If you ask most people, they’ll tell you that they’re familiar with the terminology “traumatic brain injury” (TBI). They may not be able to define what this type of injury is, though. It refers to any bump, jolt or blow that interrupts the brain’s typical functionality. Mild injuries, such as concussions, to severe ones, including memory loss and other cognitive impairments, are sadly quite common. Some types of incidents more commonly result in TBIs than others.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report from 2019 shows that some 2.87 million patients visited the hospital with TBI-related injuries in 2014. At least 837,000 of them were children. Those same statistics show that some 56,800 people died as a result. An estimated 2,529 of those victims were kids.
Those same CDC statistics captured the leading causes of TBI-related hospital visits. Falls resulted in nearly half of them. At least 81% of the older adults who visited the emergency room (ER) with such injuries were individuals age 65 or over who started experiencing symptoms after a fall. At least 49% of kids age 0 to 17 that visited the ER for TBI-related injuries in 2014 did so after falling.
The next leading reason TBI patients visited the ER with TBI-related symptoms in 2014 was after a car struck them. At least 17% of all cases stemmed from such an incident that year.
Those same CDC statistics show that intentional self-harm resulted in at least 33% of individuals’ TBI deaths in 2014. Automobile accidents resulted in 20% of TBI victims’ hospitalizations that year. At least 52% of TBI victims’ suffered falls resulting in the same. An estimated 28% of kids’ brain injury-related hospital visits were attributable to something striking them.
How quickly a patient may recover from a TBI varies depending on the severity of their injuries. Many TBIs are minor, and patients can recover from them with little to no lasting complications. Some individuals aren’t as lucky, though. They may suffer serious injuries that leave them a shell of the person they once were or die from them. A personal injury attorney can advise you whether Kentucky law allows you to sue a negligent Shelbyville party for damages if their actions resulted in you or a loved one getting hurt.