Approximately 1.4 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. This is considered to be a catastrophic injury. The severity of these injuries ranges from incapacitating to minor. Even a minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can have a serious impact on the injured person’s everyday life.
Motor vehicle accidents and falls are responsible for most cases of mTBI and also are a common cause of bone and joint injuries. “Musculoskeletal injuries are often seen concurrently with some studies estimating that 50 percent of patients with orthopedic injuries also sustain an mTBI,” says lead study author Richard L. Uhl, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y.
Brain injuries are often overlooked or misdiagnosed, especially when accompanied by serious “visible” injuries suffered in a traumatic event. The symptoms of brain injury can include the following:
- Headache
- Blurry vision
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Impaired cognition
- Memory deficits
Further, many people, including insurance adjusters, do not understand traumatic brain injuries and tend to downplay the significance of such an injury.
If a person has suffered a traumatic brain injury, a concussion, or another head injury in a fall or car accident, it is important that the injured person has a knowledgeable personal injury advocate on his or her side. The personal injury lawyers at The Gatti Law Firm represent victims of traumatic brain injury and help injured people recover compensation for both the short-term and long-term effects of head injuries.