There are many ways a Wilmington, Delaware, resident can suffer a traumatic brain injury, and some of these ways are actually quite preventable so long as people exercise some reasonable care and caution.
For example, the most common cause of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, as of 2013 was falling, which accounting for almost half of all TBIs that required a visit to the hospital. Falling down and hitting one’s head particularly affected the oldest and youngest victims of TBI, with almost 80 percent of all emergency room visits and hospital stays for TBIs that affected people over 65 had some connection to falling. Likewise, over half of all TBIs which required a hospitalization or trip to the emergency room for a child under 14 were caused by a fall.
Rounding out the top three reasons for TBI, getting hit by an object or running in to an object accounted for 15 percent of all TBIs requiring hospitalization, and car accidents accounted for about 14 percent of the same.
Car accidents are almost always preventable by somebody, as in the vast majority of motor vehicle accidents, one of the drivers could have done something or not done something, such as slow down or not try to drive and talk on one’s phone at the same time, which could have prevented the accident. Even falls and getting hit by an object are often preventable.
For example, a Delaware store has an obligation to keep its walkways clean and dry, and it also has to take care not to let pile of merchandise fall from a high place.
Those who have been victims of a TBI or their families may have the option of pursuing compensation against the party whose negligence contributed to the accident.