Alarming Statistics For Traumatic Brain Injury

If you thought closed brain injuries happened only to others, think again. The official statistics revealing the annual figure of mishaps resulting in traumatic brain injuries are alarming to say the least. 1.4 million people across all age groups suffer some form of traumatic brain injury every year in the United States. Of this, 50,000 people succumb to the closed brain injuries, and over 235,000 people are hospitalized.

In terms of life time costs including health care and wage loss involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of victims of traumatic brain injury in the US, it was estimated to be over $60 billion in 2000 alone.

Surviving a traumatic brain injury can entail enormous expenditure for the victim and his family for medical treatment as well as future rehabilitation. Many victims who suffer closed brain injuries remain incapacitated or in a vegetative state and are incapable of earning ever in their lives. The worst part is that most of the time the injuries are caused by the negligence or carelessness of a callous individual. If you are a surviving victim of a traumatic brain injury or have someone in your family who is, you need to seek legal help at the earliest opportunity.

Considering the huge monetary involvement in the care and support of the patient, the damages could be significant depending on jury verdicts and claim settlements.

How many people do you think are living with a traumatic brain injury in America today? Close to 5.3 million! Every year 1.1 million Americans suffering from traumatic brain injuries get admitted to the emergency room and subsequently released. Children 4 years and under are particularly susceptible to traumatic brain injuries. In a year, children succumbing to such closed brain injuries are close to 26, 85; 37,000 are hospitalized and 435,000 children are treated at emergency rooms across the country.

The age factor is an important risk-indicator to assess the vulnerability of the nation’s population to TBI or traumatic brain injury. Children of 14 years and younger and young people between 15 and 19 top the list in terms of vulnerability, closely followed by senior citizens over 75 years of age who need to be hospitalized or die as a result of the trauma.

Some other statistical information on traumatic brain injury:

• More singles (47%) fall in the risky group than married (32.5%) individuals.
• Males are more prone to suffer traumatic brain injury than women where African American women have the higher rate of death caused by TBIs. This group along with Native Americans and Alaskan Natives has a high rate of hospitalization.
• The two sporting activities identified as responsible for causing traumatic brain injuries are water sports (6498) and trampolines (6360)
• In terms of severity of traumatic brain injuries, 75% are considered to be mild and close to 70,000 victims of TBI suffer permanent damage.