Disparity between Children and Adults and Risk of TBI
According to the National Center for Injury and Prevention falls are the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A TBI is caused by a blow to the head that does or does not penetrate the skull in a head injury. Falls lead the statistics with 28% of the pie. Motor vehicle accidents have 20% of the portion and 19% are caused by a blow caused by a strike to the head. TBI rates in children ages 0-4 year and adults 75 and older, falls are the highest cause of TBI. Motor vehicle accidents result in the greatest number of TBI-related hospitalizations and are highest among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years old. A strike to the head by collision with a moving or stationary object are the third leading cause of TBI resulting in approximately 1.6 to 3.8 million sports and recreation related TBIs in the United States each year of which most are mild and are not treated in a hospital or emergency department. These statistics highlight a frightening picture of the disparity in the amount of children compared to adults who are at risk of a TBI. All too often a child’s TBI is due to the negligence of another person or business; i.e. birth injuries, bicycle collisions, etc. A helmet sometimes can only go so far in protecting the skull and brain of a child. In these types of cases the child and their family have legal recourse and can seek compensation associated with a TBI. Depending on the severity of the injury, the amount of damages can be quite significant because of the cost of long term care and the inability of the child to earn financial emancipation over his or her lifetime.
