Can Brain Injury Cause Inability to Wake up?

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, traumatic brain injuries caused 31.3 percent of all deaths due to injury in the state. A total of 1,872 people died in a single year due to traumatic brain injury, and there are 19.2 TBI-related fatalities for every 100,000 people in North Carolina.

The severity of a brain injury – and associated symptoms- determine whether a TBI will be deadly or survivable. One of the most serious symptoms a brain injury can cause is an inability to wake up.

An inability to wake due to a TBI is typically caused by the brain’s reaction to trauma. When an open or closed head wound occurs, it triggers physiological and biochemical reactions. Brain cell substances may flood the brain, and all of these different reactions can cause secondary cell death. The victim may lose consciousness, and the loss of consciousness (LOC) could be temporary or could last for a lengthy period of time.

Sustained loss of consciousness and an inability to wake up is referred to as a coma. A coma patient is unresponsive and does not react to stimuli. The coma may be short in duration, or the brain injury victim may never wake again.

A TBI sufferer who temporarily or permanently is unable to wake up is likely to incur significant medical costs. Loss of wages and non-financial damages also result from the head injury. If the injury was caused by negligence or wrongdoing, an experienced North Carolina brain injury attorney can provide help to victims in pursuing a case for compensation for economic and compensatory damages. Call Auger & Auger today to find out more.