Brain Damage

Brain damage resulting from an accident or injury, also referred to as a brain injury or traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a strike to the skull that it sufficient to disrupt the normal function of the brain.   Not all strikes or blows  to the head result in brain damage or TBI, rather the severity of a brain injury ranges 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.   Although the world “mild” is used to define a “mild brain injury”, there is no such thing as a mild brain injury.  All injuries to the brain should be considered serious and hazardous and people with TBI are urged to seek immediate medical attention. 

The leading causes of TBI’s in the United States are:

• Falls (28%);
• Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%);
• Struck by/against events (19%); and
• Assaults (11%).1

Falls
•  Falls are the leading cause of TBI; rates are highest for children ages 0 to 4  years and adults ages 75 years and older.

Motor Vehicle-Traffic Crashes
•  Motor vehicle-traffic causes result in the greatest number of TBI-related hospitalizations.
• The rate of motor vehicle-traffic-related TBI is highest among adolescents ages 15 to 19 years.

Struck By/Against Events
• Struck by/against events, which include colliding with a moving or stationary object, are the third leading cause of TBI.
• Approximately 1.6 – 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related TBIs occur in the United States each year. Most of these are mild TBIs that are not treated in a hospital or emergency department.  

Assaults
• Firearm use is the leading cause of death related to TBI.
• Nine out of 10 people with a firearm-related TBI die.
• Nearly two thirds of firearm-related TBIs are classified as suicidal in intent.

Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.

Sheff Law Offices has earned a reputation for obtaining consistent exemplary results in  brain injury cases. The firm's vast experience and sensitivity to these very serious, often hidden injuries has allowed the Sheff Law Offices to obtain substantial recoveries for victims of brain injury. Our attorneys work closely with neurologists, neuropsychologists, our clients and their families to provide the medical and background information necessary to produce an accurate diagnosis. For a free evaluation of your claim by an attorney, please fill out the form below.