Brain Injury Causes

A traumatic brain injury can occur as a result of numerous activities, accidents and risk factors. Here are some of the most common causes of brain injury.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur as a result of numerous activities, accidents and risk factors.

Primary Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading causes of TBI in the United States are:

  1. Falls: 28% of traumatic brain injuries result from slipping and/or falling and hitting the head. In this category, rates are highest for children ages 0-4, and elderly adults ages 75 and over.
  2. Motor vehicle accidents:  20% of traumatic brain injuries result from a car or motorcycle crash. Motor vehicle accidents accidents produce the highest number of TBIs that require hospitalization. In this category, teenagers from 15-19 years old are most likely to sustain a TBI. In addition, motorcycle riders are at a higher risk of sustaining a TBI than car drivers. Those motorcycle riders with helmets are more likely to survive the crash with a closed injury, while those without helmets are more likely to sustain a fatal penetrating injury.
  3. Struck by/against events: 19% of traumatic brain injuries occur in an event where the victim’s head was forcefully struck by or against an object. Many of these kinds of brain injuries are considered Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (MTBIs) and are treated without hospitalization or emergency department care. This includes a great deal of sports and recreation-related injuries such as concussions.
  4. Assaults – 11% of traumatic brain injuries result from assault on the victim. The majority of assault TBIs are related to the use of firearms, most commonly with a suicidal intent.

Other Common Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Military: Events such as large blasts, auto accidents and flying debris that can cause penetrating injuries.
  • Substance Abuse: Those with substance abuse problems are at a greater risk for being involved in a fall, automobile accident, or other events that can result in traumatic brain injury.
  • Shaken Baby Syndrome: When babies are shaken with force, their brains are moved violently within the still undeveloped skull. This causes severe trauma and damage to the brain tissue that can kill or permanently disable a child from infancy.

Other Brain Injuries

While traumatic brain injury is caused by an external force that exerts physical trauma to the head, there are other brain injuries that happen internally. An Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) occurs when an there is an internal problem such as air deprivation or a medical condition that causes neurological damage to the brain. The symptoms and effects of an ABI are often the same as those of a TBI. Some common causes of an ABI are:

  • Near-drowning
  • Seizure
  • Aneurysm
  • Epilepsy
  • Birth complications
  • Stroke
  • Suffocation

NOTE: If you or someone you know has sustained a brain injury from one of the listed causes, or another cause, and are suffering the effects and hardships of this injury, you may be due compensation. If the injury occurred due to someone else’s negligence, an experienced brain injury law firm may be able to help.

  • Chemical Exposure Hazardous chemical vapors can enter our bodies when inhaled. Skin contact with a hazardous chemical can also happen when swimming anywhere.
  • Workplace Accident Workplace accident may cause traumatic brain injury. A work environment can never be very safe no matter how  neat an office is. Accidents resulting to brain injury can happen in a workplace especially if you are not careful and  not aware of your surroundings.
  • Slip and Fall A slight slip may only cause embarrassment but a slip -- especially one that sends your back falling flat on the ground -- can cause a serious brain injury.
  • Auto Accident An auto accident can lead to a traumatic brain injury. In the US, it is the second leading cause of brain injuries next to falls. Alarmingly, it is the leading cause of head injuries related deaths. Such injury can result to an open wound in the head or a closed head injury.
  • TBI: Acquired Brain Injury Acquired brain injury is either traumatic brain injury (TBI) or non-traumatic injury.