Definition: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by a blow or jolt to the head which disrupts normal brain function or by a foreign object penetrating the skull. Studies have found that the four most common causes of TBIs are falls, motor vehicle and traffic accidents, struck by/against events, and assaults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations and Deaths 2002-2006 webpage).
The CDC estimates that in the U.S. around 1.7 million people sustain a TBI every year. TBI is a contributing factor in almost one third of all injury deaths. In addition:
Strategies for preventing TBIs include: