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Brain injuries are the result of a significant percentage of car crash fatalities.  Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can also be life-changing for victims who survive, as damage to the brain can affect all aspects of your health.  Symptoms of TBI range from cognitive impairment to personality and mood changes to ringing in the ears. Some patients with severe brain injuries are permanently restricted in their abilities, and others may need to re-learn basic life tasks. 

Unfortunately, brain injuries are a common result of car accidents because many motorists strike their head in accidents and the force of the crash can cause the brain to hit against the skull and get hurt.  While brain injuries can happen in any type of collision, side impact crashes are more likely than other accident types to cause patients to experience TBIs.  Victims of these accidents should consult with Randall Spivey, a Ft. Myers personal injury attorney, to get help pursuing a claim for compensation from those who caused the T-bone collision.

The Increased Risk of Brain Injury in Side Impact Crashes

The Association of Automotive Medicine has reported on past research that was conducted in an effort to better understand collision risks.  As part of the research, crash data was obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for one of the studies performed. Accidents involving 5,483 vehicles and 6,780 vehicle occupants were reviewed and researchers identified 1,115 people to focus on. The researchers only looked at accidents where at least one vehicle occupant sustained serious injury.

After a careful review of the damage caused by these crashes, researchers found that side-impact accidents were three-times as likely as other kinds of collisions to cause brain injury. This made side-impact crashes even more likely than head-on accidents to result in vehicle occupants damaging their brain.  Unfortunately, not only were side-impact crashes more likely to cause traumatic brain injury, but when the injury happened, it was also more likely to be severe.

Research has also revealed that brain injuries are the cause of between 51 and 74 percent of the fatalities occurring in side-impact collisions. This is an especially big issue because one study found side-impact crashes caused 32 percent of car-crash related deaths, even though only 19 percent of total accidents were side-impact crashes.

Side-impact accidents usually happen when a driver enters an intersection. One driver is going straight, and the other driver either comes from a cross road and hits the side of the vehicle, or makes a turn and hits the side of a vehicle.  These accidents are usually caused by negligent actions, such as a motorist not paying attention or not yielding the right-of-way.  Side-impact accidents also happen in other situations as well, including when drivers pull out of driveways into the side of an oncoming car because they didn't look carefully.

When side impact accidents happen, victims must determine who is at fault so they can pursue legal action. It is especially important to get help from a personal injury attorney if someone causes a side-impact accident that results in brain injury, because brain injury damages are so extensive.  A skilled attorney can help victims get the compensation they deserve to cover all their losses. Call the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. today for help.