Traumatic Brain Injury Statistics

At the Brain Injury Law Center, we work with families whose lives have been affected by traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Many people walk into our firm feeling overwhelmed, confused, and uncertain about what they’ve been told (or not told) about what happened to them or their loved one.

If that sounds familiar, this information is for you.

You don’t need numbers for the sake of numbers. You need perspective on why your TBI happened, who may be responsible, and how often these mistakes keep happening nationwide. You also need to know your legal rights when a hospital, employer, driver, or property owner fails to protect you or someone you love.

This blog post covers what current traumatic brain injury statistics tell us. You’ll also learn how a TBI that was labeled “mild” can still have permanent effects, and why seeking accountability is not just possible—it’s necessary.

To learn more about your legal options after a traumatic brain injury, call (757) 244-7000 or contact us online today.

A Closer Look at How Common TBIs Have Become

TBI statistics underline how frequently these injuries occur and how devastating the outcomes can be. Each year, approximately 223,000 people are hospitalized in the United States due to a traumatic brain injury. Around 70,000 deaths are linked to TBIs annually.  According to the CDC, more than 55 percent of individuals with a moderate or severe brain injury are still unable to return to work two years after the event.

In clearer terms, nearly one person every four minutes in this country suffers a brain injury that requires hospitalization. Some never recover. Others survive but face a dramatically different life, regardless of whether the injury was initially labeled mild, moderate, or severe.

The Most Common Situations That Lead to Brain Injuries

Brain injuries often follow a split-second event that could have been prevented—a fall on uneven steps without a handrail, a tire blowout ignored by a bus company, a loose scaffold bolt overlooked at a job site, or a teen pulled from a game after a hard hit and told to “walk it off.”

These kinds of incidents unfold across the country every day. And when someone fails to take safety seriously, people get hurt.

Among the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries today:

Falls

Whether it’s a nursing home resident slipping in a poorly lit hallway or a toddler tumbling on hard concrete at daycare, falls are the leading cause of TBI in both older adults and young children. Changes in balance, delayed reflexes, and uneven flooring increase the risk even more with age.

Motor Vehicle Crashes

Car wrecks, truck collisions, and motorcycle crashes often involve rapid acceleration or blunt impact, which jolts the brain inside the skull. Even with airbags and seatbelts, concussions and serious head trauma remain common. TBIs are often overlooked when visible injuries like broken bones are prioritized.

Worksite Injuries

In warehouse settings and construction zones, falling tools, debris, or equipment can cause head trauma with a single impact. Failing to wear a helmet, poor training, and loose safety enforcement all increase the risk of brain injury on the job.

Intentional Acts of Violence

Severe head trauma can result from attacks involving blunt force, or shaken baby syndrome. Sadly, infants and young children are among the most vulnerable here, often unable to verbalize symptoms after abuse.

Sports and Recreation Injuries

Contact sports like football, hockey, lacrosse, and boxing remain common sources of concussions among teens and college-aged athletes. In some cases, athletes with unreported or repeat concussions develop ongoing neurological symptoms without realizing the cause.

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, nearly 300,000 high school athletes sustain TBIs from sports activities each year in the U.S. While concussions are often categorized as mild, repeated injuries over time can result in memory loss, behavioral changes, and cognitive slowdowns extending far beyond the season.

How These Injuries Affect Families Long After the Accident

Behind every statistic is a family trying to keep up. Daily routines shift when a loved one can’t return to work, school, or familiar tasks like managing bills, speaking clearly, or walking without assistance.

Here’s what else families face when dealing with moderate or severe TBI:

• Ongoing physical rehabilitation sessions multiple times a week;
• Problems with speech, memory, coordination, and impulse control;
• Emotional effects like depression, personality changes, or anxiety;
• Long-term care planning, including in-home aides or supervised living; and
• Reduced ability to work or live independently.

The Journal of Neurotrauma reported in 2024 that the lifetime cost of care for a TBI can exceed $3 million per person, including rehab, loss of income, and long-term medical care. No family plans for that. No one thinks they’ll need to handle fight after fight with an insurance carrier or employer to afford basic treatment access.

If the impact of a brain injury has left you balancing medical care, unanswered questions, and a future you didn’t plan for, it may be time to speak with a brain injury lawyer. Call (757) 244-7000 or contact us online to talk with someone who understands the weight of what you’re carrying.

Who Faces the Greatest Risk?

Traumatic brain injuries affect people of every age and profession, but some groups are at greater risk. Current traumatic head injury statistics reveal especially high rates among:

• Children under 4, often due to falls or unrecognized abuse;
• Teen athletes involved in contact sports;
• Older adults over 65, where a fall can be far more dangerous;
• Construction workers and other manual laborers; and
• Drivers and passengers injured in high-speed collisions.

Men also experience a higher rate of hospitalization and death from TBIs than women, accounting for nearly 60% of all brain injury hospitalizations.

Symptoms Often Go Dismissed—But Can Last for Years

Some head injuries are easy to spot. However, many TBIs go overlooked because initial ER scans don’t indicate visible bleeding or swelling.

Here’s what many doctors don’t explain: a TBI doesn’t need to show on imaging to be serious. Many people with a so-called “mild” brain injury still report short-term memory loss, sleep problems, irritability, and concentration issues—months or years after the trauma.

Recent traumatic brain injury stats show that one in three people with a diagnosed TBI experience cognitive changes that alter how they interact with daily life. 

This isn’t just a medical concern. It becomes a workplace issue, a parenting challenge, and a financial concern. And it can stem from someone else’s decision to cut corners on safety.

What the TBI Statistics Don’t Tell: The Everyday Reality of Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injury statistics reveal just how widespread these injuries are—hundreds of thousands are hospitalized every year, with long-term effects that don’t always show up on a scan or in a discharge note. Behind those numbers are people whose lives were altered by a fall, crash, or trauma that should never have occurred.

When someone else’s negligence causes a TBI, it’s not just a medical concern; it’s a legal matter. Many of our clients come to us after learning the full extent of their injury and realizing that the safety measures meant to protect them were ignored, skipped, or poorly enforced.

They’re not just facing appointments and follow-up visits. They’re balancing that with:

• Therapy their insurance won’t fully cover,
• Missed work and lost income,
• Medical bills arriving before test results,
• Behavioral or cognitive changes that affect the entire household, and
• A future that looks very different from what they expected.

Legal representation can’t undo the injury, but it can hold the right parties accountable and help make sure your family isn’t left handling every cost alone.

Brain Injury Law Center dedicates our practice to helping individuals and families with TBI. Our attorneys have been involved in some of the most significant brain injury outcomes nationwide, including a $60 million verdict in a case that was initially dismissed as a “mild” brain injury, along with multiple eight-figure settlements and verdicts in vehicle-related and premises liability TBI cases.

Talk to a Firm That Focuses Entirely on Brain Injury Cases

If someone close to you has been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and you’re questioning what caused it or whether anything could have been done to avoid it, now is the time to speak with an attorney who understands these cases.

The Brain Injury Law Center helps families understand their rights after a brain injury caused by someone else’s actions or oversight. We work with experts to build strong evidence around what went wrong and pursue the compensation the law allows.

To speak with one of our brain injury attorneys, call (757) 244-7000 or fill out our contact form. We can review your case at no cost and explain what pursuing a TBI legal claim might look like in your situation.

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