Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can have many effects that vary with the type and severity of the injury. The symptoms and prognosis, in turn, will determine the impact of the injury and the compensation the person might seek in an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit.
4 Types of TBIs
One way to categorize TBIs is by cause. This method helps you understand the types of injuries that can result from various types of traumatic accidents. This process provides the following four traumatic brain injury categories:
1. Blunt Force Injuries
Blunt force brain injuries typically happen during a collision in which an object strikes the head but does not pierce it. For example, a blunt force brain injury can occur when a falling object strikes the head during a workplace accident. They can also happen when someone slips and hits their head on the ground.
The impact forces can damage the brain directly, but they can also cause the brain to shift, further damaging brain tissue. A cerebral contusion occurs when the brain shifts within the skull following an impact. The brain strikes the inside surface of the skull, bruising the brain. The resulting bleeding and swelling can cause permanent brain damage, coma, or death.
2. Penetrating Injuries
Penetrating brain injuries occur when an object pierces the skull and damages or destroys brain tissue. The object can crush or pierce the brain tissue. As cells are destroyed, essential structures and connections are severed. Penetrating injuries also risk blood loss and infection.
3. Acceleration/Deceleration Injuries
Rapid acceleration or deceleration can cause the brain to move violently inside the skull. Even without striking the head, the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid and meninges on the brain can cause a concussion.
Shear forces on the brain from this violent motion can also tear neurons apart. A diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is one example that can result in permanent brain damage, coma, or death.
4. Anoxic and Hypoxic Injuries
Anoxic injuries happen when the brain is deprived of all oxygen. Hypoxic injuries occur when oxygen to the brain is reduced. Oxygen deprivation disrupts metabolic processes, leading to brain tissue death. Examples of this type of injury include brain injuries from drowning or suffocation.
While the other three types of TBI require force or violence, this type only requires the brain’s oxygen supply to be cut off. If reversed within a few minutes, these injuries may not have any long-term consequences. However, permanent brain damage can occur after four minutes, and death can occur just a few minutes later.
3 Levels of TBI Severity
In many cases, several different tests can be used to diagnose the type and severity of a TBI. For example, a physician might use an MRI or CT imaging scan; measure the duration of unconsciousness, cognitive impairment, or amnesia; or apply the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
The GCS is the most common test doctors administer when assessing levels of traumatic brain injury. Sports trainers often use the GCS to rate the severity of brain injuries to athletes during games or matches.
This scale relies on responses that fall into the following three categories:
- Eye-opening response scored one through four
- Motor response scored one through six
- Verbal response scored one through five
Each response is rated, and the individual ratings are added to determine the overall score. The total combined score then grades the injury as severe (3 to 8 points), moderate (9 to 12 points), or mild (13 to 15 points). The following examinations are used to determine each response:
1. Eye-Opening Response
The victim is examined to determine the conditions under which they opened their eyes after their injury. If they open their eyes spontaneously, they have a high score. If they open their eyes only in response to sound or touch, they have a moderate score. If they remain unconscious despite talking to them or touching them, they have a low score.
2. Motor Response
The victim is asked to move their limbs. If they can move on command, they have a high score. If they experience pain or move abnormally, they have a moderate score. An inability to move is associated with a low score.
3. Verbal Response
The person administering the test asks the victim questions. The content of the questions is not necessarily the most important factor. Instead, the assessment is based on the patient’s ability to answer them.
For example, the person might ask questions such as:
- What day is it?
- What is your name?
- Do you know what day it is?
- Do you remember what happened to you?
The person earns a high score if they can respond coherently, even if the answer is wrong. The person has a moderate score for incoherent word use. Someone who cannot respond, or can only respond with grunts or sounds, receives a low score.
Contact Our Minneapolis Brain Injury Lawyers at Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation
Brain injuries can produce a wide range of symptoms. The type of injury and its severity will often predict the type of symptoms and, more importantly, whether those symptoms will result in permanent brain damage or death.
For more information, please contact an experienced brain injury lawyer at Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys to schedule a free initial consultation today. We have three convenient locations in Minnesota, including Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and Edina.
We proudly serve Hennepin County, Stearns County, and its surrounding areas:
Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys – Minneapolis
825 Nicollet Mall, Suite 615
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(800) 292-1979
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 44.97514068188609, -93.27349979814521
Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys – St. Cloud
1010 W St Germain St # 320
St Cloud, MN 56301
(320) 255-1000
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 45.55903612908877, -94.16420517306956
Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys – Edina
5200 Willson Rd #203
Edina, MN 55424
(952) 697-5560
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 44.90963991439301, -93.34937342327198
