According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the most common causes for brain injuries are falls and motor vehicle accidents.
Overall, falls were the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, accounting for just over 52% of them. The second leading cause was motor vehicle accidents, which accounted for 20% of all brain injuries. Interestingly, children and teens also suffered a lot of brain injuries after getting hit by a projectile or running in to an object.
In particular, falls tend to cause a lot of brain injuries in people who are very young as well as people who are over 65.
Almost 50% of people under 4 who visited an emergency room for a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, had fallen. Among those over 65 who had to go to the hospital with a TBI, over 80% had suffered a fall.
Likewise, falls accounted for a disproportionate number of deaths related to brain injuries among people over 65. By contrast, among younger people, that is, those between 15 and 35, motor vehicle accidents accounted for most fatal traumatic brain injuries.
The number of serious brain injuries has been on the climb in recent years. While the CDC did not break down who was responsible for these injuries, there can be little doubt that in many of these cases, someone else caused a victim’s traumatic brain injury.
For example, with respect to motor vehicle accidents, perhaps another driver’s carelessness caused the collision.
With respect to falls, sometimes a landowner could have prevented the fall by taking ordinary safety precautions, like keeping sidewalks clear and in good order.
Those who have been victims of traumatic brain injuries, or their families, may have legal options available to them.
