Types and Causes of Brain Injuries

A brain injury is one of the most serious injury types an accident victim may suffer. At the law offices of Fisk & Monteleone LTD., our brain injury lawyers work with personal injury victims who have suffered harm due to another’s negligence, and fight for our clients’ right to their full recovery amounts. If you have suffered a brain injury, please call our law firm today. Here’s an overview of the most common causes and types of brain injuries.

Types of Brain Injuries

The Brain Injury Alliance of Utah about the five (5) types of acute brain injuries, as well as two (2) types of acquired brain injuries.

Acute brain injuries:

1. Concussion – A concussion refers to a brain injury caused by a blow to the head, violent shaking of the head, a whiplash injury, or being hit in the head with a blunt object. This is the most common type of brain injury; impairment can last for a few days or a lifetime depending on the severity.

2. Contusion – A contusion is a brain injury that refers to bleeding on the brain caused by a blow to the head. Sometimes, a contusion will need to be removed with surgery.

3. Coup-contrecoup – Coup-contrecoup brain injuries occur when contusion injuries occur at two directly opposite points of the brain. This type of injury happens when the head is hit with such force, the brain is not only injured on the side of impact, but also on the direct opposite side when the brain slams into the skull wall.

4. Diffuse axonal – When the brain is shaken violently (such as is the case in Shaken Baby Syndrome) or exposed to extreme rotational forces, brain structures can tear. This is a diffuse axonal injury – this type of injury can be fatal.

5. Penetration – A penetration injury occurs when the brain is penetrated with an object, such as a bullet, knife, or another sharp object. In addition to the object itself entering the brain, hair and pieces of skull enter the brain as well.

Acquired brain injuries:

1. Anoxia – When the brain does not receive any oxygen, an anoxic brain injury can occur. These types of injuries can be fatal.

2. Hypoxic – This type of injury occurs when the brain receives some, but not enough, oxygen. Hypoxia can lead to permanent brain damage.

Causes of Brain Injuries

Brain injuries like the acute ones described above are a risk in nearly any type of accident, including workplace accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, bike accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall accidents, and more. Anoxia and hypoxia could occur because of medical errors, near-drowning accidents, and certain medical conditions, such as a stroke.

Call Our Personal Injury Law Firm Today

When a person suffers a brain injury, they often suffer a wide array of related economic and noneconomic losses, too. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, please call our experienced personal injury attorneys in Illinois at the law office of Fisk & Monteleone LTD. directly. We offer free consultations and can start working on your case immediately.