" Injury is, by far, the leading cause of death for children, teens and young adults - and half of those are due to brain injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury ( TBI) is the leading cause of acquired disability amongst young Canadians. Approximately 150,000 Canadians end up in emergency wards every year with traumatic brain injuries and about 500,000 Canadians are living with permanent damage from blows to the head."  - Andre Picard, Globe and Mail Jun 1/14

Traumatic injury is a very serious public health issue.

Particularly traumatic brain injuries suffered in motor vehicle accidents.

Unfortunately, traumatic brain injury is often mischaracterzied as "concussion".

And when alot of people think of a concussion they think along Don Cherryesque lines.

" Ah, stop you bellyaching!"

" You just got your bell rung. Don't make such a big deal of it."

" What are you complaining about. Most football players get hit harder than that in practice!"

The mythology and misinformation surrounding the topic of concussion is vast.

But here's the thing, symptoms can linger.

" Karen Barlow, an associate professor of pediatrics and clinical neurosciences at the University of Calgary, found that 13.7 per cent of kids still had symptoms three months after a mild concussion and, for 2.3 percent, symptoms lasted for a year or more." - Globe and Mail ( as above)

What's take the take away here?

Even a "mild concussion" can potential cause signficant ongoing problems.

So take your "concussion" following your car accident seriously.

Jeff Witten

McComb Witten Personal Injury Lawyers