What Are the Leading Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Most traumatic brain injuries are the result of accidents that are beyond our control. These injuries typically occur from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. Serious brain injuries can result in bruising, torn tissue, bleeding, and other damage to the brain and typically result in long-term complications or death. The CDC reported 69,000 deaths related to traumatic brain injuries in 2021, averaging 190 deaths per day. While these injuries can happen from accidents, there are some common causes of brain injuries that we might be able to prevent. In this article, we’ll explain some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries and how you can do your best to prevent them.

Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries are devastating and deadly for their victims. Some traumatic brain injuries occur immediately following an accident, and some can take days, weeks, months, or even years to form. In this section, we’ll look at some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries and how you can try your best to avoid them. 

Falls

Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States. While most falls are accidents, there are incidents that occur that could have been prevented with more precaution and awareness of the nearby surroundings. Falls from a ladder, a bed, down the stairs, in the bath, while in nature, and other falls are by far the most common cause of traumatic brain injury in older adults and younger children. While not every fall can be prevented, make sure that you are aware of your surroundings and take proper precautions in whatever activity you are doing. 

Violent Acts

Acts of violence are very common causes of traumatic brain injuries. This includes gunshot wounds, assaults with and without weapons, domestic violence, child abuse, and more. Any fight or intentional act of violence can most certainly cause a traumatic brain injury due to the blows to the head of the victims, and the severe shaking of the head causes the brain to collide with the skull, which leads to the injury. This also includes infants who can suffer from shaken baby syndrome. Additionally, while you cannot control what another person does to you, it’s best to remove yourself from situations that may seem like they’re escalating to a point of violence.

Vehicle-Related Collisions

If you have been involved in a car accident, motorcycle accident, or an accident involving a bicycle, there’s a strong chance that a traumatic brain injury could have occurred. Even in minor collisions with other vehicles, if your head has been jerked around or hit against a window or the steering wheel of your car, the possibility of you suffering from a traumatic brain injury is relatively high. Obviously, with more severe accidents, the probability rises. There are plenty of precautions that you can take to prevent these types of accidents from happening. Wearing a seatbelt, paying attention to the road, driving safely, not driving under the influence, wearing a helmet (for both bicyclists and motorcycle drivers), riding in designated lanes, and practicing the rules of the road are all ways that you can prevent vehicle-related collisions and traumatic brain injuries from happening to yourself and others.

Workplace Accidents

For many workers in the United States, a workplace accident that causes a traumatic brain injury is a scary reality. Workers who are in the construction, mining, and manufacturing industries are among the top at-risk workers for these types of injuries. There is a lot of potential for falls, falling objects, accidents involving heavy machinery, and vehicle-related accidents to happen on these job sites, and it’s important to take the proper safety precautions when you’re on the job. Be ultra-aware of your surroundings if you work in a place with heavy machinery or large vehicles. Warehouses, manufacturing lines, construction sites, and mines have so much potential for accidents. While most leaders in those industries have taken serious measures to ensure workplace safety, accidents can, and do, still happen.

Sports

Sports are one of the primary forms of exercise and recreational fun for most people in the United States. Some sports, like football, soccer, hockey, and rugby, are much more physical than others and could lead to a traumatic brain injury. High-contact sports like those mentioned do involve physical contact with the head and neck areas, resulting in an alarming number of concussions, which can lead to traumatic brain injuries. Extreme sports and recreational activities such as biking, skateboarding, skiing, and snowboarding can also lead to injuries to the head and are seen as much more of a risk. While precautions in sports are hard to control, even for a sport like football, where you are wearing protective equipment that covers your entire skull, the violent nature of these sports can lead to brain injuries.

Explosions and Combat Injuries

For active-duty personnel, explosion blasts are a common cause of traumatic brain injuries. Penetrating wounds, falls, collisions with objects following an explosion, shrapnel or debris making contact with the head, and other military accidents can also cause severe head trauma. In the case of explosion blasts, many experts believe that traumatic brain injuries may result from the pressure wave that passes through the brain after a blast. The belief is that the wave may cause significant disruptions to the function of the brain following an explosion. For military personnel, it is essential to make sure you are wearing all necessary protective gear while in combat or during testing periods. 

Medical Procedures

Certain surgeries performed on patients can lead to traumatic brain injuries, especially if the procedure involves the neck, head, or brain. Additionally, there are other things that can happen during procedures that can lead to a traumatic brain injury. A surgical error can lead to accidental damage to blood vessels or nerves, bleeding, swelling, compromised blood flow, bacterial or fungal infections, blood clots or embolisms, hypoxia, or anoxia, and more. Despite these risks, these medical procedures are typically performed by medical professionals who have your safety at the top of their list. If you or someone you know has suffered a traumatic brain injury from a medical procedure, there may be an avenue for you to pursue a medical malpractice case against the medical provider. (insert link to medical malpractice page here)

How To Find the Best Brain Injury Lawyer

If you or someone you know has suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of an accident or malpractice, there is still hope to receive compensation for your injuries and trauma. Locating an attorney to take on your case might seem difficult and daunting, but you have support on your side in the form of Expertise.com. Their online directory of brain injury lawyers can help you find the best brain injury lawyer to help you get the compensation you deserve. Visit their online directory today!