What Can Cause a Traumatic Brain Injury?
The effects of a traumatic brain injury can be permanent. Those with a traumatic brain injury face changes to quality of life, impaired motor function, changes in personality, and difficulties with cognitive ability.
Traumatic brain injuries can have many causes, some of which may be due to another person's negligence. At the Ramey Law Firm, PLLC, attorney Hardin Ramey looks at the traumatic brain injury causes facing our clients in Dallas, TX to determine whether there are grounds for a personal injury case. To find out if you have grounds to pursue a lawsuit for your injuries, we invite you to schedule a consultation.
Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can be caused by any bump, hit, or jolt to the head strong enough to interfere with how the brain normally functions. The severity of TBIs range from mild, such as a concussion, to severe.
A traumatic brain injury can happen at any time. Sometimes these injuries are caused by the injured party's own error while in other circumstances the negligence of another person may be to blame.
Regardless of who may be at fault, the following are several common causes of traumatic brain injuries for our Dallas clients.
Falls
According to the Centers for Disease Control, falls are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries. In 2014 alone, almost half of all TBI-related emergency room visits were caused by falls.
Falls don't have to be from a great height to cause a TBI. Some people may suffer from a brain injury by slipping in the shower, tripping over something on the floor, or falling on the ground while walking.
Falls may also occur in places of business or while on the job as a result of someone else's negligence. For example, a property owner may fail to fix a stair's handrail after being aware of the problem. If someone falls due to the faulty handrail and suffers a traumatic brain injury, the property owner may be held liable.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are another major cause of traumatic brain injuries in Dallas and throughout the United States. A traumatic brain injury can happen to any passenger, bicyclist, motorcyclist, pedestrian, or driver involved in a traffic collision.
TBIs are so common to motor vehicle accidents because of the force of impact many accidents carry along with the fact that the body will keep moving forward, or in the direction of impact, after a car has stopped. Even when wearing a seat belt, this can lead to whiplash or hitting the head on the inside of the car.
Sports-related Injuries
Sports-related injuries are another possible cause of traumatic brain injuries. Even when wearing a helmet, a strong enough blow to the head can lead to a TBI.
While contact sports, like boxing, hockey, and football, are more likely to lead to TBIs, a brain injury can happen in just about any sport. A sports-related TBI may be caused by the head being struck by a ball, other sports equipment, or another athlete.
Birth Injury
Sadly, a traumatic brain injury may occur at birth. Brain injuries at birth may be caused by oxygen deprivation, which may stem from problems with the umbilical cord or getting stuck in the birth canal. Other causes of birth-related TBIs include a medical professional's misuse of birthing tools, such as forceps and vacuums, or infection spreading from the mother to baby during delivery.
When medical professionals ignore signs of fetal distress or misuse medical equipment and a TBI occurs at birth, there is often grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Contact the Ramey Law Firm
If you or a loved one have suffered from a traumatic brain injury, it may be possible to recover compensation for your injuries through a personal injury lawsuit. To find out if there are grounds for you to file a lawsuit, please call (972) 437-5577 to schedule a consultation at the Ramey Law Firm.
