March is Brain Injury Awareness month, and Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. is proud to be part of the Brain Injury Association of America’s continued efforts to engage the public in learning about traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and better understanding their impact on victims.
Having led the annual observance of Brain Injury Awareness months for over three decades, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has designated a theme for this year’s campaign: Change Your Mind.
Change Your Mind: A Campaign to Educate the Public
BIAA’s Change Your Mind campaign focuses on providing an educational platform to help the public learn about brain injuries, how often they occur, and what their resulting repercussions truly look like for victims and their families. In particular, the campaign focuses its efforts on:
- De-stigmatizing brain injuries through outreach efforts within the TBI community.
- Empowering victims who have suffered brain injuries, as well as their support systems.
- Discussing and promoting the various forms of support available to victims living with TBI.
TBI: The Facts & Statistics
In honor of the BIAA’s hallmark Brain Injury Awareness Month, our legal team wanted to share some important facts and statistics that paint a picture too many Americans don’t see. That includes the shocking fact that someone in the U.S experiences a traumatic brain injury every 9 seconds.
Acquired Brain Injury – Traumatic brain injuries are a form of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), which is any injury affecting the brain that is not congenital, hereditary, degenerative, or the result of trauma at birth. Although the total incidence of ABI is unknown, over 3.5 million people (children and adults) sustain an ABI every year. Common causes of ABI include:
- Electric shock
- Infectious disease
- Tumors, stroke, and seizure disorders
- Substance abuse / overdose
- Toxic exposure
- Near drowning
- Oxygen deprivation (anoxia / hypoxia)
TBI Incidence Rates / Impact – The number of people who sustain TBIs but do not obtain medical treatment is unknown, but experts estimate the figure to be quite high, often because many victims do not understand how profoundly the injury can affect their lives, and what risks they face for long-term repercussions. According to BIAA, 1 out of every 60 Americans (5.3 million people) live with a disability related to TBI, and the annual impact of brain injuries in America is shockingly significant:
- At least 2.5 million people in the U.S. sustain a TBI each year.
- Around 2.2 million people seek treatment for TBI in Emergency Rooms and Trauma Centers annually.
- 280,000 TBI victims are ultimately hospitalized in connection their injuries.
- Roughly 50,000 victims die as a result of TBI – that’s equal to roughly 137 deaths each day.
- The leading causes of TBI include falls (over 40%), stuck by / against incidents, auto accidents, assaults, and unknown / other causes.
- TBI affects more than just victims; they also impact families, friends, health care providers and insurance companies, attorneys, educators, employers, and government agencies.
Washington, D.C. Brain Injury Lawyers Serving the DMV
Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. devotes a large part of our practice to protecting the rights, health, and future of brain injury victims and their families. Our involvement in this difficult practice area entails comprehensive support for our clients, our communities, and all brain injury victims:
- BIADC – Two of our firms Partners founded the Brain Injury Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., and Joseph Cammarata currently serves as the President of BIADC.
- Legislation – Our attorneys are advocates for better laws relating to brain injuries and victims, including Partner Joseph Cammarata’s drafting of D.C. Youth Athletic Concussion Protection Act, which became law in the District of Columbia and is regarded as the most comprehensive law of its kinds in America.
- Representation – Our firm is expressly committed to representing brain injury victims and families who seek justice and compensation following car accidents and truck accidents, slips and falls, bicycle accidents, and other preventable incidents caused by the negligence of others. Over the years, we’ve recovered millions of dollars in compensation for brain injury victims, including several multi-million dollar case results.
We encourage you to get involved in spreading the word about TBI and Brain Injury Awareness Month. Visit the BIAA website to learn more about what you can do and how you can spread the word on social media. You can also browse our website to learn more about brain injuries, their common causes, and the various types of TBI. Our attorneys are also available to help you better understand your rights, options, and what we can do to help after you or someone you love sustains a TBI in any type of accident in DC, Maryland, or Virginia. Contact us online or call (202) 659-8600 to speak with a lawyer.