March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be a blow, jolt or bump to the head, or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain; injuries that are commonly seen in car accidents. Such an injury, that takes an instant to sustain, can bring a lifetime of physical, cognitive, and behavioral challenges. Brain injuries do not discriminate. They can affect anyone at any time. In an effort to educate communities on the far-reaching impacts of brain injuries, March has been designated as National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Facts About Brain Injuries

Every year, 2.4 million people in the United States, including 475,000 children, sustain a TBI. Falls, workplace accidents, assaults can cause TBIs, and car crashes among various other reasons. Seventy-five percent of TBIs reported every year are concussions or other mild forms of traumatic brain injury. However, many TBIs are life altering. Here are some startling statistics about TBIs:

• 52,000 people will die as a result of a TBI
• 53 million individuals live with life-long disabilities as a result of TBI
• TBI is a contributing factor to one-third of all injury-related deaths in the U.S.

Although many, 1.365 million people will be treated in the emergency room and released with a mild TBI, 275,000 victims of TBI will be hospitalized. And just as no two people are exactly alike, the same is true of brain injuries.

For some victims, TBI is the beginning of lifelong disease management. The injury may require access to the complete gamete of medically necessary treatment and community-based programs provided by interdisciplinary teams of specialized clinicians working in accredited programs and various settings, all of which comes at a significant financial cost. Some of these costs include;

• $8,000 per day is the average cost for hospital-based acute rehab
• $850-2,500 per day is the cost range for post-acute residential care
• $600-1,000 per day is the cost range for day treatment programs. This entails four hours of therapy and does not include room/board
• $76.3 billion in direct medical costs and indirect costs, such as lost productivity annually

How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

Every year people suffer debilitating TBI injuries from car accidents that result in enormous medical bills, lost wages, and forever alter the quality of their lives. If you or a loved one is suffering from the result of a TBI, contact an attorney today who can evaluate your case and determine the best course of action to help you recover the compensation that you deserve.