Annapolis Personal Injury Law Blog
Researchers now say that even mild head injuries caused by concussions lead to individuals suffering long-term impairments cognitively more often than they had previously thought. According to a new study by a leading university, the term mild traumatic brain injury might even be considered an oxymoron. When Maryland residents suffer a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of others, they are typically entitled to file a personal injury claim against the party or parties believed responsible.
The findings confirmed that even relatively mild concussion-type impacts on the brain can cause permanent damage. A traumatic brain injury is the main cause of disability and death in individuals from age 1 to 44 years old and leads to over two million visits to emergency rooms annually. A “mild” TBI — often referred to as a short-term loss of the brain’s normal functions after an impact to the head — is easily the most common TBI.
A mild TBI does not even typically receive medical attention. Even though individuals usually recover fully, recent studies in the last few years suggest that nearly one in five patients who have suffered a concussion also suffer cognitive impairment that lasts several months or even longer. Although the underlying cause of this kind of impairment has been a mystery for a considerable amount of time, researchers suspect that the same type of damage that occurs in a severe or fatal TBI occurs — albeit less extensively — in other, milder forms of concussions as well.
When an individual suffers a serious brain injury, it can be a life-changing, catastrophic or even fatal. When a Maryland resident suffers a TBI due to the negligence of another, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help investigate and review the facts and circumstances and decide upon an appropriate course of action. In so doing, the attorney can help the victim — or the surviving family in the event of a fatal accident — achieve a monetary award to cover all applicable losses.
Source: upenn.edu, “”Mild Traumatic Brain Injury an Oxymoron:” New protein biomarker highlights damaged brain wiring after concussion, finds Penn study”, Karen Kreeger, Nov. 25, 2015
