Brain Injuries
Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2007 by Ed Harper
Brain injuries are on the rise. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) or Brain Injuries are increasing due to the more resilient vehicles (cars are not incurring as much property damage) on the road today.
“More than 40 percent of TBIs are the result of traffic accidents” the most common cause of this type of injury.
Ironically, advances in protective equipment – seatbelts, airbags, helmets – may have led to increases in TBIs over the past decade or so, Dr. Lifshitz says. That’s because people who once would have died from injuries in an accident now live, but with badly wounded brains. – Recent MSNBC article.
People are injured as a result of the sheering forces on the brain when sudden acceleration and deceleration incidents occur. Incidents such as car collisions and falls can cause permanent injuries. The brain, soft and jelly-like, is slammed into the hard and bony skull. Permanent damage often results as nerve fibers are torn apart and the brain cells often do not recover.
According to the National Institute of Health, “Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. Other symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.”
Brain injured victims must rely on family and friends for assistance. The injured person often cannot hold a job as they lack the ability to remember, cannot concentrate, and employers lose their patience. Society must learn to assist the ever-increasing number of brain injured people.
If you or a loved one has been injured through someone else’s negligence, call Harper Law, PLLC.
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