When you hear the terminology “brain injury,” what comes to mind? Someone who suffers from a congenital, hereditary, or degenerative condition? A baby who was deprived of oxygen in the womb, resulting in a life-altering condition like cerebral palsy (CP) or hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)? Or, do you think of a loved one’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis that stems from a hazardous incident such as a motor vehicle accident, assault, or fall?
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAUSA) describes most head injuries like the ones described above as falling into a broader acquired brain injury (ABI) category. BIAUSA notes that these serious brain injuries can have either a traumatic or non-traumatic onset. No matter the onset, these serious head injuries have the same end result in that they impact functionality.
Here at Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we have a long history of representing clients who’ve suffered traumatic brain injuries due to someone else’s negligence. This includes TBIs suffered in car crashes, truck accidents, motorcycle collisions, slip and fall incidents, an assault, or a medical malpractice scenario. Contact us to schedule a free consultation to discuss your brain injury case with a Houston personal injury attorney at our office today.
How Common Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A recent report published by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) details how as many as 1.7 million individuals suffer a TBI annually. Another statistic published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes how at least 223,000 were hospitalized with a TBI diagnosis in 2019.
How Often Is a Brain Injury Fatal?
An estimated 176 Americans died daily from TBI injuries in 2020, a number that equates to nearly 65,000 annual deaths. The largest percentage of traumatic brain injury-related fatalities affects children and teens.
Who Most Commonly Suffers a Brain Injury?
CDC data shows that at least 15% of American high schoolers reported suffering a recreation or sports-related head injury later diagnosed as a TBI in 2019.
That doesn’t come as a surprise considering how the previously mentioned NIH report referenced how the two populations most likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury are teens between the ages of 15 and 19, and older adults that are 65 or over.
Other Populations With a High Brain Injury Risk
Additional information published by the CDC suggests that the following individuals are more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury that either results in long-term health setbacks or claims their life:
- Incarcerated individuals
- Rural residents
- Ethnic or racial minorities
- The homeless
- Active military service members or veterans
- Domestic violence survivors
Below, we will delve a bit deeper into how individuals most commonly suffer a traumatic brain injury.
The damage your brain injury caused may have left you with a permanent disability that changes the trajectory of your life. Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm’s experienced TBI lawyers can help you build a case that shows how your severe brain injury has impacted your life. Call or email us to tell us more about your Houston brain injury. We’ll let you know of your right to recover maximum compensation in your Houston, TX brain injury case.
How Slip and Fall Accidents Lead to a Traumatic Brain Injury
Falls are the leading cause of Houston traumatic brain injuries. An estimated 47% of all TBIs are attributable to falls in the U.S. as a whole.
How Often Falls Result in an Elderly Person’s Brain Injury
A study previously published by the NIH detailed how falls are responsible for at least 60% of older persons’ head injuries. The overwhelming majority of elderly individuals who develop TBIs are individuals between the ages of 83 to 90.
CDC research shows that individuals who suffer one fall have twice the chance of falling again compared to others.
There are a few different reasons seniors fall:
- They aren’t aware of or don’t want to accept their mobility limitations and attempt to do things unassisted
- They’re subjected to neglect in their nursing homes, leaving them with no other choice but to attempt to move about themselves
- They experience inferior visual acuity, affecting their ability to easily navigate potential hazards like debris or stairs
Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and regular exercise can help seniors improve their mobility and avoid future falls.
How Children Suffer Falls Resulting in Houston Brain Injuries
While significant focus is rightfully placed on seniors and their propensity to falling, causing them to suffer a brain injury, children are also vulnerable to doing so, for example, when they fall from playground equipment or any height. Even a fall from a bicycle can result in a minor suffering a traumatic brain injury—especially if their head strikes the pavement beneath them.
Occupational therapy may improve their motor skills to avoid having a repeat accident.
Additional Fall Scenarios That May Result in a Traumatic Brain Injury
Other slip, trip, and fall incidents that may result in a traumatic brain injury may affect almost anyone. These head injuries can occur on:
- Cracked or uneven sidewalk
- Flooring strewn with debris
- Curled-up or frayed mats at building entryways
- Slippery floors within a home or building
- Staircases (especially a poorly lit one)
Slips and falls can occur almost anywhere. An instance in which a person’s head strikes a hard floor or pavement, solid objects surrounding them, or tumbles down a stairwell can all easily cause mild traumatic brain injuries or a more profound head injury. Let one of our Houston brain injury lawyers review your case to determine if you have a valid personal injury claim.
