Brain Injuries

The type of TBI you experience depends on the nature of your accident and the severity of your injury. There are three classifications of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): mild, moderate, and severe. The type of TBI you receive may affect your recovery prognosis.

The following are types of TBIs that you may be experiencing:

• Mild TBI: A loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes, headache, nausea, vomiting, difficulty sleeping, and more.

• Moderate to severe TBI: A loss of consciousness for several minutes to hours, persistent headache, repeated nausea and vomiting, seizures, and more.

• Concussion: Probably the most common — and most well-known — type of brain injury, concussions occur when a blow to the head causes the brain to move within the skull in response to the force of impact. Though concussions are relatively less serious than other types of brain injuries, they are still serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital or doctor’s office.
• Contusions: Similar to (and often co-current with) concussions, brain contusions occur when an impact to the head results in mild bleeding beneath the skin or, in other words, bruising. Brain contusions can become a serious matter when bleeding does not stop on its own or when a large area is affected.
• Coup-Contrecoup Injury: When a blow to the head causes the brain to slam against the opposing side of the skull, it is known as a coup-contrecoup brain injury. Technically speaking, there are actually two injuries: one at the site of impact and one where the brain hit the inside of the skull.
• Diffuse Axonal Injury: This is a serious brain injury that, much like a concussion, occurs as a result of a sudden blow to the head. However, unlike concussions, diffuse axonal injuries involve the tearing of connections in the brain as a result of violent movement of the brain within the skull. These tears are often microscopic; yet the impact cannot be overstated. Severe diffuse axonal injuries are often fatal.

• Penetrating Brain Injuries: As the name suggests, penetrating brain injuries occur when a foreign object pierces the skull and makes impact with or penetrates the brain. These types of injuries require immediate emergency medical treatment and are often fatal.

While mild TBI victims often see their symptoms resolve in days to weeks with proper treatment, moderate to severe TBI victims often require long-term treatment. This can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages.