March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Hare Wynn is proud to support National Brain Injury Awareness Month. The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) leads the country in conducting a public awareness campaign that provides Americans with opportunities to learn more about brain injuries and their impact on victims and families. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Change Your Mind.”

The #ChangeYourMind campaign is intended to provide a platform for educating the public about brain injuries, their often unpredictable and devastating effects, and the needs of victims. By facilitating connections and outreach programs with the brain injury community, BIAA hopes to de-stigmatize brain injuries and provide the facts victims, families, and everyone in their communities should know – including the fact that brain injuries can change the way a person thinks, acts, moves, and feels.

Hare Wynn has extensive experience in handling cases involving brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries suffered as a result of birth injuries, auto wrecks, falls, and other types of preventable incidents. We’ve learned first-hand just how profoundly brain injuries can impact families, and why it is so crucially important for everyone to understand the seriousness of these injuries, the need for accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment, and the available resources that can help them as they recover and navigate their lives after serious injuries.

In honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, Hare Wynn is working to raise awareness and share important facts about brain injuries. Take a look at the information below:

• Someone in the U.S. sustains a brain injury every 9 seconds.
• Acquired brain injuries (ABI) refer to any type of injury to the brain that is not present at birth, degenerative, or hereditary. These injuries occur after birth, and they result in changes to the brain’s neuronal activity.
• More than 3.5 million adults and children suffer an acquired brain injury each year.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a type of acquired brain injury, and they result from trauma to the brain from an external force.
• You do not have to hit your head to sustain a mild or moderate traumatic brain injury, also known as a concussion. Force and sudden movement of the head, common in whiplash accidents, can be enough to cause trauma to the brain.
• The leading causes of traumatic brain injuries include: falls, auto accidents, being struck by / against an object, and assaults. Non-traumatic brain injuries can result from oxygen deprivation, stroke, toxic exposure, electric shock, infectious disease, and drug overdose, among others.
• 1 out of every 60 people in the U.S. live with a TBI-related disability. That’s roughly 5.3 million people nationwide.
• Each year, traumatic brain injuries have a significant impact on Americans and various resources, which stem from at least 2.5 million injuries, over 2 million visits to Emergency Departments and Trauma Centers, 280,000 hospitalizations, and 50,000 deaths. Brain injury victims can also face tremendous struggles involving daily tasks and home life, relationships, work, and financial well-being
• Every day in the U.S., 137 people die as a result of a TBI-related injury.

In addition to these statistics, the #ChangeYourMind Awareness Campaign is dedicating particular attention to current issues involving brain injuries. These include:

• Opioid Addiction – America’s opioid crisis has reached a level of epidemic proportions, causing more than 115 deaths per day due to overdose. Even in cases where an opioid overdose is not fatal, it can cause significant brain injuries and life-altering consequences.
• Sports – Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer traumatic brain injuries playing sports each year. These commonly include mild to moderate TBIs, often classified as concussions, as well as more severe brain injuries and long-term health consequences associated with repetitive trauma. Adults and children who play sports should always wear protective gear, ensure head injuries are taken seriously, and refrain from activity until cleared by a doctor. With increased awareness, schools, youth programs, and sports organizations of all levels can improve safety protocol to better protect athletes.
• Military Service – Active military members and veterans face many challenges related to traumatic brain injuries, service-connected or otherwise. Because TBIs may also coincide with PTSD, members of our armed service and veterans often need comprehensive treatment services to address their unique needs. Furthering our understanding of TBIs, how they occur in the military, and issues related to service will lead to better diagnostic and treatment approaches, including those provided by the VA.

Brain injuries don’t just change the brain – they can cause overwhelming and long-term changes the lives of victims and their loved ones, no matter how they happen. Because brain injuries and their symptoms are notoriously unpredictable and vary from victim to victim, seeking personalized medical attention and comprehensive treatment are of the utmost importance, as is having the right information and support to navigate their future.

At Hare Wynn, our trial lawyers regularly discuss brain injuries and the tremendous impact they have when fighting for our clients, and believe they are injuries everyone should know more about. If you would like to learn more about Brain Injury Awareness Month or would like to get involved, we encourage you to visit the BIAA website. Our firm is also available to help victims who suffered preventable brain injuries learn more about their rights and whether they may have a case for compensation – compensation that can prove critical to easing many of the burdens and financial strains they face in the future. To discuss a potential case, contact us.