New Studies Have Alarming Implications for Victims Suffering Brain Injuries
Recent studies have far-reaching implications for brain injury victims, indicating that people who sustain a traumatic brain injury and lose consciousness as the result of more severe head trauma face a higher risk of eventual brain atrophy (or a loss of brain nerve cells and the connections between them), and many of these victims received this trauma as a result of interpersonal violence. Sadly, victims of interpersonal violence are reportedly particularly vulnerable to these types of brain injuries due to the violence that is often inflicted to the head and neck specifically, and, as a phenomenon, this has gone largely unnoticed.
These statistically significant results have broad implications for head injuries that occur due to the negligence or misconduct of another party, where the responsible party can be held legally responsible for the resulting injuries because they indicate that these injuries are, in a number of cases, more severe and serious than originally believed.
The Statistics are Alarming
Recent studies indicate that approximately 60 percent of victims of interpersonal violence exhibited symptoms consistent with a brain injury, and the average number of hits sustained to areas such as the head was 10, with a high of 100. Many of those who experience this violence also reported experiencing nonfatal strangulation, which can result in severe brain trauma. The studies also indicate that victims of brain injuries caused by interpersonal violence often demonstrate lower scores when it comes to executive functioning, memory recall, and verbal fluency, especially those who have been subjected to strangulation. These victims also demonstrated higher levels of anxiety, depression, and PTSD than others, and only a percentage receive medical treatment for their injuries.
Problems with Detection, Diagnoses, and Reporting
It is very important to note just how difficult these brain injuries can be to detect due to the lack of standardization of injury definitions and those traditional methods relied on to collect and report data, as well as the general prevalence of underdiagnosing and underreporting these injuries. A number of abuse survivors likely have brain injuries that fly under the radar due to low levels of medical intervention, a fear of the attacker, and lower rates of reporting to law enforcement. Experts have indicated that because these types of injuries cannot always be found via medical tests and scans, that sometimes, only cognitive tests can reveal the extent of the trauma.
Schedule a Free Consultation with our Macon, Georgia Brain Injury Attorneys
If you or a loved one has suffered from a brain injury caused by negligence or misconduct, we are here to help. Contact the Macon brain injury lawyers at Buzzell, Welsh & Hill today to schedule a free confidential consultation and find out how we can help in circumstances like these.
Sources:
newsroom.uw.edu/postscript/traumatic-brain-injury-raises-risk-brain-atrophy
trincoll.edu/news/abuse-victims-are-suffering-brain-injuries-at-rates-unseen-in-some-sports-study-reports/
