There are 1.4 million people across the country who sustain a traumatic brain injury every year, with about 50,000 people dying from a brain injury. 

These statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are startling, and show how pervasive this "silent epidemic" can be.  But what the CDC cannot count is the number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency room, or who receive no care.

The Detroit brain injury lawyers of Michigan Auto Law have witnessed accident cases where a catastrophically brain-injured person literally walked away after a car crash, without even an ambulance or ER visit, only to become permanently disabled with a serious traumatic brain injury.

March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month and since motor vehicle accidents (primarily car accidents and truck accidents) are the leading cause of TBI, we'd like to offer some important prevention tips for Metro Detroit drivers.

Protect Yourself from Brain Injury

1. Motorcycle helmets provide protection for motorcycle drivers for all types of closed-head injuries, and, contrary to urban myth, are not associated with increased neck injuries.  

2. As many as 85 percent of bicycle-related head injuries could be prevented if bike riders were to wear protective helmets. An average of 140,000 head injuries per year are attributed to children and adolescents in bicycle accidents.

3.  Air bags have been associated with a substantial reduction of fatalities in car accidents involving adults. However, children younger than 10 (seated in the front seat) had a 34 percent increased risk of dying in frontal crashes in cars equipped with dual airbags.

4. A study reports side air bags, which include head protection, can decrease deaths from side-impact crashes up to 45 percent. The majority of deaths in a side collision are a result of head injuries.

(Sources: 1. Journal of Trauma, 38(2): 242-245; 2. New England Journal of Medicine, 320: 1361-1367; 3. Journal of the American Medical Association, 298(17): 1437-1439; Insurance Institute of Highway Safety)


Common Symptoms of TBI

Another way to protect yourself against traumatic brain injury is to be aware of the symptoms since it's not uncommon for months to pass before a brain injury is formally diagnosed.

Early TBI is often not detected by traditional MRI or CT scans because the brain actually goes into a hyper-metabolic state as it tries to protect itself after a trauma. There is an uptake of glucose that masks many of the symptoms. But symptoms often worsen over time, causing further injury and brain damage.

Here is a list of common TBI symptoms.

Physical:
* Chronic headaches or neck pain;
* Feeling exhausted all the time;
* Mood changes;
* Changes in sleep patterns;
* Light-headedness, dizziness or loss of balance;
* Nausea;
* Increased sensitivity to lights and sounds;
* Blurred vision or tired eyes;
* Loss of sense of smell or taste; and
* Ringing in the ears, called tinnitus.

Cognitive:
* Difficulty remembering, concentrating or making decisions;
* Slowness in thinking, speaking, acting or reading;
* Getting lost or easily confused;
* Difficulty focusing;
* Depression; and
* Anxiety.

About Michigan Auto Law:

Michigan Auto Law is a third-generation law firm with 18 lawyers specializing in helping people who have been seriously injured or killed in car, truck and motorcycle accidents throughout Michigan.  The firm has offices in Detroit, Southfield, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Sterling Heights.

About Steven M. Gursten:

Detroit lawyer Steven M. Gursten is recognized as one of the nation's top experts in serious car and truck accident injury cases and received a trial verdict of $5.65 million for a TBI victim; the largest reported auto negligence verdict in Michigan for the year.   Steve is a member of the American Association for Justice Traumatic Brian Injury Group and the Sarah Jane Brain Project.

---

Bookmark this page