What You Don’t Know About Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can change a person’s life forever, yet most people don’t really understand the main causes of brain injuries. Being aware of the common causes of brain injuries in Oregon and throughout the United States could help prevent this tragic injury from altering your life or the lives of your family members and friends.

Based on information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main causes of traumatic brain injury are:

• Falls (35.2%)
• Motor vehicle accidents (17.3%)
• Struck by/against events (16.5%)
• Assaults (10%)

Every year about 1.7 million people suffer a brain injury. What’s also upsetting is that 52,000 people die and 275,000 are hospitalized.

One of the most dangerous things about a brain injury is that a person may not know they even have one until their condition is worse or it is too late for treatment. No one ever wants to go to the emergency room, but if you bumped your head in a fall or auto accident, it’s important to seek medical attention to make sure that you’re okay and/or that you get the medical care you need.

People who are at the highest risk of suffering a brain injury include children aged 0 to 4 years, adolescences aged 15 to 19 years, and adults aged 65 years and older. In addition, adults aged 75 years and older are at the highest risk of suffering a brain injury requiring hospitalization or causing death.

Almost every Portland brain injury lawyer would tell you that awareness is essential in preventing traumatic brain injuries. It is unfortunate, however, that there is only so much a person can do to avoid a brain injury caused by another person’s recklessness. At DuBois Law Group, our Oregon accident attorneys hear a lot of tragic stories about brain injuries. Most of these accidents can be avoided if people are more careful. If you need helpful information about personal injury laws in Oregon relating to brain injury, call us at (503) 222-4411.