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Car accidents in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, linked to traumatic brain injury

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys know that public awareness regarding the depth and scope of traumatic brain injury in the U.S. has spiked due to studies linking TBI to athletics, injured Iraq War veterans, and most recently, the point-blank shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in a Tucson grocery parking lot on Jan. 8.

What we have learned, the Palm Beach Post reports, is that recovery from a TBI is as unique as the person suffering the injury. And, that if the injured person receives immediate basic care (airway unobstructed, blood pressure stabilized) they are much more likely to survive a head-trauma accident.

Nearly 2 million people sustain a brain injury in the U.S. each year, the Centers for Disease Control reports. Of them, 275,000 require hospitalization. Another 52,000 die from a wound most commonly caused by either a fall (35.2 percent) or a motor-vehicle accident (17.3 percent).

Falling is responsible for more than 60 percent of all TBI involving victims aged 65 and older. And among children 14 and younger, falls are responsible for half of traumatic brain injury accidents. The CDC reports that while car accidents are linked to less than 20 percent of all reported TBI, nearly 32 percent of all TBI-related deaths are linked to car accident injuries.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, a TBI can be a “closed head injury” caused by blunt-force trauma or a “penetrating head injury” caused by a cranial puncture and contact with brain tissue. In either case, damage is a two-stage process. The first stage is the accident or incident of head trauma itself. The second stage addresses the effects – or “shock waves” – caused by the trauma. To diminish the impact of those injuries doctors may elect to remove blot clots and damaged brain tissue, or even part of the cranial bone itself if swelling becomes an issue.

Symptoms of a TBI can be difficult to detect or overt, depending on the damage. They can appear immediately or may take weeks to manifest. The injured party may or may not lose consciousness at the time of the accident.

In milder cases, TBI victims may complain of:
~ Persistent headache that gets worse
~ Ringing in the ears
~ Dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion
~ Blurred vision
~ Memory loss
~ Fatigue

In more moderate to severe cases of TBI, victims will demonstrate:
~ Vomiting/nausea
~ Persistent headache that gets worse
~ Slurred speech
~ Dilation in one or both pupils
~ Numbness in the extremities
~ Loss of coordination
~ Confusion

Of course any time you or a loved one suffers a blow to the head it is important to seek immediate medical attention to determine if there is an injury and what course of treatment will best offset the effects.

The Coral Gables car accident lawyers at Freeman & Mallard have been successfully and aggressively representing accident victims and their families in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Ft. Pierce /Port St. Lucie for years. Call us today to schedule a no-obligation appointment to discuss your case at 1-800-529-2368.

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