Brain injury happens in an instant, changing the lives of people forever, leaving little time to adapt.
Every day 452 Canadians suffer a serious brain injury. This amounts to nearly one person every three minutes, equaling almost 165,000 serious brain injuries per year. This does not include concussions, military injuries, or unreported cases. Brain injury can happen to Anyone. Anytime. Anywhere.
June is Brain Injury Awareness Month across Canada. In the province of Ontario, the numbers are staggering, according to Ruth Wilcock, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA). “There are close to half a million Ontarians living with acquired brain injury (ABI) and more than 45,000 new cases will be added this year alone, states Wilcock. “This number does not include the 155,000 concussions that occur each year in Ontario”.
This is why across Ontario and Canada; brain injury associations are working together to raise awareness about the prevalence of brain injury and the challenges faced by those living with it every day.
Brain Injuries do not discriminate and lasts a lifetime. Wilcock states that “everyone is vulnerable to the potential of sustaining a brain injury and prevention is the only cure”.
Did you know that:
- Distracted driving causes approximately 4 million motor-vehicle accidents due North American per year
- Up to 80% of women affected by intimate partner violence (IPV) experience symptoms of traumatic brain injury
- Almost half of all brain injuries (47%) are caused by a fall or slip
- The leading causes of anoxic brain injury are oxygen deprivation at birth, stroke, strangulation, choking, drowning, drug overdose, allergic reactions, and sudden blows to the windpipe
The Ontario Brain Injury Association supports all efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to brain injuries and according to Wilcock it starts with education, awareness and prevention.
For further media information contact:
Ruth Wilcock, Chief Executive Officer
Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA)
Tel: 905-641-8877 ext 238
Email: rwilcock@obia.on.ca
Website: www.obia.ca
https://braininjurycanada.ca/en/statistics/#TBI
Northern Brain Injury Association. Road Safety
Kwako L.E., Glass N., Campbell J., Melvin K.C., Barr T., Gill J.M. (2011). Traumatic brain injury in IPV: A critical review of outcomes and mechanisms. Trauma Violence Abuse, 12, 115–126
Brain Line. Leading Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury
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