Five Common Causes of Brain Injuries

A brain injury can have far-reaching, lifelong consequences. The physical, emotional, and cognitive-communicative effects of the injury can reduce your earning potential to a great extent and severely affect your quality of life.

Brain Injuries in the United States – A Look at the Numbers

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that approximately 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are reported in the country every year.
• Every year, approximately 235,000 people are hospitalized due to a TBI. The hospitalization rate for brain injuries is 20 times higher than that of spinal cord injuries.
• Every year, approximately 50,000 people die as a result of a TBI.
• Every year, approximately 90,000 people develop a serious, lifelong disability as a result of a TBI.
• Approximately 79% of all TBI victims are men.

Common Causes of Brain Injuries

The five most common causes of brain injuries include falls, being struck by objects, motor vehicle accidents, assault, and swimming accidents.

Falls

Falls are the leading cause of brain injuries in the country by a wide margin. They are responsible for nearly 50% of all traumatic brain injuries reported every year.

The most common types of slip-and-fall accidents that can result in a brain injury include:

• Falling from the bed
• Slipping and falling in the bath
• Falling from a ladder
• Falling from a balcony
• Falling down the stairs

Falls are also one of the most common causes of workplace accidents. Particularly in the construction industry, where workers are often required to work at serious heights with the help of a ladder or a scaffold, fall accidents are very common. A significant percentage of these accidents result in brain injuries, which greatly affect the earning capacity of the victims.

Being Struck by Objects

When an object which is falling or moving at a high velocity strikes or falls on your head, you are at risk of sustaining a serious brain injury. This type of injury is also very common in the construction industry.

For example, if a worker accidentally drops his tools from the scaffolding, and if it lands directly on your head, you might suffer serious injuries to your brain. Similarly, if a crane operator accidentally drops a heavy load, without realizing that you are standing directly underneath it, you might suffer life-threatening brain injuries.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Whenever you collide into another vehicle, crash into a stationary object, get T-boned, or get rear ended, the risk of sustaining an injury to your brain is quite high. There are generally two ways in which you might sustain a brain injury in a motor vehicle accident.

• If your head is smashed against the windshield or the steering wheel
• If your brain smashes against the interior of the skull due to the forceful, violent impact caused by the collision

If you, on the other hand, get hit by a motor vehicle while walking, riding a bike, or riding a motorcycle, you might suffer serious external and internal injuries – including traumatic injuries to the brain.

When you are in a car, van, or any other motor vehicle, you are protected against the impact of a crash to a certain extent, thanks to the seat belt, air bag, and other such built-in safety mechanisms. When you are riding a bike or a motorcycle, you have no such safety mechanisms to protect you. So, you are completely exposed to the dangers of a collision.

Assault

A violent assault – in which you are punched, kicked, or hit with an object such as a baseball bat – can also result in serious brain injuries.

Swimming Accidents

When you get stuck underwater while swimming in a pool, river, or any other body of water, you might suffer what is called an anoxic brain injury, which is caused as a result of oxygen deprivation. While it is not a traumatic injury (caused by an external impact in the form of a blow or jolt to the head), it can cause serious damage to your brain, since your brain cells cannot survive for more than five minutes without oxygen.

Brain Injury Lawyers in Alabama

An injury to your brain can have life-altering consequences. It can lead to severe physical disabilities, affect your behavior, affect your social life, diminish your earning capacity, and render you physically and mentally incapable of leading a normal life again.

The experienced personal injury lawyers at Mann & Potter, PC know how hard it can be for someone to deal with a brain injury, especially if they happen to be the breadwinner of the family. We can investigate your accident, identify the parties who can be held liable, and recover damages for the injuries, disabilities, lost income, loss of earning potential, loss of consortium, and other losses that you suffered due to the accident.

You can contact our brain injury lawyers at 205-879-9661 for a free consultation today.