Traumatic brain injuries are one of the most dire results of a car accident. They can be very complex, they can take years to heal — if they ever do — and they can be quite costly.
So, how many brain injuries come from car accidents? Vehicle crashes are the third leaning cause, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The top cause was simple: falls. This includes slip-and-fall accidents, falls from a ladder and the like. A full 47 percent of all traumatic brain injuries were due to falls. This was true for cases involving hospitalizations, trips to the emergency room, and for fatal accidents.
The second top cause of TBIs was when someone was struck by an object. This led to around 15 percent of the TBI-related deaths, hospital stays and emergency room visits. For example, a football player who is struck in the head by another player falls into this category.
Finally, car crashes accounted for about 14 percent of deaths, hospital stays, and visits to the doctor for traumatic brain injuries. They did show a slightly higher rate if you just looked at deaths, at 19 percent, but that still ranked third overall.
The impact of a TBI is different from one case to the next. One person may have headaches that slowly fade with time, while another has vocal and motor skill issues that require extensive therapy and never fully heal.
If you are hurt in a car accident, especially if you’re facing long-term costs and complications, make sure you know all of your rights to compensation.
Source: CDC, “TBI: Get the Facts,” accessed Dec. 08, 2017