The Reality of Brain Injuries in Atlanta

By Your Health Magazine

Atlanta is a city with just over 500,000 people. This might sound like a small piece of the state, but when it comes to brain injuries, even that slice carries a serious weight.

Based on brain injury statistics, Georgia had around 29,924 brain injuries in one year alone. That includes people visiting the ER, being hospitalized, or dying from brain injuries.

Breaking those numbers down further, in just one year, Georgia had:

21,026 emergency room visits due to brain injuries
8,081 hospitalizations

What Causes These Injuries?

The causes vary, but many of them are preventable. The most common ones include falls, car crashes, truck accidents, and sports-related injuries. Sometimes it’s due to medical malpractice or something going wrong during treatment. In other cases, it could be a defective product or a construction site accident that puts someone in harm’s way.

A concussion, which is actually a mild traumatic brain injury, can happen when your head is suddenly jolted or hit. That force can make your brain bounce against your skull, which might sound minor at first, but it’s anything but.

The result can be headaches, dizziness, memory issues, confusion, or even light sensitivity. And these symptoms aren’t always obvious right away. That’s what makes concussions so tricky and often overlooked.

Different Grades of Brain Injury

The most common kind is a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, which usually happens because of a sudden impact, e.g., in a car crash or a fall. But there are other types too, like acquired brain injuries that can come from a stroke, infection, or tumor.

There are also different levels of severity. Doctors use something called the Glasgow Coma Scale, which scores a person based on how well they respond to basic tests. A score of 14 or 15 is considered mild, 9 to 13 is moderate, and 3 to 8 is severe.

However, even a mild TBI can flip a person’s life upside down. People with a so-called mild injury can still experience anxiety, mood swings, memory problems, or even long-term risks like dementia.

Long-Term Impact on Life and Health

When someone experiences a brain injury, the effects can reach far beyond the initial impact. These injuries can cause

Nausea
Sleep disorders
Emotional instability
Complete loss of mobility
Intense headaches that never really go away
Loss of the ability to control their emotions or impulses, which can take a serious toll on relationships, work, and mental health.

The financial strain is just as serious. Treatment for a brain injury isn’t just a one-time ER visit. Recovery can involve physical therapy, speech therapy, neurological exams, and, in some cases, long-term care.

According to the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission, traumatic brain injuries cost Georgians over $1.5 billion every year in lost wages and medical expenses.

Who’s Most at Risk?

In Georgia, the highest number of brain injuries occurs in people from birth to age 39, with the 10 to 19 age group being hit the hardest. That’s nearly 24% of all traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries in the state, just in one year.

And when you think about how active that age group is—playing sports, learning to drive, biking, skating—it makes sense. But it also shows how important prevention and awareness really are.

The Importance of Legal Help

When a brain injury is caused by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek compensation. You need the compensation to get access to proper treatment, long-term care, and the support you need to adjust to a new normal.

But brain injury cases aren’t easy. They’re complex, and they require legal teams who understand both the medical and legal side of things. The path forward is complicated, but with the right help, it doesn’t have to be impossible.