Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Children with TBI can become victims
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants families with children suffering from traumatic brain injury to know that they can easily become victims. A traumatic brain injury is defined as a blow to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. TBI can range from:
- mild—a brief change in mental status or consciousness
- severe—an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury
Of the 1.4 million people who have a TBI each year in the US, 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are treated and released from the ER.
Unfortunately for those children suffering from TBI, they can become victims of violence. The CDC has put together a fact sheet for families to understand how this can happen and how to prevent it from happening to their children.
What is victimization?
Victimization is harm caused on purpose and can happen anywhere, but people with disabilities are 4 to 10 times more likely to be victimized than people without disabilities. Children with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be victimized as children without them.
Victimization includes:
- Physical violence with or without a weapon
- Sexual violence of any kind including rape
- Emotional abuse,including verbal attacks or being humiliated
- Neglect of personal needs for daily life, including medical care or equipment
The most common places for this to happen are hospitals and at home and the victims usually know the person who harms them—a health care worker, intimate partner, or family member. More men than women cause harm to people and children with disabilities.
People and children with traumatic brain injuries in Massachusetts are more likely to be victimized because they have:
- Difficulty understanding risky situations or avoiding risky persons
- Difficulty controlling one's temper which causes others to get angry
- Behavioral problems, such as drinking too much
The CDC advises that families and friends can help by listening and encouraging them to voice any concerns about their safety, acknowledge they’re in a difficult situation, be supportive and not judgmental, help them find people who give help and guidance, help them plan safety steps to reduce their risk of harm.
Help is available at:
- Dial 911 if you need immediate assistance.
- Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at:1-800-799-SAFE orTTY 1-800-787-3224
- This hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Confidential services include crisis intervention, safety planning, and referrals to local service providers. Assistance is available in English and Spanish, and in other languages.
Kiley Law Group located in Boston and Andover, Massachusetts takes time when speaking with you about your case and works with you on a contingent basis so there are NO FEES unless our trained Boston child brain injury lawyers wins your case. Call now for a FREEevaluation of your case – 1-888-208-1695.
