California Brain Injury Lawyers
Causes of a Brain Injury
A brain injury can have many possible outcomes. An injury may affect a victim's life only very slightly for a short period of time or the brain trauma might permanently disable the individual mentally, physically and emotionally. There are also numerous causes of brain injury. Some common causes of both traumatic and acquired brain injury are below.
Causes Traumatic Brain Injury
Direct blows to the head are what cause traumatic brain injuries, a very specific type of acquired brain injury. The skull can break and injure the brain or the brain may simply move inside the skull. The following can cause traumatic brain injuries:
- Auto accidents
- Sports injuries
- Slips and falls
- Gun violence
- Physical assaults and attacks
- Electrical shocks
- Whiplash
This involves rapid movement of the head and can cause the brain to move. Damage to brain tissue can result. This movement is also what is responsible for the brain injury that can occur when people shake young babies.
Causes of Acquired Brain Injury
Acquired brain injury differs from more narrowly defined traumatic brain injury in two important ways. First, this type of injury does not necessarily involve a direct blow to the head area or other part of the body. Second, while a traumatic brain injury often affects only one part of the brain, an acquired brain injury can impact all cells in this vital organ. Any of the following events and situations can cause acquired brain injuries:
- Strokes
- Exposure to toxins such as harmful chemicals and gases
- Oxygen deprivation, which may occur due to choking or another cause of airway obstruction or a near drowning
- Seizures
- Heart attacks
- Various diseases and disorders including meningitis, AIDS and hypoglycemia
When something causes injury to a person's brain, regardless of what it is, only time will tell whether he or she will be able to recover to a level that will permit him or her to resume daily activities. Medical treatment and therapy can help in some cases, but other people never fully recuperate after an acquired or traumatic brain injury.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a traumatic brain injury in California, please contact a skilled California brain injury lawyer at The Brain Injury Legal Help Center at (800) 610-1892 for more information, or to discuss your situation.