Serious Accidents -Traumatic Brain Injury

In our Georgia injury practice our lawyers have seen many serious accidents, including automobile accidents and truck accidents, which result in brain injury of varying degrees. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s) contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability annually. The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans, about 2% of the U.S. population, currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.
The severity of a TBI may range from “mild”, i.e, a brief change in mental status or consciousness to “severe”, i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. Approximately 1.4 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year in the united States. Of those: 50,000 die; 235,000 are hospitalized; and 1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department. Among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results in an estimated 2685 deaths; 37,000 hospitalizations; and 435,000 emergency room visits. The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency room department or who receive no treatment are unknown.
Some of the statistics relating to traumatic brain injury are surprising. For example, males are about twice as likely as females to sustain a TBI. The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 – 4 year olds and 15 -19 year olds. African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI.