In Pennsylvania and across the country, March has been marked as National Brain Injury Awareness Month to bring attention to the fact that roughly 5 million American citizens are severely affected by a traumatic brain injury and are disabled as a result. Further, about 2.5 million adults and children experience TBIs annually, and of that amount, nearly 280,000 are admitted to hospitals and around 2.2 million obtain treatment at hospital emergency rooms.
These types of injuries are the cause of almost a third of all injury-related fatalities in the country every year, according to reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also interesting to note that mild cases of TBI, which are called concussions, are the most common type of TBIs affecting US military personnel, especially men between the ages of 18 and 24, and that since 2000, more than 350,000 active-duty service members have been diagnosed with a TBI. Nearly 80 percent of military personnel who suffer a TBI for the first time experience them while involved in a recreation activity, or from a fall, assault or car accident rather than from a blast exposure.
In mild cases of TBI, people suffer a brief change in consciousness or mental status, and in amnesia or sustained unconsciousness results from severe cases. Some TBI symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, vomiting or nausea, and a feeling of being dazed. Some people experience TBI symptoms immediately, while other victims may go days or months without noticing any symptoms at all.
A traumatic brain injury is often the result of a car accident or a sudden fall. When it has been caused by the negligence of another party, an injured victim might want to have a lawyer’s help in seeking compensation for medical bills and other losses.
Source: Department of Defense, “March Marks Brain Injury Awareness Month Observance”, Yan Kennon, March 1, 2017