Types of Traumatic Brain Injury

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Head and brain injuries can be highly complex in severity and nature. Often times such injuries go undiagnosed, because the accident victim does not recognize the warning signs of a traumatic brain injury. In other scenarios, the cost associated with diagnosis of traumatic brain injury may also result in a failure to diagnose, or alternatively misdiagnosis can occur. Our accident and injury attorneys believe that the first concern immediately following an accident involving a potential head injury should involve proper diagnosis of any and all injuries. More specifically, proper diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury is imperative in reaching maximum medical improvement.

There are two generally recognized categories of severe traumatic brain injury. The first are referred to as ‘Open’ or ‘Penetrating,’ and are the result of and object penetrating the skull, thereby causing injury to the brain. Opentraumatic brain injuries often occur when passengers or motorists are ejected from a vehicle during acar accident, or in circumstances in which a car collides with a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcycle. Open traumatic brain injuries can also occur as a result of a victim’s head either striking or becoming impaled on an object as a result of a slip and fall accident. The second type of traumatic brain injury are those that are referred to as “Closed,” because the injury is actually the result of movement within the skull, which results in injury to the brain. Closedtraumatic brain injuries are commonly the result of slip and fall accidents, and motor vehicle accidents as well. Regardless of whether open or closed, nearly half of all traumatic brain injuries occur as a result of either a fall, or motor vehicle accident.

Our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys want to make sure that you receive the best medical care possible following an accident. Of particular concern are closed traumatic brain injuries, because they typically lack a noticeably apparent injury. Examples of closed traumatic brain injuries include:

• Concussion
• Contrecoup (shaken baby syndrome)
• Diffuse Axonal Injury, or sheering
• Hematoma
  • Subdermal hematoma
  • Epidural hematoma
  • Intracerebral hematoma
• Anoxia or Hypoxia

It is important to note that open traumatic brain injuries, often times involve a simultaneous closed traumatic brain injury. Again, such additional injury may also go undiagnosed due to lack obviousness or subsequent development.

Traumatic Brain Injuries are additionally classified into primary and secondary. ‘Primary Injuries’ are those occurring as an immediate result of the accident, and treatment often focuses on prevention of subsequent injuries, or ‘Secondary Injuries,’ which are often the result of failure to seek medical treatment, lack of awareness of symptoms, and in unfortunate cases, negligence occurring during treatment.

The head and brain injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer, P.C. represent Illinois victims who have sustained all types of traumatic brain injury. Our team of experienced Chicago lawyers are dedicated to seeing to it that victims of traumatic brain injury receive the best medical care possible.

Contact a dedicated attorney from our office today for a free personal injury consultation to safeguard your legal rights, online at our website, or call us at 773-516-4100.