A Few Statistics on Traumatic Brain Injury

By Staff Writer

In a prior post, we discussed some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injury in the United States. These injuries can range in severity from a mild concussion to devastating, even lifelong consequences for anyone who suffers from them – these types of injuries sometimes require intensive care for a long period of time.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur each year in the U.S.  And according to the Brain Trauma Foundation (BTF), approximately 52,000 individuals lose their lives to traumatic brain injury each year. Amazingly, over 1.5 million head injuries occur in emergency rooms each year.

Just who exactly suffers from these kinds of injuries though?

Other figures from the BTF show that traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for ages one to 44. Each year, over ½ million ER visits for traumatic brain injury involve children under the age of 14.

Below are a few other facts about traumatic brain injuries in the U.S:

• Approximately 1.6-3.8 million injuries occur because of sport accidents
• Around 2% of the U.S. population, or 5.3 million people, live with disabilities caused by a traumatic brain injury
• Those who suffer moderate or severe brain injuries are 2.3 and 4.5 (respectively) times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life
• Men are twice as likely to experience a traumatic brain injury as women
• Military personnel are at higher risks of traumatic brain injury due to exposure to blasts
• Advocates for veterans estimate that between 10 and 20% of veterans from the Iraq War (approx. 150,000 to 300,000) have suffered some level of traumatic brain injury
• Over 30% of military personnel admitted to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center have been diagnosed with some sort of traumatic brain injury

Many of these injuries can be attributed to negligence on the part of someone else, be it another driver, a negligent property owner or a defective product.

If you, your child or a loved one suffered from a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible for compensation. To discuss your case, contact Tennessee brain injury attorneys at the Gilreath Law Firm today for a no-cost consultation.

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