A brain injury sounds so traumatic that it’s easy to imagine it has to have an incredible cause. You think of things like accidentally getting caught up in ropes while swimming and nearly drowning or being involved in a high-speed car accident.

Make no mistake: These types of things can cause brain injuries. However, the leading cause is far more simple. About 40 percent of all TBIs in the United States just come about because of falls.

If you’re very young or very old, falls are an even greater risk. For instance, about 55 percent of all brain injuries suffered by children 14 years old and younger come from falls. These could be linked to things like falling off of a bike, out of a tree, or while ice skating. Young people are heavily involved in recreational activities, which bring about this danger.

For the elderly, the risk is even greater. A full 81 percent of brain injuries for those above the age of 64 come from falls. These could be falls at work, on a slick floor at the store, or down the stairs at home.

As people grow older, their bodies become more frail, and fine motor skills can be diminished. This makes a fall more likely for someone who is 65, and it can also make the injuries worse. A fall that a 25-year-old would have endured without any injury at all can have lasting effects — or even prove deadly — for someone in their 70s.

If a loved one has been injured in a fall due to someone else’s negligence — such as a business owner who doesn’t remove snow and ice from the sidewalk — then you have to know what legal rights you may hold to compensation in Ohio.

Source: CDC, “TBI: Get the Facts,” accessed Oct. 27, 2016