What Is Traumatic Brain Injury? Information from Tampa Car Accident Lawyer Dale Appell, P.A.

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a devastating condition suffered by approximately 1.5 million people in the United States every year. It is estimated that 50,000 will die from their traumatic brain injury annually, while 85,000 will be left with long term and permanent disabilities. Due to the overwhelming physical, financial, and emotional impact a traumatic brain injury can have on everyone involved, Tampa car accident lawyer Dale Appell, P.A. recommends that victims and/or their families contact an attorney immediately to learn their rights.

The number one cause of traumatic brain injuries is car accidents. A car accident may cause an open head injury in which an object pierces the skull and brain tissue, or a closed head injury in which the brain becomes injured as it bounces inside the skull. Traumatic brain injury may also occur if a car accident victim loses too much blood or oxygen, gets a severe infection, or suffers a stroke after the accident.

A traumatic brain injury can occur in various types of car accidents, from a rear end accident on Busch Boulevard in Tampa to a rollover accident on Drew Street in Clearwater. The general definition of a traumatic brain injury is a sudden trauma that damages brain tissue. Like just about any other type of injury, a traumatic brain injury can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on what part of the brain is injured and how much brain tissue is damaged.

Traumatic brain injury can also bring about a wide range of symptoms, again depending on the location and extent of the injury. Possible symptoms include headaches, confusion, speech problems, memory loss, dizziness, fatigue, personality changes, vomiting, convulsions, and seizures. In the most severe cases, traumatic brain injury leads to paralysis, coma, persistent vegetative state, or death.

Traumatic brain injury is unique among other car accident injuries because of its ability to completely change a person's life. While other injuries leave your personality, memory, and intelligence intact, traumatic brain injury can rob you of the essence of what makes you who you are.

For more information about car accident related traumatic brain injuries in the greater Tampa Bay area and receiving compensation to pay for those injuries, please contact Tampa car accident lawyer Dale Appell, P.A. for a free assessment of your situation. Our personal injury law firm assists clients throughout west central Florida including Dunedin, Odessa, Riverview, Hudson, Hernando, St Petersburg, Hillsborough, Pinellas Park, Clearwater, Polk, and beyond.