What Are The Risk Factors For TBI?

A traumatic brain injury, also known as a TBI, is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented conditions a person can acquire. Caused by a forceful blow to the head, TBIs can range in severity and degree, with some individuals barely showing any symptoms at all. Nevertheless, even a mild TBI (also known as a concussion) can cause ongoing memory loss and other serious problems.Although anyone can sustain a TBI under the right conditions, some age groups and demographics are far more susceptible to these injuries – and the impact on their lives, earning potential, and futures can often be catastrophic. In honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, our Baltimore brain injury lawyers wanted to review some of the biggest risk factors for a TBI, as well as some of the most common causes for these injuries.

Who Is At Risk for a TBI?

In the past, traumatic brain injury was often thought to be the exclusive province of war veterans and accident victims. Soldiers would exhibit memory loss, consciousness lapses, and severe emotional instability upon returning from war, leading some doctors to believe that the TBIs were specific to their battlefield scars. Additionally, as cars became more widely used in the United States, more people showed up in the Emergency Room with severely fractured skulls – and the symptoms of TBI accompanied them.

However, as medical knowledge expanded, so did the accepted definition of a TBI. Greater insight about the condition led doctors to determine that the TBI label covered a wider range of head injuries. According to the CDC, more than 30% of all injury deaths in the United States now involve a TBI, and there were approximately 2.8 million TBI emergency department visits recorded in 2013 alone.

Researchers have also found that TBIs disproportionately affect the poor – in particular, women who have been domestically abused, minority groups, and those suffering from substance abuse. Because of the disproportionate levels of violence faced by people in low-average income zip codes, many of these individuals sustain head injuries that never get medical attention or truly heal. This can lead to an endless cycle of poverty and even homelessness, as another study uncovered.

Most Common Causes of TBI

Regardless of socioeconomic predictors or other risk factors, the truth is that anyone can sustain a TBI, particularly when involved in a serious motor vehicle accident or a rigorous athletic program. Additionally, the very young and the very old both face higher risks of a TBI, as both groups are most likely to slip and fall, which is one of the most common global causes of TBI.

Here are some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injury:

Motor vehicle accidents
Military training exercises
Explosions
Slipping and falling
Falling from roofs or high stories
Sports activities
Motorcycle accidents
Sexual and physical assault

Get the Legal Assistance You Need

At Brown & Barron, LLC, we strive to help TBI victims get the compensation they need to live a normal life. Whether you were intentionally assaulted or slipped and fell on a wet floor, you may have grounds to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. Treatment can be slow and difficult even for some mild TBIs, so it’s critical that victims get the funds they need to find lasting recovery. Unlike many legal firms, we have the skills and the experience to take your case all the way to appellate court, should it come to that – and we’re devoted to helping our clients succeed.

Contact us at (410) 698-1717 today for a free consultation in Baltimore and surrounding areas!