NORFOLK, Va. – The numbers can be a startling and sobering reality.
Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that traumatic brain injuries contribute to about 30% of all injury deaths, meaning everyday 153 people in the United States die from injuries that include TBI.
For those who survive a TBI, the effects can last a lifetime.
Behind the figures though, are thousands of stories proving TBIs don’t discriminate.
For 16-year-old Tyler Ivie, the first hit came during one of his first football games at Cox High School in Virginia Beach last fall.
Then earlier this year, he hit his head again while outside enjoying a snowfall that blanketed the region.
“Tired all the time. I guess the only thing I could really do is chill inside, try to get better. Just exhausted. Headaches,” Ivie said of his symptoms after the hits in an interview with News 3 anchor Todd Corillo.
For retired Navy Special Warfare Operator Nick Baggett, returning from his final deployment in 2012 brought on a life that had become anything but pleasant.
“Painful to do this, painful to do that. Fell a lot. Stumbled a lot. Walked with a cane. Walked with leg braces,” Baggett commented.
Friday night on News 3 at 11, News 3 anchor Todd Corillo introduces you to the stories behind the injuries and explains why it can be so easy to suffer from a traumatic brain injury.
