When a person in Houma is hit on the head, they may initially think that their injury is minor and will go away in a day or two after icing the injury and taking an over-the-counter pain reliever. However, many head injuries are quite serious, especially when they involve a person’s brain. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so the following information about brain injuries may be of interest to readers.
According to the Brain Injury Association of America, an acquired brain injury (ABI) is one that is not sustained by a birth trauma, and that is not degenerative, congenital or hereditary. ABIs may be more common than one thinks. In the United States, one person suffers a brain injury every nine seconds. Annually, over 3.5 million people suffer an ABI, although the exact number of ABI sufferers is not specifically known.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one that involves brain trauma caused by an external force. It is a type of ABI. One out of every 60 individuals in the United States lives with a disability caused by a TBI. At least 2.5 million individuals suffer a TBI annually. In the U.S., over 2 million individuals receive treatment for a TBI in a hospital emergency room or trauma center. 280,000 individuals who suffer a TBI will need to stay in the hospital, and 50,00 will lose their lives due to the TBI.
There are numerous causes of a traumatic brain injury. Approximately 40 percent of TBIs are caused by falls. Approximately 15 percent of TBIs are caused when an object strikes a person or a person strikes an object. Approximately 14 percent of TBIs are caused by motor vehicle traffic. Approximately 10 percent of TBIs are caused by assaults. Finally, approximately 19 percent of TBIs are caused by other or unknown reasons.
It is important that people who suffer a brain injury seek medical attention, even if they think their injury is not very serious. Since many brain injuries are caused by the actions of another, those who suffer a brain injury may also want to determine whether they have a cause of action against the responsible party.