Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often occur in commercial truck accidents, leaving victims and their families grappling with immense physical, emotional, and financial burdens. When these accidents happen, understanding your legal rights is crucial. With the help of an experienced truck accident lawyer, you can navigate the legal system and pursue the compensation you deserve. Here's what you need to know.
How common are truck accident TBIs?
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that approximately 14 percent of all traumatic brain injuries stem from motor vehicle accidents, including those involving trucks.
Breaking it down, this equates to roughly 210,000 brain injuries annually across the nation caused by motor vehicle accidents, including those involving commercial trucks. This sobering reality underscores the urgent need for legal support and advocacy for victims and their families.
Why do truck accidents cause so many brain injuries?
Truck accidents involving semis, tractor-trailers, tanker trucks, delivery trucks, and other large commercial vehicles often lead to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) due to several factors:
- Size Disparity: The significant size and weight difference between commercial trucks and other vehicles can result in severe force upon impact, increasing the likelihood of head injuries for those in the smaller vehicle.
- Complex Dynamics: Factors such as jackknifing, rollovers, and multi-vehicle collisions in truck accidents can expose occupants to sudden impacts or ejections, elevating the risk of TBIs.
- Cargo Hazards: Cargo carried by trucks can become projectiles during accidents, causing additional head injuries to occupants in the event of a crash.
What types of brain injuries do truck accidents cause?
Brain injuries are categorized based on their severity into three classifications—mild TBI, moderate TBI, and severe TBI. The severity of the injury determines the extent of temporary or permanent brain damage and the associated prognosis for recovery. In accidents involving commercial trucks, common brain injuries sustained by victims include:
Concussion
Often referred to as a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussions are the most common type of brain injury in truck accidents. They typically involve temporary cognitive impairment and may cause symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and confusion.
Brain Hematoma
This type of injury involves a blood clot or ruptured blood vessel in or near the brain. Depending on its location and size, a brain hematoma can exert pressure on the brain tissue, leading to neurological symptoms ranging from mild to severe.
Brain Hemorrhage
Brain hemorrhage refers to bleeding within or around the brain, which can result from the forceful impact experienced in a truck accident. Hemorrhages can vary in severity and may require immediate medical intervention to prevent further damage.
Contusion
A contusion is essentially a brain bruise caused by the brain striking the inside of the skull during a sudden jolt or impact. While contusions can range from mild to severe, they often lead to localized swelling and neurological deficits.
Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI)
DAI occurs when the brain's nerve fibers are stretched, torn, or sheared due to rapid acceleration or deceleration forces experienced in a truck accident. This type of injury can result in widespread damage throughout the brain and may lead to long-term neurological impairments.
Skull Fracture
A skull fracture involves a break in one or more of the bones of the skull. In truck accidents, the force of impact can cause severe trauma to the head, resulting in skull fractures that may further endanger the brain and surrounding tissues.
Penetrating Head Injury
Penetrating head injuries occur when foreign objects penetrate the skull and directly damage brain tissue. In truck accidents, debris or objects from the collision can penetrate the skull, leading to severe and often life-threatening injuries.
Why should I hire a Colorado car accident attorney?
Truck accidents that result in traumatic brain injuries often turn into very complicated legal cases. That's because the stakes are high in brain injury cases, and liability for the accident can fall on multiple parties. Different state and federal laws also apply to commercial truck accidents in Colorado, making the process of determining liability complex.
At The Longo Firm, LLC, our dedicated legal team understands the profound impact a traumatic brain injury can have on you and your loved ones, and we are here to help you find your way forward. We thoroughly understand how the legal system works when it comes to brain injury claims involving truck accidents, and we know how to build strong cases that get meaningful results.
Contact us and schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We handle truck accident claims throughout Colorado and Arizona.