Brain Injuries Come in Many Forms
When you hit your head or suffer another type of trauma that affects the brain, the resulting injury is generally referred to as a “traumatic brain injury” or “TBI.” However, this overarching term can be used to refer to many different types of brain injuries that occur in many different ways. Determining the exact type of brain injury you have is critical to ensuring you receive the proper and necessary treatment and for proving the nature of your injury in a subsequent brain injury claim against the person who caused your accident or incident. The following are some examples of different types of TBI that can result from falls, auto accidents, assaults, and other harmful events.
Concussion – A concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)1 that commonly results from a bump on the head. While this is considered to be a less serious type of TBI, the symptoms can still affect your life and a concussion can increase your chances of sustaining future concussions. Multiple concussions can have significantly greater effects over the course of your life.
Contusion – A contusion happens when trauma causes a bruise on your brain after blood vessels are crushed and then begin to bleed inside the brain under the surface. Some contusions can be small and minor, while others can cause dangerous hemorrhaging or swelling.
Coup-Contrecoup – A “coup” injury simply refers to the part of the brain that is injured directly below the point of head trauma. A coup-contrecoup injury occurs when the brain hits the skull at the point of contact and then also rebounds and hits the skull on the opposite side of the brain. This results in multiple points of brain damage.
Closed Injury – This term simply refers to any brain injury that is not visible from the outside and the source of the injury never comes into contact with the brain. This is the most common type of brain injury and often results from hitting your head in sports, car accidents, falls, and similar accidents.
Open/penetrating injury – On the other hand, an open or penetrating brain injury occurs when an object actually goes through the skull and penetrates the brain tissue, often causing serious damage. In such cases, there will be a visible wound and the skull will also be fractured and runs the risk of skull fragments further damaging the brain. Common causes of open brain injuries include bullet wounds, stab wounds, debris from explosions, and similar incidents.
Diffuse Axonal Injury – Some brain injuries spread beyond one single point of trauma, such as the diffuse axonal injury. This injury happens when the brain shakes in the skull, often due to a sharp jolt of the head – like from the impact of a sudden car crash – or from strong vibrations, as from an explosion or blasting. This results in different parts of the brain hitting the skull and multiple points of injury and a shearing effect of the tissue. Shearing can result in lesions, killed brain cells, decreased circulation to the brain, increased intracranial pressure, and other serious complications.
Anoxic Injury – Unlike a brain injury caused by trauma, an anoxic event occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen for a period of time, which can result in the death of brain cells. Anoxic events commonly occur in drowning, electrocution, strangling, suffocation, toxic inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, chemical poisoning, and other serious incidents.
Recurring Traumatic Brain Injury – While one concussion or mild TBI may not be serious, a recurrent traumatic brain injury happens when a person suffers another brain injury before the first one has fully healed. This is common when an athlete or another TBI victim is not properly diagnosed with the first TBI and thus is not instructed to rest and refrain from risky activities to avoid further brain injury. Under rare circumstances, recurring brain injury can result in a life-threatening condition called second impact syndrome.2
Contact the Experienced Tampa Brain Injury Attorneys at Dolman Law Group Today
No matter what type of brain injury you suffer, chances are that you have experienced symptoms and effects that can impair your cognitive, physical, or emotional abilities. You also likely have incurred medical bills for your treatment and may have lost income from missing work. To learn about your rights as an accident victim, please call the brain injury lawyers at Dolman Law Group at 727-451-6900 for a free consultation.
Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-451-6900
https://www.dolmanlaw.com/legal-services/brain-injury-attorneys/
