Charlotte Brain Injury Lawyer

Sadly, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are quite common. Annually, more than one million Americans go to the emergency room because of a TBI. Of those, 80,000 leave the hospital with a TBI-related disability, and 50,000 die.

Car accidents account for 50% of TBIs, and it doesn’t take a major collision to cause a long-lasting brain injury. Even an accident at low speeds can be enough to injure the brain.

For people 65 and up, falls are the number-one cause of TBIs. Just falling on the kitchen floor can cause a brain injury that’s serious enough to kill older adults.

Other causes of TBIs can include:

• Assault
• Nursing home abuse
• Workplace accidents
• Boating accidents
• Animal attacks
• Sports accidents
• Near-drowning accidents

There are a few different types of TBIs. Doctors classify TBIs as either open-head or closed-head injuries. Open-head injuries happen when an object penetrates the skull and damages the brain. Closed-head injuries, on the other hand, occur when an external force strikes the skull hard enough to damage the brain.

Concussions are an example of a closed-head TBI. Doctors consider concussions to be rather mild because many people who have one recover fairly easily. However, that doesn’t mean you should take a concussion any less seriously than other types of TBIs. A concussion can cause serious problems, such as:

• Loss of consciousness
• Slurred speech
• Nausea and vomiting
• Seizures
• Inability to wake up
• Confusion and agitation

Other types of TBIs include:

• Diffuse axonal injury (DAI), which happens when the brain moves violently in the skull. This movement causes microscopic tears (shearing) that can be fatal.
• Contusions, also called bruising of the brain.
• Coup-contrecoup, which happens when the brain slams against the opposing side of the skull. This causes two points of injury and can lead to severe brain damage.