Motor vehicle accidents are the cause of some of the most severe injuries sustained by women, men and children each and every day in Mobile, across Alabama and throughout the United States. These include traumatic brain injuries.
Prevalence of traumatic brain injuries from motor vehicle accidents
Motor vehicle accidents represent the second leading cause of traumatic brain injury hospitalizations in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annually, approximately 20% of traumatic brain injury hospitalizations arise from motor vehicle accidents. The number one cause of traumatic brain injury hospitalizations is slip and fall accidents, at about 52% of these types of admissions.
Classification of traumatic brain injuries
Traumatic brain injuries that arise from incidents like slip and fall accidents and automobile collisions medically are classified into a pair of broad categories. These are mild and moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Within these broad categorizations traumatic brain injuries are rated according to what is known as the Glasgow Coma Scale or GCS:
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe disability
- Persistent vegetative state
The most commonplace traumatic brain injuries arising from accidents are concussions of varying severity from mild to moderate. These are traumatic brain injuries from which people recover, oftentimes within a matter of days or weeks.
Unfortunately, there are motor vehicle traumatic brain injuries that result in an injured person suffering permanent disability. Such a disability can range from cognitive impairment to an inability to properly use his or her limbs.
The most severe outcome of a traumatic brain injury is a persistent vegetative state. With this level of injury, a person’s state of consciousness is affected by damage to the brain.
A victim of a traumatic brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence in an automobile accident has an array of crucial legal rights. These are best protected with the assistance of a skilled, experienced personal injury attorney.