Open Head Injuries

Orlando, Florida

Many head injuries are caused by auto accidents. Even at a moderate speed, the head can be pierced by a steering wheel, by broken windshield glass or from a bone fragment resulting in a severe open head injury.

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is classified as either a closed or open injury. An open head injury is a penetrating injury caused by the impact of a bullet, knife or some other sharp object.

A through-and-through injury occurs when an object, such as a bullet, goes through the brain and exits the skull shearing, stretching and/or rupturing the brain tissue. Firearms are the single largest cause of death from an open head injury. According to the CDC, 91 percent of brain injuries from bullet wounds result in death. According to the Brain Injury Association of America:

• Every 21 seconds, one person in the United States sustains a traumatic brain injury
• An estimated 5.3 million Americans a little more than two percent of the population currently live with disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury
• 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year
• More than 50,000 people die every year as a result of traumatic brain injury

The physical and cognitive problems resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI) can vary from person to person. The damage depends on the magnitude and location of the injury.

TBI Facts and Symptoms

• Cognitive and communication problems

• Slurred speech
• Problems concentrating and organizing thoughts
• Patient becomes easily confused and forgetful
• Difficulty learning new information
• Problems in social situations
• Difficulties in solving problems, making decisions, planning and judgment
• Language problems including poor sentence formation, word-finding difficulties and excessive explanations or descriptions
• Focal damage
• More prevalent in open head injuries
• Other areas of the brain may be able to replace functions of the damaged areas
• Childrens brains are more flexible therefore progress quicker than adults
• Moderate to severe injuries:
• Swelling causes pressure on the lower part of the brain which controls consciousness or wakefulness
• Some coma patients are more responsive and can move, make noise or respond to pain
• Can be completely unresponsive in a deep coma

Once a brain injury patients physical condition becomes stable, treatment can begin. The rehabilitative process can last for months or years with the following medical help:

• Speech Pathologist evaluates cognitive and communication skills
• Neuropsychologist evaluates other cognitive and behavior abilities
• Occupational Therapist evaluates patients abilities to perform everyday activities such as dressing and preparing meals

You do have laws to protect you should you or a family member suffer a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another. In Orlando, Florida please contact the brain injury specialists at Colling, Gilbert, Wright & Carter. Well work closely with you and your loved ones to get the compensation you need.