What Are the Risk Factors for a Serious Brain Injury?
When someone sustains a serious brain injury, it can put their life in jeopardy. The CDC states that traumatic brain injury is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S. When the brain suffers a blow, bump, or jolt, the resulting injuries can affect a person’s ability to communicate, their memory, speech, and motor function. If someone acted negligently and caused the accident that led to a traumatic brain injury, the injured person may be eligible to seek compensation. If your loved one has suffered a brain injury, they may be unable to do this on their own. Our reliable personal injury lawyers can help get your loved one justice.
Belsky, Weinberg & Horowitz, LLC has advocated for the rights of those who were wrongfully injured for years. When a traumatic brain injury puts your life on hold, we will fight for you to get the compensation you need so you can focus on recovering from the accident without worrying about medical expenses.
What Are the Leading Causes for Traumatic Brain Injury in Varying Age Groups?
While anyone can suffer a brain injury, there are some demographics that are more at risk of sustaining one than others. The CDC reported traumatic brain injuries greatly affected those at age 75 and older. Senior citizens can get these injuries from falling. For seniors 65 and up, falling was the leading cause of death. Weaker muscles, poor balance, and slower reaction times all increase a senior’s fall risk.
For those between the ages of 15-44, car accidents were the leading cause of hospitalization for a TBI. Children from ages 5-14 were at risk of getting a TBI from objects falling on or striking them. However, there’s another aspect to child traumatic brain injuries you may not have considered—sports.
Sports account for approximately 20% of brain injuries in youths and young adults. When a child sustains a TBI, they will need a longer recovery time as their brain is still developing.
Now that you know more about how traumatic brain injuries occur in different age groups, let’s take a look at how a person’s job could be where they sustain a TBI.
Which Occupations Have the Highest Traumatic Brain Injury Risk?
In some situations, a person’s occupation could place them at higher risk of getting a traumatic brain injury if someone on their worksite acts irresponsibly.
When construction workers don’t have the correct safety equipment or safety procedures in place, accidents can occur. The construction industry has the highest number of fatal and nonfatal traumatic brain injuries in U.S. workplaces. 2,210 construction workers died of TBIs between 2003-2010. Some of the accidents that occur on construction sites include:
- Falling from roofs, ladders, or scaffolding.
- Getting hit by construction vehicles on the worksite.
- Falling objects like tools or beams.
Additional industries where workers can sustain TBIs include healthcare support and building cleaning and maintenance. These occupations have a slip and fall risk, which can result in a brain injury.
When our lawyers represent you, we’ll carefully examine how your accident occurred and why. We’ll look into how your injuries have affected your life. You may be unable to go back to your job or even return to the workforce. Your medical expenses could include:
- Hospital bills
- Future care like rehabilitation
- Surgical procedures
- Medical equipment
Dealing with these expenses on top of recovering from a major brain injury is a lot for a person to handle at once. We’ll help you with your claim so you can work on getting better.
A main part of your recovery could require relearning basic tasks. This will take time and patience. Knowing you have dependable representation on your side can give you peace of mind and allow you to put your energy into getting your life back on track. It’s important to start your case as quickly as possible. For a free case evaluation, call our office today. We’re ready to help you find the best way to move forward.
