There are few personal injuries as devastating as a traumatic brain injury. This type of life-altering injury, which is often the product of a Mississippi car accident, typically has a permanent debilitating impact that may rob an accident victim of his or her ability to walk or communicate and other fundamental mental and physical functions that drastically impact one’s quality of life. While traumatic brain injuries are not caused exclusively by motor vehicle accidents, car accidents are the most common cause of a traumatic brain injury for those under the age of 75. Traumatic brain injuries caused by car accidents are also the most significant cause of long-term serious disability in children and teens.
At Barrett Law, we know first-hand the devastating impact that traumatic brain injury can have on accident victims and their families. A traumatic brain injury can deprive a family of the love and companionship of a close family member and cause financial turmoil. If the person who suffers this type of life-altering injury is a substantial contributor to a family’s household income, one’s family may face astronomical medical expenses while suffering a significant reduction in household income.
Although a family may suffer an enormous emotional toll when a family member suffers a traumatic brain injury, the financial costs are almost unimaginable. It has been estimated that the annual direct and indirect costs associated with a traumatic brain injuries in the United States exceeds $48 billion per year. A family that has had a loved one suffer a traumatic brain injury may be faced with a cost of treatment that can be as much as $4 million. The medical care and rehabilitative costs alone are typically as much as $150,000 for hospital bills, vocational rehabilitation and training and modifications of one’s home.
Many people presume that their chances of being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury are remote. This is an inaccurate assumption because traumatic brain injuries suffered in auto accidents are much more common than people realize. More than a million people per year suffer some form of traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries are generally very serious resulting in almost fifty-thousand fatalities per year with another eighty-thousand people experiencing significant long-term disability. Though these statistics may be surprising, they tell only part of the story. These statistics include only traumatic brain injury victims treated in hospitals but do not count those treated in doctor’s offices or emergency rooms.
Although there may be different types of accidents that can cause a traumatic brain injury the most common cause is a motor vehicle accident. When a car, truck or SUV collides with another vehicle or stationary object, a person’s body may be jolted forward causing a head injury when the accident victim’s head strikes the windshield, dashboard or other hard surface inside the motor vehicle. Sometimes the skull may even be penetrated by a foreign object which is forced through the skull to the brain.
Traumatic brain injuries also may be the result of the body being whipped forward and then backward in a collision. The brain may continue moving inside the skull and impact the hard bony structure of the inside portion of the skull. The brain is made of a soft gelatinous material that is susceptible to injury when impacting the skull. Because the skull and brain move at different speeds during a motor vehicle collision given their differences in mass and weight, this can cause the brain to collide with the inside of the skull. The force of impact from a serious car accident can cause a motor vehicle accident victim to suffer swelling of the brain, severe contusions or axonal shearing.
Diffuse axonal shearing is a severe traumatic brain injury that occurs when the brain is propelled forward then backward inside the skull resulting in it being first squeezed or compressed and then stretched because of the soft gelatinous nature of the brain. The fragile axons of the neurons also suffer from this process of compression and stretching. If the force of the collision is severe enough, the axons may be stretched to the point that they tear, which is referred to as axonal shearing and can cause the neurons to die.
The Mississippi car accident lawyers of Barrett Law represent those who suffer serious injury like traumatic brain injuries. The auto accident attorneys at Barrett Law represent accident victims throughout the state so call us today at 662-834-2376 to see how we can help.