Each year, some 1.4 million people in the U.S. sustain a traumatic brain injury, according to attorneys at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, in Chicago. Some 50,000 die from those injuries.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from “mild,” i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness, to “severe,” i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short- or long-term problems with independent function.