Each year, millions of traffic crashes occur in the United States. While most of these collisions end up only causing property damage, there are millions of car accidents that end up causing extensive injuries, or they may even result in death. According to the latest information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 35,000 traffic fatalities in 2018, with more than 2.7 million people injured from crashes in the same year. Some of the most common injuries stemming from traffic accidents are traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which can be severe. If you have suffered a brain injury in a traffic accident, you should speak with an experienced personal injury attorney about your options for seeking compensation.

What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury? 

A traumatic brain injury occurs when a person suffers a violent blow or jolt to the brain. TBIs can also be caused by an object penetrating the brain tissue, such as a bullet. The Mayo Clinic states that traumatic brain injuries are often a result of car accidents, although the severity of the injury varies depending on the circumstances of the crash. For example, the use of a seat belt, objects that struck a person's head in a collision, and the speed of the vehicle can all affect the degree of injury.

As December fast approaches, temperatures are dropping, and the snow is falling. While winter wonderlands are perfect for the holiday season, they can also be dangerous. Slip and fall accidents can be quite common around this time of year due to unsafe conditions on the streets, sidewalks, and other walking surfaces. These types of accidents may seem trivial, but they can cause serious injuries, including broken bones, bruising, and traumatic brain injuries. Illinois property owners have a responsibility to keep their premises safe and free from hazards, but there are some steps that you can take to prevent a winter slip and fall accident.

1. Watch Out for Black Ice 

Black ice can be one of the most dangerous winter conditions for both drivers and pedestrians. Due to its ability to blend in with the color of the pavement, black ice can be difficult to spot, especially at night. It is important to be cautious when crossing roadways in the winter. In addition, it is recommended to slow down, take your time, and avoid running or walking at a quick pace.

Millions of car accidents are reported to police each year and range in severity from property damage only to fatal accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were nearly 6.5 million police-reported traffic crashes in 2017. While the majority of them were property-damage-only crashes, there were nearly 2 million crashes involving injuries and more than 34,000 fatal crashes.

One of the most serious injuries you can suffer when you are in a car accident is a brain injury. The brain is arguably the most important organ in your body because it controls all of your bodily functions. Injuring this organ can result in long-term or even permanent impairment to both your physical and mental states. Suffering a brain injury from a car accident may entitle you to financial compensation if the crash was someone else’s fault.

When motor vehicles collide with bicyclists, the results often are deadly. Given that automobiles are much larger and heavier than bicycles, a traffic crash can result in the total devastation of a bicycle, and cyclists can sustain life-threatening and fatal injuries. As residents of Lombard may know, there is no federal bicycle helmet law, and there is no helmet law in Illinois or in DuPage County more specifically. Only bike messengers in Chicago are required to wear helmets, and then only a handful of counties across the state require children to wear helmets. This means that adults throughout DuPage County and Cook County can ride a bicycle legally without a helmet.

Even though bicycle helmets are not required by law, they can save lives in the event of a collision with an automobile. According to a recent article in Science Nordic, a new study suggests that bicyclists decrease their risk of head injuries by 60 percent when they use helmets, but experts wrangle on the question of making them mandatory by law.

Bicycle Helmets Greatly Reduce the Risk of Brain Injuries in Traffic Collisions

When we hear about concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) connected to automobile accidents in DuPage County, we often learn that the traffic collision caused the brain injury. Indeed, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights, motor vehicle crashes are the third-leading cause of TBIs in the country, resulting in about 14 percent of all brain injury deaths each year. But can brain injuries cause car accidents?

According to a recent report from Reuters Health, while we often consider car accidents to be a proximate cause of TBIs, we rarely discuss the situations in which concussions and other brain injuries can produce symptoms that increase a driver’s likelihood of being involved in a collision.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that many medical professionals who treat younger athletes for concussion understand that the injury raises the risk of being involved in a car accident, but very few advise their patients against driving.