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Home > Personal Injury > Injuries / Diseases > Severe Injuries > Brain > Types and Severity of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Brain Injury Attorneys

in Denver and throughout Colorado and Wyoming

Types of Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injury is caused by outside forces, but does not always involve a head injury. A blow to the head, gunshot wound, or a serious fall will normally produce an obvious head injury. Brain injuries which do not involve a head injury are harder to detect. Whiplash and shaken baby syndrome are common causes of brain injury which involves no head injury, but can be just as damaging to the brain, even deadly.

  • Concussion
    Concussions are the most common type of brain injury, and often go undetected if there is no loss of consciousness, but can take months or years to heal. They can be caused by an impact, such as a blow to the head, or by sudden movement such as whiplash. During a concussion, blood vessels can stretch and damage cranial nerves.
  • Contusion
    A contusion is a bruise. When the brain is bruised it is bleeding. Contusions are normally caused by an impact.
  • Coup-contrecoup contusion
    A strong enough impact to the head can cause bruising of the brain on the side of the head where the impact occurred and on the opposite side from slinging the brain so hard that it hits the other side of the skull.
  • Penetration
    Penetration injuries occur when an object actually goes through the skull and enters the brain causing direct damage.
  • Diffuse axonal
    A rapid movement can cause the skull to move faster than the brain, tearing brain tissue and nerves.
  • Shaken baby syndrome
    When a baby or young child is shaken it can tear the blood vessels between the brain and the skull. The brain bleeds and swells, squeezing tissue and killing brain cells.
  • Second impact syndrome
    Additional injury to an already injured brain is much more likely to cause serious injury or death than an initial brain injury.

Click to view our video about "Life After Traumatic Brain Injury"

Brain Injury Severity - The Glasgow Coma Scale
If you have suffered a brain injury it is important to understand that the rating of the severity of your injury refers only to the initial, not the long-term, damage. Even a "mild" brain injury can have serious long-term consequences. This is often confusing and very upsetting for TBI victims who did not need extensive medical attention immediately after injury, but later suffer severe symptoms or permanent disability.

  • Mild brain injury
    A mild brain injury causes a brief loss of consciousness, lasting no more than a few minutes, or no loss of consciousness at all. Immediately afterwards the victim is dazed or confused.
  • Moderate brain injury
    Loss of consciousness lasts several minutes to several hours. Confusion can last for weeks or months. Impairment may last for several months or can be permanent.
  • Severe brain injury
    Loss of consciousness lasts for days, weeks, or months. Severe brain injury can result in a coma, vegetative state, or "locked-in" syndrome. Severe brain injuries cause loss of consciousness for days, weeks, or months. Impairment may be permanent.

The severity and type of consequences which you will experience will depend on the area of your brain which was injured, rather than the severity of your injury.

Frequently Asked Questions About Traumatic Brain Injury Lawsuits

Brain Injuries and High School Sports

Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury

Long Term Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury

Personal Injury: Traumatic Brain Injury

At Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C., our attorneys represent brain injury victims in Colorado and Nationwide. We have the resources and experience with complex brain injury lawsuits to fully assess your injuries and take your case to a jury. If you or your loved one has suffered a brain injury, please email or call us today.

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Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. is a law firm serving the Rocky Mountain Region. The firm has offices in Denver, Colorado, Cody, WY, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Phoenix, AZ. The Firm is responsible for the content on the website,this information is not to be interpreted as providing legal services, nor as proposing any form of legal advice.