Is a blow to the head the only thing that can cause a severe brain injury? | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

To meet the technical definition of “traumatic brain injury,” the damage to a person’s brain must result from trauma — usually a blow to the head to the head that causes the brain to slam into the inside of the skull.

A TBI is not the only type of severe and disabling brain injury, however. Medication overdoses that amount to poisonings, surgical errors that sever nerves and accidents or intentional actions that restrict the flow of oxygen to the brain also leave too many people suffering from irreversible and disabling brain damage. Note that mistakes during labor and delivery, near-drownings and physical assaults can restrict oxygen supply.

When a severe brain injury can be traced to the actions of another person or to the use of a defective or dangerous product, the victim has an undeniable legal right to partner with a Virginia personal injury lawyer and file insurance claims or a civil lawsuit.

EJL