We often talk about how serious brain injuries are to the victims who suffer them, often having lifelong negative effects that can make it difficult for the injured individuals to live normal lives. But knowing that an injury is dangerous does not necessarily indicate whether or not the injury is a threat. There are many injuries that are extremely serious, but they are not necessarily common enough that people worry about them.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for brain injuries, which are fairly common in our state. Every year, nearly 8,000 people become brain injury victims in Tennessee. In the first half of 2014 alone, more than 3,000 brain injuries were reported in our state. Fortunately, more than half of those cases saw the patients discharged from the hospital with only home self-care being necessary, but the fact remains that brain injuries do occur, and they are serious threats.
According to statistics collected by Tennessee's TBI Registry, approximately 40 percent of reported brain injuries affected individuals over the age of 64, and brain injuries were generally more common among males than females. Specifically, just under two-thirds of the reported brain injury cases during the first half of 2014 affected males.
This information is not meant to frighten people or keep them from driving, but simply to illustrate that brain injuries do happen, and they do not discriminate. Anyone could be affected by a brain injury, which is why it is important to be aware of the legal options of brain injury victims. Like many other injuries, if a brain injury is caused by the negligence of another person, then the victim could be compensated at the expense of the person whose negligence caused the injury.