Understanding the Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

As the most important organ in the human body, injuries to the brain can have devastating and life-altering consequences. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a type of brain injury that occurs most commonly from a strike or blow to the head and can have severe consequences for those who suffer them. Our Tifton brain injury lawyer explains TBIs in more detail below.  

Types of TBIs

TBIs occur when the head is exposed to sudden, violent force. Most TBIs can be split into two broad categories: closed and open. A closed TBI occurs when the victim hits her head or is struck in the head, but the skull remains intact. An open TBI occurs when a foreign object penetrates the victim’s skull. Some more specific types of TBIs include: 

• Concussions: A minor brain injury typically caused by a blow to the head, but can also be caused by violent shaking of the head or upper body 
• Contusions: Bruising of the brain tissue that causes bleeding and swelling. They typically occur when the brain strikes a ridge on the skull or a fold in the dura.   
• Hematomas: A collection of blood inside the skull that is most commonly caused by the rupture of a blood vessel within the brain
• Diffuse axonal injuries: Shearing of the connective tissue inside the brain caused when the brain rapidly shifts inside the skull

Any force that causes a blow to the head can cause a TBI, including car accidents, sporting injuries, workplace accidents, slips and falls, and gunshots. 

TBIs Vary Greatly in Severity 

TBIs vary greatly in severity based on the force of the impact and the victim’s preexisting health conditions. Mild TBIs generally cause loss of consciousness for short periods, headaches, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, loss of balance, blurred vision, and problems with speech. Moderate to severe TBIs can result in loss of consciousness for lengthy periods, convulsions or seizures, dilation of the pupils, numbness in the fingers and toes, slurred speech, drainage of fluid from the nose or ears, profound confusion, and coma. 

Treating a TBI 

Mild TBIs typically require little to no medical treatment and can be handled at home with over-the-counter drugs and rest. For more severe TBIs, doctors may prescribe diuretics, coma-inducing drugs, and anti-seizure drugs. Depending upon the nature of the injury, surgery may also be required to remove blood clots, repair skull fractures, or relieve pressure inside the skull.  

How Much Can a TBI Cost? 

Severe TBIs require immediate treatment and lengthy rehabilitation periods, the costs of which can add up to many thousands of dollars. According to Northwestern University, the lifetime costs of a patient’s treatment for a TBI can run from $85,000 to $3 million. Those figures include immediate treatment, rehabilitation, and the long-term economic costs of diminished employment prospects. 

Contact a Tifton Brain Injury Lawyer for Help 

If you have suffered a TBI as a result of negligence, you may be entitled to recover for your injuries, which can help offset the steep lifetime costs of a TBI. For more information, please contact a Tifton brain injury lawyer at the Hudson Injury Firm by using our online form or calling us at 229-396-5845.