Traumatic Brain Injury

Wisconsin Traumatic Brain Injury

A Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI can most easily be defined as a force to the head or brain resulting in a disruption in the proper functioning of the brain. A direct blow to the head is not required to injure the brain. At least 1.4 million people in the U.S. sustain Traumatic Brain Injuries each year. Of those people, 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized and 1.1 million are treated and released from emergency room departments. Countless more sustain Traumatic Brain Injuries that are not immediately identified as such and therefore never treated in an emergency room and not included in the above numbers.

One of the most important ways to assist your physician in diagnosing your Traumatic Brain Injury is to explain specific problems that you are experiencing. Rozek Law Offices has created this downloadable Traumatic Brain Injury Symptom Checklist for Wisconsin TBI victims.

Over ten years ago it had been estimated that the direct costs (health care expenses) and indirect costs (lost productivity) would total more than $56 billion annually. (Thurman D. The epidemiology and economics of head trauma. In: Miller L, Hayes R, editors. Head trauma: basic, preclinical, and clinical directions. New York (NY): Wiley and Sons; 2001). It is likely that amount would be much higher today, as there has not been a comprehensive, successful push for Traumatic Brain Injury education and prevention in the U.S. since the time of that study.

The leading causes of Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States are as follows:

28% Falls
20% Motor Vehicle Collisions
19% Struck by/against
11% Assaults

(Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Thomas KE. Traumatic brain injury in the United States: emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2004)

There are three degrees of Traumatic Brain Injury:

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

This classification system was originally based upon the extent and duration of the loss of consciousness of the individual immediately following the injury. Recently however the medical community has discovered that the duration of post-traumatic amnesia is actually a better predictor of outcome than actual loss of consciousness. Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), also referred to medically as anterograde amnesia, is defined as the failure to form new memories. All too often, medical professionals fail to inquire into post-traumatic amnesia. Most physicians that do not truly specialize in treating individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury are not aware of the significance of assessing the existence and duration of post-traumatic amnesia.

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Glascow Coma Scale of 1 to 8
Post-Traumatic Amnesia of more than 1 day
Loss of Consciousness of more than 24 hours

Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

Glascow Coma Scale of 9 to 12
Post-Traumatic Amnesia of 30 minutes to 24 hours
Loss of Consciousness of 1 to 24 hours

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Glascow Coma Scale of 13 to 15
Post-Traumatic Amnesia of less than 1 hour
Loss of Consciousness of less than 30 minutes

It is important to keep in mind that the degree of Traumatic Brain Injury does not necessarily indicate the extent of ongoing disability. There have been individuals that have nearly completely recovered from a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, while other individuals have been completely disabled as a result of a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over 5.3 million Americans have a long-term or lifelong need for assistance in performing their activities of daily living as a direct result of a Traumatic Brain Injury. Also, about 40% of those hospitalized with a Traumatic Brain Injury had one or more unmet needs for services at least one year after their Traumatic Brain Injury.

The most frequent needs that were not met include the following:

Improving memory and problem solving
Managing stress and emotional upsets
Controlling one’s temper
Improving one’s job skills

While Moderate Traumatic Brain Injuries and Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries are usually easily identified and diagnosed, Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries are often not diagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, common signs and symptoms of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury can be classified into four categories as follows:

Signs and Symptoms of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Physical	Cognitive	Emotional	Sleep
Headache Nausea Vomitting Balance Problems Dizziness Visual Problems Fatigue Sensitivity to Light Sensitivity to Noise Numbness/Tingling Dazed or Stunned	Feeling Mentally "Foggy" Feeling Slowed Down Difficulty Concentrating Difficulty Remembering Forgetful of Recent Information or Conversations Confused About Recent Events Answers Questions Slowly Repeats Questions	Irritability Sadness More Emotional Nervousness	Drowsiness Sleeping Less Than Usual Sleeping More Than Usual Trouble Falling Asleep

Contact an Experienced Wisconsin Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

All too often people suffer Traumatic Brain Injuries as a result of the carelessness of another. It is critical that these Traumatic Brain Injury victims have an attorney that understands Traumatic Brain Injury and the future costs associated with living with this often disabling condition.

If you or a loved one has sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury due to the negligence of another, be sure to contact an experienced Wisconsin Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney.

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