March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and it is a very good thing that there are both national and state (Illinois, Indiana) campaigns working hard to make more parents, spouses, coaches, supervisors, workers, and the public at large aware of how severe and permanent brain injuries can happen before anyone is really aware that a serious injury has hurt someone and impacted their future.
From the Center for Disease Control, each year in the United States:
- 52,000 die from a traumatic brain injury,
- 275,000 are hospitalized, and
- 1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department.
- TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the United States.
- About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild TBI.
And the scariest fact from the CDC: the number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.
As personal injury attorneys representing people who have been seriously injured – or loved ones seeking justice for an accident victim’s wrongful death – all too often, the injuries that have formed the basis of the case involve traumatic brain injuries. It is sad but true that brain injuries which are very damaging and sometimes fatal go unnoticed at first, especially among children and infants.
No accident or injury where the head is involved should go unnoticed. Be on the safe side and get medical attention. Learn more about how vulnerable the head and brain are to injury and protect yourself and your loved ones … on the job, at school, and at home.
