Most Common Accidental Injuries: Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. The injury can either be open, when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain, or closed, when the head strikes a hard object, but the skull is not broken. A TBI can result from the brain’s making direct contact with a piercing object, banging against the skull or bruising and swelling that follows the initial trauma. Each year, 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a TBI. Blows to the head and skull factures are involved in one-third of all injury-related deaths in this country.

TBI symptoms vary depending on the nature and location of the head injury, but they can include unequal or abnormal-sized pupils; severe headaches; fluid draining from the ears, mouth or nose; irritability; confusion; drowsiness; loss or changes in the senses of touch, hearing, taste, vision and smell; slowed breathing; memory loss; restlessness; lack of coordination; seizures; problems speaking, such slurring or difficulty finding words; neck stiffness; vomiting; lightheadedness and dizziness; weak or numb arms, hands, legs and feet; and loss of consciousness.

The medical treatment for a TBI focuses on preventing further damage to the tissues and nerves of the brain, as little can be done to repair or restore brain structures and mental or central nervous system functions once they are impaired by or lost to an injury. Initially, medical providers will provide adequate oxygen and blood flow to the brain and control blood pressure. Diagnosing the extent of the injury is done using X-rays and CT (computed tomography) scans. In moderate to severe cases, a person with a TBI may require extensive rehabilitation therapy to help him or her relearn and improve physical tasks such as walking, handling objects and speaking and reading. TBI patients may also need psychological counseling and psychiatric treatment to deal with the mental trauma caused by their physical injury and new limitations.

Permanent problems for persons with TBIs vary greatly, depending on the extent of the injury. Common problems include trouble with thinking, memory and reasoning; altered sensations or trouble with sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing; difficulty expressing thoughts; difficulty understanding what others are saying or communicating through gestures and facial expressions; and mental and behavioral problems such as depression, anxiety, aggression and acting inappropriately in social situations. More serious head and brain injuries can leave patients in comas, unconscious and unresponsive, for a short or extended period. The worst form of TBI puts a person in a persistent vegetative state during which the individual remains unaware of his or her surroundings but still has a sleep-wake cycle and periods of alertness.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a VA injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases brought by victims of traumatic brain injury and closed head injuries. In fact, in 2000, our firm helped a plaintiff receive what was then the largest verdict ever in a Virginia brain injury case. Then in the year 2012 we won a $21 million brain injury verdict. We also have a blog in which we discuss only topics related to brain injuries and head wounds.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been named to the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008.Shapiro and Lewis have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2008. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive this professional honor. In addition, our firm was the first in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA injury law firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.
We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Suffolk and Newport News if you or a family member has been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness. While not every case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations. Call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can get back to you.

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Most Common Accidental Injuries: Traumatic Brain Injury