Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys in MD, VA, and D.C.

The Basics of Traumatic Brain Injury

Types of Traumatic Brain Injury

• Concussion: The most common type of TBI, characterized by damage to the cranial nerves and blood vessels. The damage resembles a milder form of diffuse axonal injury.
• Contusion: When the head impacts an object at high speed, the brain is likely to bleed and form a bruise. For most other body parts, bruising isn’t a big deal; however, loose blood in the brain can have a number of adverse effects, so brain contusions should be promptly treated.
• Coup-Contrecoup: Sometimes the forces involved in an accident cause the brain to impact the front of the skull, then rebound and impact the back of the skull. The first injury is known as the “coup” injury and the second, which will be directly opposite the first, is the “contrecoup” injury.
• Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI): When the brain moves around within the skull, axons (nerve connector cells) may be stretched and torn. These injuries are very serious, as torn axons will not be able to repair themselves.
• Penetration: Penetration injuries are what they sound like—damage caused by an item (such as a bullet or a knife) that breaks through the skull and enters the brain directly. Though they are not always fatal, the survival rate for these injuries is much lower than that for other types of TBI.