A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by an external force to the head or body. This force could be so strong that something penetrates the skull and directly injures the brain, or it could force the brain to move around inside the skull. All brain injuries are serious, and accident victims should quickly go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment.
At McCravy, Newlon, Sturkie & Clardy, we represent personal injury victims as they seek compensation for brain injuries. Below, we look at the different types of traumatic brain injury and encourage you to reach out to our Spartanburg personal injury lawyers to schedule a free, no-risk consultation. You might qualify for compensation.
Major Types of Traumatic Brain Injury
Here are the major types of TBI.
Open Brain Injury
An open injury is also called a penetrating brain injury. Something cracks the skull and possibly penetrates the brain. We see victims suffer these injuries in dramatic falls or violent attacks where a person is shot or struck in the head.
There are many complications. Direct trauma to the brain is often fatal or results in permanent death of brain tissue. However, other complications involve leaking cerebrospinal fluid, which typically cushions the brain in the skull. After this fluid leaks out, the brain might snag on the inside of the skull, leading to brain damage.
Closed Brain Injury
The skull remains intact with this type of injury. Instead, injury to the brain occurs as the brain is subject to the forces of acceleration and deceleration. Some people wrongly assume that closed injuries are less serious than open injuries, but that’s simply not the case.
A closed brain injury can be of varying severity. A mild injury might not even cause a victim to lose consciousness. However, they suffer various impairments based on the location of the injury.
More serious, moderate, and severe injuries can result in loss of consciousness of varying duration. Generally, the longer a person is unconscious, the more serious the injury.
Concussion
Concussions are one of the most common types of brain injury. This is a relatively mild traumatic brain injury that results in various impairments, usually:
- Loss of coordination
- Balance problems
- Memory loss
- Headaches
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Blurred vision
- Speech impediments
- Mood changes
- Disrupted sleep patterns
People can suffer concussions in all sorts of accidents, but falls and motor vehicle accidents are the most common. Athletes are often prone to suffering concussions in contact sports like football.
Concussions often resolve on their own, but it’s not unusual for many people to struggle with symptoms for years. Also, once a person suffers a concussion, they are more vulnerable if they suffer a second or third concussion, which could prove deadly.
Coup-Contrecoup Brain Injury
This brain injury occurs when a person suffers a forceful impact on one side of the skull. The brain then slams into the opposite side of the skull. There are two sites of injury: the impact site and the site where the brain slammed into the skull on the other side.
Coup-contrecoup injuries typically result in brain contusions, which are bruises. Contusions can swell as tiny blood vessels bleed into surrounding tissue, and this swelling can lead to impairments depending on the location.
Hematomas
A hematoma is any unusual pooling of blood. Hematomas in the brain are dangerous and could prove fatal. Blood will collect in between different protective membranes:
- Epidural hematomas. Bleeding in the space between the skull and the dura matter, which is a thick, fibrous membrane around the brain.
- Subdural hematomas. Bleeding between the dura and the arachnoid mater, another protective membrane. As blood pools, it puts direct pressure on the brain.
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage. Bleeding between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater, which is the innermost protective membrane around the brain.
- Intracerebral hematoma. Bleeding in the brain itself and surrounding area.
The risk with hematomas is that they put pressure on the brain, ultimately cutting off the normal blood flow. Without oxygen (carried by blood), brain cells will die and cell death is permanent. For this reason, hematomas require immediate treatment to relieve the pressure, otherwise permanent impairment or even death is possible.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
This type of brain injury occurs when a blow to the head or body causes the brain to twist inside the skull. The violent movement can tear the axons in the brain. Axons are the “white matter”: thin fibers that connect neurons so they can communicate. When these axons are damaged, communication is impaired, resulting in many of the common impairments you see with a concussion.
Some diffuse axonal injuries could be fatal if the brain tears away from the brain stem. The severity depends on several factors, including the site of injury.
As with concussions, there are few direct treatments to heal injured tissue. Instead, rest is usually required, and a doctor can try to manage symptoms with prescription medication or rehabilitation.
Serious diffuse axonal injuries require close monitoring, possibly in the intensive care unit.
Moderate and Severe TBI
A concussion is a mild TBI, but more serious ones can result in longer-lasting impairments. For example, the Centers for Disease Control found many TBI victims struggled with long-term negative effects five years after the injury:
- 57% remained moderately or severely disabled;
- More than 50% did not work;
- 33% need someone to help them with everyday tasks
- 12% lived in a nursing home or other institutional setting
These numbers show how expensive a moderate or severe TBI can be. In addition to suffering a drop in income, many TBI victims need ongoing medical or at-home care.
Contact a Spartanburg Personal Injury Lawyer for Your Free Consultation
TBIs are serious injuries, and victims and their families should seek financial compensation if someone else’s negligence caused the injury. Reach out to McCravy, Newlon, Sturkie & Clardy for legal assistance.
We offer free consultations to accident victims, where they can ask any question they have and receive an overview of their rights.