Every year a countless number of people are victims of catastrophic injuries that lead to permanent disabilities. Some of the common causes of these kinds of injuries are car accidents or traffic accidents, work accident, recreational accidents, or accidents within the safety of one’s own home.
Catastrophic injuries especially brain injuries result in prolonged and non-reversible brain damage. A traumatic brain injury or a TBI can be described as a trauma or blow to the head that causes an interference in the normal and healthy functioning of your brain.
If the injury is mild it can be treated quickly, while other extremely severe cases may result in physical, cognitive and emotional impacts. The type and level of severity of the TBI help the doctor to diagnose the patient’s prospects.
There are 4 Main Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Concussions - Brain damage that is caused by a sudden impact to the head, violent shaking of the brain or sudden change in movement. The symptoms of concussions may last for days, weeks, months or even years. A concussion may lead to headaches, problems with concentration, unconsciousness, nausea/vomiting, memory loss, and disorientation.
Contusion - A contusion is the bleeding of the brain as a result of a bruise of the brain tissue. Any direct impact may cause breaking and leaking of small blood vessels.
Such leaking can cause a lot of pressure on the brain. These kinds of injuries are common in car accidents, slip, and fall accidents and sports-related accidents. The symptoms of contusions include loss of consciousness, emotional distress, and fatigue, lack of clarity or anxiety. Critical contusions can cause the brain to swell resulting in a lack of oxygen reaching the brain.
A penetrating brain injury occurs when a sharp object pierces through and enters the brain. This will also force bones, skin hair and brain tissues or other fragments of the skull to make contact with the brain or get pushed out of the exit wound.
Such types of injuries are caused by external force or object that has the ability to break through the skull. Some common instances are slip and fall injuries, car accidents or motor vehicle accidents, sports-related accidents or gunshot wounds to the head.
Some kinds of TBI are not caused by physical trauma to the head at all. Anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived of enough oxygen to be able to function properly. Just a few minutes without the proper amount of oxygen can result in brain cells getting affected and a brain injury will occur.
These kinds of injuries occur mostly due to the blockage of blood flow resulting in a blood clot, stroke, heart attack or serious trauma. While some people recover quickly without any issues, others may spend their entire lifetime battling this condition. Some of the causes of anoxic brain injury are poisoning, strangulating, choking, suffocation, drowning – anything that restricts oxygen from being carried to the lungs.
Levels of TBIs
Mild Injury – Results in loss of consciousness for few seconds or minutes.
Moderate injury – Loss of consciousness may last up to a few hours resulting in confusion for weeks.
Severe Injury – Can be life-threatening and result in death.
Alvin F. de Levie is a 1973, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and a 1976 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law. He is an expert in Pennsylvania Law revolving around medical malpractice and personal injury.
Mr. de Levie has consistently been voted by his peers to receive Martindale-Hubbell's "AV Preeminent" 5.0 out of 5.0 rating. An AV Preeminent rating is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.
