Your brain is like the control panel for your entire body; it allows you to talk, move, breathe, and perform countless complex tasks on your own. From brushing your teeth to buttoning your shirt, we often overlook these tasks until we can no longer perform them.

If you have recently been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, it is very possible that you might be feeling a little lost. However, you don’t have to face it alone. Contact a personal injury lawyer for assistance with your case, no matter what kind of brain injury you have.

Why do Brain Injuries Happen?

In spite of its importance to the body as a whole, it is a pretty delicate organ – that’s why our skull surrounds it to keep it safe. However, just because it’s contained in the skull doesn’t mean it’s completely safe. Any time you strike your head, stop it from moving forward suddenly or deprive yourself of oxygen, you are a risk for a traumatic brain injury.

What Types of Brain Injuries Are There?

The scope, severity, and symptoms of a brain injury will depend on where in the brain the injury is located, how severe it is, and how quickly the victim receives medical care. Brain injuries are often serious with long and difficult recovery journeys and are often sorted into the following groups:

  • Brain contusions and concussions: these are like bruises to the brain, and they occur when your brain strikes the inside of the skull. A concussion is the most common form of brain injury.
  • Penetrating Brain Injuries and hemorrhages: Brain hemorrhages occur when blood infiltrates or presses on the brain, either from inside the brain itself or from behind one of the membranes surrounding it. A penetrating brain injury, as one might guess, is when a foreign object (like a bullet) passes through the skull and damages the brain directly.
  • Diffuse or Shear Injuries: These widespread types of injury can affect the whole brain, and they occur when the brain is jostled or twisted inside the skull. This motion shears off thin fibers that hold the brain together, causing diffuse swelling. Diffuse Axonal Injuries often lead to coma.
  • Brain Anoxia: these injuries occur when the brain is deprived of the oxygen it needs to function. This can be caused by blood loss or suffocation.

What Do I Do if I Might Have a Brain Injury?

If you have been injured in an accident or fall and believe you might have a brain injury, seek medical attention immediately. Some types of brain injuries, like concussions, may not fully manifest their symptoms until much later than the accident itself. Always err on the side of safety and get checked out, just in case.