Many researchers in the TBI field argue the tough laws are justified because even when a single punch isn’t lethal, or doesn’t have any apparent immediate effects, the head trauma can lead to irreversible consequences years or decades later. The tragic outcomes of a spate of one-punch attacks – so-called ‘coward punches’ – in recent years has drawn considerable attention and resulted in harsher sentencing laws for perpetrators. But a person may not display all of these at all times.įor severe TBI, symptoms can include slurred speech, profound confusion, seizures, persistant headaches, or loss of consciousness. Signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI)Ĭommon symptoms of mild TBI are headaches, dizziness and fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory or concentration problems, and blurred vision. Concussion is classified as a mild TBI (mTBI). It’s mild if those conditions are not met. In the absence of clinical assessment, TBI is considered moderate-to-severe if there is a loss of consciousness that is longer than 30 minutes and amnesia – memory loss – lasts for more than 24 hours. Someone with a mild TBI generally has a GCS of 13–15. The scale runs from 3 to 15, where 3 is assigned to someone who is dead or comatose and 15 is normal. From a medical perspective this judgment is based on what’s known as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which assesses motor, verbal and eye-opening responses.

TBI is classified according to its severity: mild, moderate or severe. Common causes include falls, car accidents, assault or being struck by objects such as might occur during sport. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by an external force.

Signs of brain trauma