Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Personal Injury Lawyers Explain The Causes Of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injury or TBI is a complex injury categorized by external damage to the head causing brain dysfunction. Traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body, but can also be caused by a foreign object entering the brain. Mild TBI can cause temporary dysfunction in brain cells. Severe traumatic injury can result in permanent damage to brain or even death. If you or someone you know has suffered traumatic brain injury, speak with personal injury lawyers at The Weinberger Law Firm who can help you fight the legal battle for justice.

Common Causes

Traumatic brain injury involves a blow or other physical damage to the head. This type of injury is more common that most people think and can arise from a wide range of activities and incidences. Some of which are the following:

Falling – This the most common way in which an individual incurs a traumatic brain injury. Whether it’s falling from a high platform, slipping and falling, falling down steps, or falling in the bath, especially if the surface on which an individual lands is especially hard, such as concrete.
Sports – A lot of high-contact sports are ripe with the potential for traumatic brain injury. Football recently has had a lot of controversy in the damage multiple concussions causes many of its players. Especially for children, high contact sports can be dangerous and cause traumatic brain injuries. Some of the more common sports involved in traumatic brain injury include football, lacrosse, boxing, hockey, etc.
Car crashes – The sudden jolts and violent contact between a head and physical objects occurs frequently in car crashes and can cause traumatic brain damage. Even whiplash can cause traumatic brain injury by damaging the brain against its own skull.
Violence – As much as 20% of traumatic brain injury is caused by violence. Gunshot wounds, domestic and child abuse such as striking an individual or violently shaking a baby can cause damage to the brain.
Combat – explosive blasts are very common causes of traumatic brain injury for military personnel. The way in which explosive blasts cause traumatic brain injury is not clear, but it may be due to a pressure wave passing through the brain.

As you can tell from the list above, traumatic brain injury can be a result of a wide range of activities and factors. Because each situation is unique, it’s best to speak with personal injury lawyers about the best course of action regarding your case.

Symptoms To Watch For

The brain is the most complicated thing known in the universe. Damage to this structure, in the form of traumatic brain injury, can have a wide range of physical and psychological effects. Symptoms may show up immediately, take weeks to manifest, and may change during the months and years after the incident.

Mild traumatic brain injury has three main categories of symptoms. These are:

Physical – loss of consciousness for moments or minutes, head aching or pain, nausea or vomiting, confusion, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping and dizziness or loss of balance
Sensory – blurred or otherwise compromised vision such as sensitivity to light; ringing in the ears or sensitivity to sound; poor taste; and an inability to smell
Cognitive – difficulty concentrating, memory loss or difficulty forming memories, mood swings, depression, or anxiety

Although there could be many other causes of the above symptoms, if you recently had any blow to the head or serious accident and experience any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately and consult with personal injury lawyers. The symptoms for moderate to severe traumatic brain injury is much more serious. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury can exhibit any of the symptoms seen in mild traumatic brain injury as well as the following symptoms that may appear within a few hours or days after the incident:

Physical – loss of consciousness for minutes or hours, persistent headache or a headache that worsens, long periods of nausea or vomiting, convulsions or seizures, inability to wake from sleep, clear fluids draining from the nose or ears, dilation of pupils, loss of coordination, weakness, numbness in the fingers or toes
Cognitive – extreme confusion, slurred speech, agitation, aggression, other unusual moods and behavior or coma

Children’s Symptoms

Infants and young children are also susceptible to brain injuries, often even more so. Very young infants have a skull that is not completely formed. This leaves the brain exposed to physical damage. Some symptoms that may be observed in children with traumatic brain injuries include:

Inability to stop crying
Change in sleep habits
Change in eating or nursing habits
Change in mood, such as depression
Unusually irritable mood
Inability to concentrate
Loss of interest in toys or activities that once provided joy

As a parent, seeing your child suffer is devastating and emotionally painful. If your child has recently fallen or been in an accident of any sort and experienced some of the symptoms above, don’t wait to consult with personal injury lawyers. Depending on your situation, you may be entitled to compensation.

When To See A Doctor

It can be difficult to determine when to see a doctor, especially when your symptoms are tolerable and unfamiliar. Head injuries can be very serious even when symptoms don’t seem to be. You should always see a doctor when you are at all concerned or experienced any injury to the head that has persistent symptoms. Even a mild injury to the brain is serious and requires prompt attention and an accurate diagnosis by a licensed medical professional. Slip-and-falls and car collisions are very common ways individuals incur traumatic brain injury.

Speak With Our Personal Injury Lawyers If You Have Suffered A Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is serious and should be investigated by a doctor as soon as possible. If you believe you incurred a TBI due to the negligence of another individual, you may have the right to compensation. Contact our personal injury lawyers at 916-304-0952 for the legal expertise you need to get the financial compensation you deserve.