In Arizona, a child has died from brain trauma sustained during a playground accident at Rio Colorado Elementary School.

News stories report that elementary children were playing soccer on the playground at the Rio Colorado Elementary School on the morning of September 11, 2008 when the accident occurred.  Sources report that several children were playing by the soccer goal post when the students were injured. Paramedics from the San Luis Fired Department were called to the scene when it was discovered that one child had a serious head injury. Sadly, this child died at the hospital. The name of the victim has not been released. Police are conducting an investigation.   

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a traumatic event affecting the head and brain of an accident, or non-accidental assault, victim. The most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are car accidents and falls, making up approximately 70% of head injury victims. Violence and contact sports cause about 20% of traumatic brain injuries. According to NIND statistics approximately, 180 – 250 per 100,000 are victims of traumatic brain injury per year. Males are at higher risk than females for traumatic brain injury. In the United States there are approximately two million brain injury victims annually. Of the two million victims, 10% sustain serious brain injury and 80% sustain mild to moderate brain injury. Individuals between the ages of 15 to 24 years-old, infants over 6 months-old, toddlers, males and the elderly are at the highest risk for brain injury. People living in high-crime and impoverished conditions are at higher than average risk for traumatic brain injury, as well as athletes that engage in contact sports. Athletes that have had more than three concussions during their sports career have a slower recovery time from subsequent concussions as compared to athletes that have had no concussions or one prior concussion.    

The injury occurs when the victim is hit by an object, or impacts on object, and or experiences significant force to the brain from speed and sudden deceleration. Traumatic brain injury may occur without actual physical contact with an object. Immediately following traumatic head injury, a victim may lose consciousness; have nausea, vomiting, amnesia, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, respiratory problems, weakness, in one, or all, areas of the body and may also have convulsions. During recovery from traumatic brain injury a victim may experience symptoms such as visual disturbances, confusion, dizziness, headache, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in ears), a lack of energy, sleep disturbances, mood instability, attention deficits, loss of a sense of taste and difficulty with concentration. Symptoms may not be noticed right away, and may have a gradual onset. Traumatic head injury victims may be pre-occupied with some symptoms and not notice other symptoms right away. Symptoms may change over the course of a year from the accident. Follow up treatment may be necessary long after the date of the injury.