Traumatic brain injury or head injury can happen to anyone. More than a thousand of people experience a life long disability and even die because of this incident. Statistics reported by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control indicate that the number one leading cause of head injury is falls at 28%. Babies and toddlers particularly are prone of falls and/or are victims of violent shaking resulting in head injury. Motor vehicular-traffic crash is the second leading cause of head injury at 20%. Male adolescents and early adults between the ages of 15 and 24 are most susceptible of a having head injury resulting from pursuing chancy choices in sampling various curiosities of life. Brain injuries resulting from physical violence events are next at 19%, followed by assaults at 11% – the least leading cause yet also considered as one of the main contributors to head injuries.

Typically, the onset of symptoms of traumatic brain injury starts from the time the injury is inflicted and is classified according to the severity of hematomas and/or bleeding.

• Acute subdural hematoma is classified as severe head injuries frequently associated with brain laceration and contusion. These occur shortly after the injury, usually within 48 hours from the suffering the injury. Person manifests rapid deterioration of alertness, drowsiness, agitation, stupor, and coma. Unilateral pupil dilation is one of the major indicator signs of a brain stem compression.
• Sub acute subdural hematoma is classified as a moderate head injury, potentially associated with cerebral contusions which usually manifest 2 days to 2 weeks following the injury. Person may manifest lucid periods that degenerate slowly to drowsiness, stupor and coma.
• Chronic subdural hematoma is the type of a slow bleeding hematoma caused by a mild injury; most commonly occurring in infants, elderly’ demented or alcoholic individuals on long term coagulation. This usually occurs few weeks to several months after the injury. Person having this type of hematomas usually complaints of dull headache, slowness in thinking, drowsiness, confusion and waxing and waning of level consciousness.

If you know a person manifest some of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Getting help as soon as possible after the injury by a health care provider may reduce and prevent possible complications.

If you or a loved one has suffered from an accident resulting in TBI, find out more from Attorney Elan Wurtzel of Personal Injury Law Firm Wurtzel Law here.

This article is not intended as legal advice.