While many people have heard of traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, you might be alarmed at just how frequently they occur in the United States, including the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, area. The brain is located in the skull, which is part of the head, which sits on the neck at the top of a person’s body. It should come as no wonder then, that the brain is vulnerable when a person is involved in an accident, whether it is a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall accident, an accident at a worksite, or even an accident while playing sports.
According to statistics from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as much as 30 percent of all injury deaths involve injuries to the brain. This accounts for approximately 153 people dying in the United States from injuries that include a traumatic brain injury every day. In 2013, there were approximately 2.8 million visits to a hospital emergency room for victims of a TBI injury. This resulted in nearly three hundred thousand hospitalization stays. A majority to traumatic brain injuries are the result of a fall at 47 percent, while the second leading cause was being struck on the head with an object.
A traumatic brain injury is defined as any strike or blow to the head that affects the normal functioning of the brain. Mild TBIs could cause a brief change in mental status or consciousness, while a severe case could lead to extended unconsciousness as well as other serious symptoms including impaired thinking or memory, personality changes and even depression. Catastrophic injuries could even lead to death.
Anyone who is suffering from a brain injury or other serious injury may be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits for injuries if it can be proven that the condition is serious enough that one is not able to maintain gainful employment and that the condition is expected to last at least a year or end in death.
Source: Centers for Disease Control, “Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussions,” Accessed on July 11, 2017