Brain injuries occur in a variety of different ways, and are more common than most people think.
According to the Brain Injury Association, over 50,000 people a year have a serious, traumatic injury to the brain requiring extensive rehabilitation services. Another 700,000 people a year experience mild brain injury, which over half require some degree of rehabilitation services. Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States. Brain injuries may occur as a result of motor vehicle accidents, assaults, falls, industrial accidents, sporting accidents, or gunshot wounds. Sometimes injury is caused by internal factors, such as surgery, infection, or lack of oxygen to the brain.