How Motor Vehicle Accidents Cause a Traumatic Brain Injury
The terminology “motor vehicle accident” is often used to describe any number of automobile-involved crashes. The terminology is used when someone is describing a motorist being struck by a car, a semi-truck colliding with a passenger car, or a sedan or sports utility vehicle (SUV) crashing into a motorcyclist or bicyclist. Any of these unexpected events can cause a vehicle occupant or bystander to suffer a moderate traumatic brain injury as follows:
Motorcycle Accidents
Texas law generally only requires motorcyclists to wear a helmet if they are under the age of 21. While government officials strongly recommend that motorcycle riders above this age also wear helmets, few do.
Motorcyclists who wear helmets provide some protection for their skull if they were to become involved in a crash. Motorbike riders lack the protection of the shell of an automobile to buffer the impact of any blunt force head trauma, meaning they may easily suffer traumatic brain injuries as a result.
CDC data suggests that motorcycle helmets can reduce head injury chances by 69%. That same data also reveals how motorbike helmets alone can reduce riders’ fatality rates by 37% and their passengers’ death rates by 41%.
Car Accidents
Car crashes are the second-leading cause of severe TBI. Houston, TX motor vehicle accidents result in an estimated 17.3% of brain injuries reported in the U.S. annually.
Sudden back-and-forth motions or instances in which a person’s head strikes a solid surface, such as a steering wheel or dashboard, are two examples of situations that can leave a motorist with a brain injury.
Brain Injuries That Stem From Auto Accidents
Various brain injury types can result from an automobile accident, including:
Concussions
This is the most common brain injury that results from a car accident, which is caused by it suddenly shifting inside a person’s skull. It can lead to a temporary loss of consciousness, residual confusion or dizziness, and blurred vision.
Coup-Contrecoup Brain Injuries
The forceful impact of an auto accident can cause the brain to make contact with the inner portion of the skull. This sudden impact can affect both halves of the brain. In this case, the side that sustained the bulk of the impact is the “coup” portion whereas the “contrecoup” is the one that did not.
Diffuse Axonal Brain Injuries
This is a uniquely severe type of concussion that can cause a car accident victim to suffer debilitating headaches, memory loss, seizures, coma, or death. A mild diffuse axonal injury is often treatable with rehabilitation.
Contusions
The shifting of the brain within the skull during a Houston, TX car crash can result in a contusion, which is an alternate term used for bruises. Some accident victims suffer swelling and physical pain stemming from their contusion. Others may develop a blood clot requiring surgical removal. In either case, contusions may impact a person’s cognitive abilities, memory, and also their ability to speak.
Penetration Brain Injuries
Glass, auto parts, and other objects have the potential to cause a penetrating head injury. Such scenarios can result in a sudden, heavy loss of blood, which can affect breathing and other critical body functions.
Houston, TX car crash victims can suffer a combination of several of the above-referenced traumatic brain injuries in a crash. This is especially the case if an initial strike results in a driver’s brain shifting within their skull, and they then strike their head on a steering wheel or dashboard, or something penetrates it.
Ejections can also result in multiple instances of head trauma, leaving behind more than one of the brain injuries described above.
Tractor-Trailer Accidents
Motor vehicle accident data doesn’t often distinguish between passenger car and truck accidents when describing how often collisions result in a traumatic brain injury. Perhaps that has to do with there being a lot of parallels between the adverse outcomes that stem from either scenario.
The size and weight of a tractor-trailer pose a significant danger if it strikes a passenger car. The severity of any ensuing head injury is likely to hinge on:
- How forceful the crash was
- The type of truck involved
- Where the impact occurred
- The speed the truck was traveling when the traumatic injury occurred
These factors can all impact whether a person suffers one of the following head injuries resulting in a TBI in a truck accident:
- Concussions
- A skull fracture
- Hematomas (blood clots within brain cells or brain tissue)
- Swelling resulting in a brain herniation
- Hemorrhaging
Side Effects Associated With a Traumatic Brain Injury
Some of the most common side effects after a closed head injury occurs are swelling or bleeding on the brain. The longer closed head injury symptoms go untreated, the more pronounced any potential lasting side effects, including difficulty concentrating, motor skills deficits, memory problems, blurred vision, or mood swings are likely to be.
