Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a term that is being used more and more these days--in sports, on the news, in conversation. While it might seem like it's another term for "concussion," traumatic brain injury actually encompasses longer-term symptoms and effects of a hit to the head. TBI is a serious medical condition that can have lasting effects that dramatically impact a person's life. A concussion is a mild classification of TBI.
Traumatic brain injury is caused by an outside force impacting the head or body and damaging the tissue of the brain. Symptoms following TBI can include:
TBI can be classified as mild (also known as concussion), moderate, or severe. The most common way to grade TBI is by using the Glasgow Coma Scale, which rates a patient with a score between 3 and 15 based on eye response, verbal response, and motor response. The lower the score, the more severe the injury.
TBI has gotten a lot of attention in recent years, and with good reason. It affects young and old alike, and it can have long-lasting or even fatal effects. In 2013, TBI was diagnosed in 282,000 hospitalizations, 2.5 million visits to the ER, and unfortunately, nearly 50,000 deaths. A recent study of the brains of over 200 football players found that 99% of them had some amount of traumatic brain injury.
In addition to the immediate symptoms of TBI, long-term effects can persist for months or even years following the injury. They can include:
Experiencing multiple TBIs increases the risk of long-term consequences. Repeated concussions can even be fatal if they occur close enough together--within hours, days, or even weeks.
Treatment and recovery can be a long and costly process as well. Research shows that the lifetime cost of TBI can range from $85,000 to $3 million. Beyond the medical costs, most patients with TBI cannot work for one to three months following their injury.
If you have suffered traumatic brain injury, you are potentially facing a long period of recovery and high costs both in money and lost time. Depending on the nature of your accident, you may have cause for a personal injury case. Mitch Dugan and the attorneys at Dugan & Associates have years of experience with personal injury law, and we are ready to talk to you about your experience. Contact us online or give us a call at 888-9-9-D-U-G-A-N today for a free consultation.
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