There are several myths about Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s), all of which can be explained when you understand the science and medicine involved in the causation and treatment of TBI’s. One of the most popular myths is "You can’t have a TBI if you don’t lose consciousness." 

The Center for Disease Control, an arm of the federal government, dispels this myth on its web site.  The CDC defines what constitutes a mild TBI and states: That a mild traumatic brain injury is "caused by a blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the function of the brain. This disruption of the brain function is typically associated with NORMAL structural neuroimaging findings (i.e. CAT scan, MRI) … and may or MAY NOT involve a loss of consciousness." (emphasis added) See here for the full definition. This definition is accepted in the medical and scientific community. Thus you can have changes in personality, temperament, and memory with a mild TBI, and all the other consequences, even though the imaging tests are normal and the victim cant identify a loss of consciousness.

There is nothing worse than a brain injury. It robs us of our souls and sense of self. In fact it kills the old you, and you become someone else. If you know someone who has one you know what I mean.

I see lots of TBI’s as a result of handling truck wreck cases across the country. This week I spent several days in Chicago with members of the Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer Network, including program chair Gordon Johnson, keeping up on the latest medical advances in diagnosing, treating, and litigating TBI cases. I was fortunate to have dinner with some great trial lawyers, Ken Levinson from Chicago and Steve Gursten from Detroit. It is always great to discuss and work on significant complicated cases with phenomenal lawyers like Ken and Steve.