Houston brain injury lawyers like the legal team at Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm are quick to recommend that an injured person seek immediate medical attention after a serious crash. Brain injuries like yours could prove fatal if you put off seeing a doctor.
Criminal Activity
Victims of crime rank high up on the list as individuals who suffer a traumatic brain injury. There are two primary types of crimes that may result in this type of serious brain injury, including:
Physical Assaults
At least 9% of severe traumatic brain injuries stem from physical assaults. These ABIs can result in a variety of brain injuries, including contusions, coup-contrecoup, and diffuse axonal ones. If a weapon was used in the assault, such as a knife or gun, then a victim can suffer penetration brain injuries as well.
Gunshot Wounds
An estimated 12% of severe traumatic brain injuries are firearm related. All but 10% of those who suffer a gunshot wound to the head die. Of the small percentage of victims who survive this type of penetrative head or brain injury, half end up dying by the time they make it to a hospital’s emergency room.
Individuals who are fortunate enough to survive a gunshot wound head injury may experience a lifetime of health challenges, including seizures. Functional deficits that any other traumatic brain injury patient might suffer may also adversely impact an assault or gunshot wound victim’s life.
Violent crimes can rob you of the person you once knew or extinguish them completely from your life. A brain injury lawyer can help you recover maximum compensation when someone’s negligence resulted in your loss. Reach out to us to learn more about filing a brain injury lawsuit after an act of violence has occurred.
Workplace Accidents
A variety of jobs require employees to work at significant heights, around heavy machinery, and other hazards. Construction accidents are the leading cause of workplace head injuries. Timber work and roofing may leave workers with a brain injury as well.
Each of these workers stands the potential of falling from scaffolding, ladders, or even having their safety harnesses give way, causing them to crash down to the ground.
Additionally, these workers also have the potential of being struck by heavy equipment such as cranes, trees, power and hand tools, and other objects while performing their work.
In fact, research shows that unintended blunt force trauma, which may include being struck by something unexpectedly, is the third leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. These incidents account for a reported 15% of all traumatic brain injury cases.
Medical Malpractice
There are various medical care situations that may result in an individual suffering a brain injury. They may do so when doctors and other medical professionals neglect to:
- Diagnose and treat patients’ pressing medical concerns
- Monitor patients and take preventative action to avoid complications
- Uphold their duty of care to patients when performing surgical procedures or providing follow-up care
- Exercise caution when prescribing, dispensing, or administering prescription drugs and other medical treatment options
Although not included on the list of the CDC’s list of populations vulnerable to suffering a brain injury, babies are at extremely high risk for this debilitating condition.
There are a variety of conditions that a fetus may suffer during pregnancy and childbirth stemming from a deprivation of oxygen or blood to the brain. Many of these diagnoses have no cure, meaning children face a lifetime of struggles following the onset of such a condition.
How Can a Houston Brain Injury Attorney Help With Your Case?
Life can be challenging after you or a loved one suffer a brain injury. Our firm’s brain injury attorneys, who are also national trial lawyers, have worked with clients who struggle to handle basic tasks. Our Houston brain injury attorneys understand how working, parenting a child, or taking care of personal hygiene and other everyday tasks around the house are now a challenge.
While nothing compares to being able to handle all the tasks you once did, one of our Houston brain injury lawyers can help you build a case for why you deserve compensation for what you’ve endured and will continue to do so in the future. Any brain injury attorney should know that filing a brain injury claim isn’t ideal in every case. This is why we ask you to meet with an injury lawyer in Houston for a free consultation before taking on your case.
You can expect your experienced brain injury lawyer in Houston to assess whether liability is clear. If it is, then it’s likely one of our Houston brain injury attorneys will walk you through the steps you need to take to hold the negligent party liable for their actions.
Use the contact form or phone number here on our website to schedule a free consultation with our Houston brain injury lawyers at Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm today. Speaking with a brain injury attorney is the first step toward getting justice in your case.
