Indiana Workers' Compensation Attorneys

Head Injury

A head injury is any trauma that leads to injury of the scalp, skull, or brain. These injuries can range from a minor bump on the skull to a devastating brain injury.

Head injury can be classified as either closed or penetrating. In a closed head injury, the head sustains a blunt force by striking against an object. In a penetrating head injury, an object breaks through the skull and enters the brain. (This object is usually moving at a high speed like a windshield or machine part).

The incidence of head injury is 300 per 100,000 per year (0.3% of the population), with a mortality of 25 per 100,000 in North America. Occupational accidents are a common cause of head injuries.

Specific problems after head injury can include:

• Skull fracture
• Lacerations to the scalp and resulting hemorrhage of the skin
• Traumatic subdural hematoma, a bleeding below the dura mater which may develop slowly
• Traumatic extradural, or epidural hematoma, bleeding between the dura mater and the skull
• Traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Cerebral contusion, a bruise of the brain
• Concussion, a temporary loss of function due to trauma
• Dementia pugilistica, or "punch-drunk syndrome", caused by repetitive head injuries, for example in boxing or other contact sports
• A severe injury may lead to a coma or death

If you have suffered a head injury as a result of an on the job accident, please contact Klezmer & Associates for a free consultation.