of your injuries and any accident-related losses you were made to suffer.
Contact the Fitch Law Firm, LLC Today
Contact the Fitch Law Firm, LLC, today at (614) 545-3930 for a free case evaluation. We can help you understand the most common causes of traumatic brain injury, and we can help you file a claim for damages if the circumstances of your case warrant a claim or lawsuit. Statutes of limitations apply, so do not hesitate to reach out to us today.