Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) guesstimates that there are approximately 1.5 million people in the United States who suffer from a traumatic brain injury each year. Sadly, 50,000 people die from traumatic brain injuries each year and more than 85,000 will suffer long-term disabilities. I chose the word "guesstimate" when referring to the 1.5 million people who suffer from these tragic injuries because only the patients that are admitted to a hospital for this injury are included in this count. Individuals treated in an emergency room or doctor’s office are not counted.

A traumatic brain injury is a form of an acquired brain injury. It occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. This type of injury can result when the head suddenly and violently strikes an object or the individual’s head is violently shaken. This is commonly known as a deceleration injury. Many people involved in motor vehicle collisions will complain of some type of headache or head injury and will subsequently receive CT scans or other diagnostic studies in the emergency room. Imaging tests will be helpful and assist in determining the diagnosis and prognosis for a traumatic brain injury patient.

An individual’s skull is hard and inflexible while the brain is soft with a “jello-like” consistency. An individual’s brain is encased inside the skull. During the movement of the skull through space (which is known as acceleration) and the rapid discontinuation of this action, the skull will meet a stationary object (deceleration) this will cause the brain to violently move inside the skull. As one can imagine, the brain is moving at a different rate than the skull because of this “jello-like” consistency. This differential movement of the skull and the brain results in direct brain injury, shearing, contusion, and, quite often, swelling.

Anyone with signs of a mild, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury should receive medical attention as soon as possible.