Have you ever collided playing sports, fallen off a horse, or been in an auto accident? Were you ever injured in the military, been a victim of domestic violence, or had a concussion? Any one of these incidents can lead to a traumatic brain injury. A recent study suggests that these types of injuries resulted in years of painful migraines and headaches for 80% of the participants in the study.
The chances of getting into a traffic accident go up during times when more cars are out on the road, like during rush hour, or when road conditions and/or visibility are compromised, like during inclement weather. However, the odds of an accident skyrocket when there is an increase in the number of people driving under the influence. Research has been done as to when motorists are most apt to be involved in an accident involving an alcohol-impaired driver. The results offer good information as to when those times occur the most so we can avoid being out on the road when we are at the greatest risk of being involved in an accident.
ANTIOCH, CA – Monday evening a 49-year-old woman from Oakley died from injuries sustained in a multivehicle collision on eastbound Highway 4, according to police. The California Highway Patrol said the fatal accident occurred during the evening commute, just west of Somersville Rd., with the 911 call coming in at 5:46 p.m.
Of the motor vehicle accidents occurring in the United States each year, approximately 2% result in the death of a bicyclist. In most of these deaths, the head received the brunt of the injuries. This highlights how vital it is for cyclists to wear protective helmets at all times. It is estimated that wearing a helmet reduces the likelihood of a head injury by 50%, and the odds of suffering an injury to the head, neck or face could be reduced by 33%. Twenty-one states in the country, plus the District of Columbia have enacted helmet use laws that specifically apply to young cyclists, however none of these helmet laws apply to all riders.
CASTRO VALLEY, CA – The California Highway Patrol reported that two men from Pittsburg were killed while a woman was severely injured in a multivehicle collision that occurred on Friday night on Crow Canyon Road near the intersection of Norris Canyon Road.
Samone Gatlin, 33 and Jamil Numan, 36, both residents of Pittsburg, were fatally injured in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the County of Alameda Coroner’s Office.
The accident was reported to authorities at 8:47 p.m. and happened on Crow Canyon Road slightly south of the intersection of North Canyon Road, according to Dan Jacowitz, a CHP Officer assigned to the Castro Valley CHP.
The brain itself is made of soft, Jello-like tissue. It’s not a fixed, hardened structure like you find in bones. The brain consists of millions of very fine nerve fibers and floats around inside a hardened skull, in cerebral-spinal fluid. When the head is suddenly struck or is violently shaken or strikes a solid stationary object, the utter force of this motion goes directly to the brain.
When the head rotates during trauma, the brain inside also moves, twists and turns and undergoes forces that cause the brain-matter to move. Sudden movements of the head or forces directly hitting the head cause the brain tissue to move although the brain is protected within the skull and is highly resilient. This type of motion stretches, squeezes and may even tear the neural brain cells. To maintain the precise distance between neural cells and the delicate balance needed to effectively process and send messages between cells requires a calm, stable environment. When brain cells are squeezed and stretched due to these kinds of forces this delicate balance is altered and this can easily cause problems in the brain’s processing of information.
SACRAMENTO – The California Highway Patrol made a determination this month that a cyclist caused the fatal collision that killed her when a truck struck her on November 2, 2015. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Matthew Gary was driving the truck and the accident occurred while he was turning left onto Fair Oaks. The CHP officer investigating the accident found that the victim had tried to cross the street before reaching the intersection, mid-way through the block.
Very often people are not sure what a “mild” brain injury is. The word “mild” refers to how severe the physical trauma was that precipitated the injury. By no means does it signify the severity of brain damage that resulted from the injury.
The CDC defined exactly what constitutes a mild brain injury in a written report submitted to the U.S. Congress on the topic of Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries in the United States, as follows:
A mild traumatic brain injury is when the head injury results from a blunt trauma, the acceleration, or deceleration forces and when at least one or more of the following conditions occurred during the period of observation due to the head injury:
- Any periods of momentary disorientation, confusion or diminished consciousness that is self-reported or observed;
- Any periods of memory dysfunction (amnesia) that occurred near the time of the injury, either self-reported or observed;
- Symptoms or signs observed of other types of neuropsychological or dysfunction, like:
- Seizures immediately following the head injury;
- In infants and among very young children: lethargy, irritability, and/or vomiting following the head injury;
- Symptoms and signs in older children and adults: dizziness, headaches, fatigue irritability, and poor concentration or focus, when recognized soon after the injury, can be used to countenance a mild TBI diagnosis, but can’t be used to form the diagnosis if there is no loss of or changes in consciousness. Further research may be able to provide more guidance in this area.
- A period of self-reported or observed loss of consciousness that lasted 30 minutes or less.
WALNUT CREEK, CA – A driver struck two pedestrians while walking in the crosswalk at Walnut Avenue and Oak Grove Road in Walnut Creek. The accident happened Friday morning and Oak Grove Road remains closed while the police continue their investigation at the scene.
Both victims are approximately 60 years of age and remain in the hospital in critical condition, one suffering from head injuries.
According to police both women were walking inside the crosswalk. So far it doesn’t seem as if the driver was speeding or doing anything else against the law, except for not coming to a stop at the intersection where the women were crossing the street.
According to officials who spoke out on Monday, the sightseeing tour bus that went out-of-control last week crashing at Union Square in San Francisco, possibly due to brake failure, was not registered with the state of California nor had it been inspected, which are both required by law.
The open-air, double-decker bus being run by City Sightseeing, was not officially listed as part of the company’s fleet, according to a spokesperson from the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency charged with regulating tour buses.
