Understanding Types of Brain Injuries

The brain is the organ in the human body that is responsible for emotion, intelligence, consciousness, movement, and sensation. Due to these reasons, brain injuries have the potential to forever change a person’s life. There are some brain injuries, however, that are more serious than other conditions. It is important to understand that brain injuries are frequently divided into two categories – acquired brain injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Acquired brain injuries result from conditions like disease, strokes, and tumors, while traumatic brain injuries occur when a large external force meets a person’s head. Based on the type of brain injury as well as the seriousness of the condition and the extent to which the condition affects a person’s life, a person might be able to obtain a significant amount of compensation for the injury.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries can either involve open or closed skulls. These injuries are the result of an external force and can arise in a variety of personal injury accidents including slip and falls as well as motor vehicle collisions. Some of the conditions associated with traumatic brain injuries include the following:

• Concussions. These are the most common type of traumatic types of brain injuries. While often accompanied by loss of consciousness, some concussions occur without this condition. It is possible to experience a concussion with only non-obvious symptoms including confusion, dizziness, and foggy thoughts.
• Contusions. Similar to concussions, contusions are caused by direct impact to a person’s head. Contusions might need to be surgically treated.
• Diffuse Axonal Injuries. These conditions are caused by significant shaking or rotational forces which cause tears in the brain structure. These tears also result in neuro-chemical disruptions throughout a person’s brain. Based on which brain structures are injured, a person can experience a variety of symptoms. Including motor function disruption, memory disruption, and olfactory disruption.
• Penetration Injuries. These injuries occur when sharp objects enter a person’s skull and brain. When these injuries are not fatal, they result in substantial long-term damage.

Acquired Brain Injuries

Acquired brain injuries are not dependent on an external application of force. Instead, these injuries include events like drowning and strangulation. The two common types of acquired brain injuries include the following:

• Anoxia. This condition is caused by oxygen deprivation. Within a short amount of time, cell death begins to occur, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
• Hypoxic brain injury. This condition is similar to anoxia with the exception that oxygen deprivation is not absolute. With hypoxic brain injury, a person’s brain receives some oxygen but the oxygen levels are still unsatisfactory.

Contact a Seasoned Accident Attorney

The types of brain injuries that a person experiences include a number of different complications. It is important for a person to be aware of the potential for damage because the traumatic effect of brain injuries is not always obvious. If you have been impacted by a brain injury and believe another party is responsible, it is a wise idea to contact an experienced attorney who can help make sure that adequate compensation is obtained. Contact Ferrara & Gable today for assistance.