Fatal Traumatic Brain Injuries Caused by Vehicle Accidents
By Attorney Eric Hageman
Car and truck accidents cause more fatal traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the United States than any other type of accident, according to a news release in March from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Injury Response. The announcement summarized the findings of a study entitled “Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Death.”
While falls are the leading cause of TBI (35.2 percent), motor vehicle injury is the second leading cause of TBI (17.3 percent) and results in the largest percentage of TBI-related deaths (31.8 percent) according to the report. An estimated 1.7 million deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits related to traumatic brain injury occur in the United States each year, according to the report. Of those:
- 52,000 die
- 275,000 are hospitalized
- 1.365 million are treated and released from an emergency department
Based on data from 2002-2006, the report identifies the causes and incidence of TBI by age, race, and gender. Authors of the study also used the findings to identify what further research needs to be done, and what steps need to be taken to educate the public about TBI, especially in cases when the injury may not be diagnosed right away. The study quotes one TBI survivor who addressed the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001:
“…People are uneducated about traumatic brain injury. They don’t recognize it when it happens to them or their loved ones; they don’t know the extent of the public health problem…This is my dream for people who will sustain a traumatic brain injury: All traumatic brain injuries will be counted, including mild TBIs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will develop a
methodology to count even me, a person with TBI who was not admitted to a hospital or died…Without accurate data, how can we begin to address the problem?…”
Taking into account future problems caused by a TBI that may not immediately be apparent is a key part in obtaining fair compensation for TBI victims. Victims may also be able to receive compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering. Learn more about traumatic brain injury lawsuits at Pritzker Olsen, P.A.’s web site.
Tags: Car Accident Lawyer MN, Semi Trailer Truck Accident Lawyer MN, TBI Car Accident, TBI Lawyer, Traumatic Brain Injury Lawsuit
