Whether mild or severe, TBI requires prompt medical treatment and monitoring

The effects of traumatic brain injury can be wide-ranging, from subtle changes in personality to permanent physical impairments. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that TBI is a contributing factor in about 30 percent of all injury-related deaths.

While most brain injuries are mild, we now know that subsequent minor concussions can have long-term effects on the brain, and it is essential that people who suffer these injuries receive proper medical care and monitoring as soon as possible.

According to the CDC, 2.2 million emergency room visits and 280,000 hospitalizations in the United States involved TBI diagnoses in 2010. The CDC also keeps track of the leading causes of TBI.

Falling accidents were the leading cause of TBI from 2006 to 2010, with more than 40 percent of TBIs being attributed to falls. The next most common known cause of TBI during that time was being struck by or against an object — unintentional blunt force trauma — which is believed to have caused more than 15 percent of TBIs.

Motor vehicle accidents were the third-leading cause of brain injury, with more than 14 percent of such injuries being attributed to crashes. Assaults were the fourth-leading cause, with 10.7 percent.

Nineteen percent of TBIs were attributed to unknown causes.

If you or a loved one has suffered TBI because of someone else’s negligence, then it is important that you speak with a personal injury attorney with experience in handling brain injury cases. Chester Law Group’s brain injury overview has more on obtaining compensation for injury victims.