March 31, 2012 Posted by Matthew Dolman in Blog

Brain Injuries Are Most Commonly Found In Teenage Victims Of Automobile Accidents

According to several recent studies, automobile accidents remain the leading cause of death for teens and kill nearly five times as many 15-to-19 year olds as cancer or poisoning. Could this be from distracted driving or general lack of experience in driving? In any event it is still troubling to note that such a preventable tragedy could be avoided. Many states have gone as far as making changes to their Graduated Driver Licensing and increasing seat belt use. Changes include 50 hours of adult-supervised practice under varied conditions, limit teen passengers for the first year of independent driving, restriction of unsupervised nighttime driving, requirement of seat belt use for driver and all passengers, and prohibition of cell phone use. States the use the comprehensive GDL laws have lower fatality rates opposed to their counterparts who utilize weaker laws.

Along with these statistics, it has been proven that closed head injuries such as concussions, skull fractures, and traumatic brain injuries are most commonly found in teenage victims of auto accidents. Of all the injuries one can sustain from an auto accident, head injuries are the worst as the brain is the organ that is least likely to heal. With new technology and advances in science the diagnosis and treatment of a brain injury have come a long way. However, these are commonly a permanent injury and full recovery from a brain injury is most of the time unlikely. These types of injuries not only have an effect on the injured person but their families as well, depending on how critical the brain damage was. According to the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of TBI-related death among 15-to-19 year olds.

All the above statements are not opinions, they are facts. Looking at the statistics and information provided you would think that each state would want stricter laws on teens driving to prevent such a large number of fatalities and brain injuries. Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have maintained rates of less than 10 crash related deaths per 100,000 teens since 2005. All of those states have comprehensive GDL laws. The solution to the problem is obvious; just not all states want to spend the time or money to enforce it.

Dolman Law Group is a Pinellas County personal injury law firm and limits its practice to first and third party claims relating to serious injuries including traumatic brain injury, a drunk driving related injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, injury to the spine and others.

Matthew A. Dolman, Esq., is a Pinellas County personal injury attorney. Further, he has earned a reputation as a leading Florida brain injury attorney. For more information or a free consultation, please call us at: (727) 451-6900