Over the last several weeks since the January 8, 2020 Iran Missile strike, the United States Government has been releasing ever increasing numbers of diagnosed traumatic brain injuries in troops stationed near missile attack locations. The number now stands at 50.
On January 16, 2020, USA Today released the following article that stated only 11 had been diagnosed:
Several U.S service members were injured during Iran’s missile assault on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq last week that houses U.S. troops and coalition forces.
U.S. Central Command in the region said in a statement that “several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed.”
“At this time, eight individuals have been transported to Landstuhl, and three have been transported to Camp Arifjan,” the statement said.
A week later, on January 24, 2020, the Defense Department announced the number was up to 34. NPR explained the ever increasing numbers in this article:
Eight U.S. troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) arrived in the U.S. on Friday, according to Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
Hoffman said those troops are among a total of 34 American servicemembers diagnosed with TBI after the al Asad airbase where they were stationed in Iraq was hit by missiles fired by Iran on Jan. 8. The attack was in reprisal for a U.S. drone strike Jan. 3 that killed top Iranian general Qassed Soleimani.
It was at least the third time U.S. officials have had to revise President Trump’s Jan. 8 claim that no Americans were injured by the Iranian missile barrage.
“No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime,” Trump declared at the White House hours after the Iranian attack. “We suffered no casualties.”
Yesterday, NBC News reported the Defense Department increased the number of diagnosed Traumatic Brain Injuries to 50:
A total of 50 U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injury from this month’s Iranian missile attack on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops, the Defense Department said Tuesday.
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can include concussions. Of the 50 patients, 31 were treated in Iraq and have returned to duty, Army Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said in a statement.
The National Institute of Health and PubMed have several articles that note the difficulty in diagnosing mild traumatic brain injuries. Below is one:
Although many physicians are familiar with severe TBI and its management, mild TBI comprises 70%–80% of all such injuries. The deficits produced by mild TBI are frequently more subtle, less often recognized, and more contentiously debated than are those resulting from severe TBI.
(Internal citations omitted). Here is another.
And unfortunately, some people are still of the opinion that Traumatic Brain Injuries are less serious than other injuries, as reported in the New York Times:
“I heard they had headaches,” Mr. Trump said at a news conference in Davos, Switzerland. “No, I don’t consider them very serious injuries, relative to other injuries that I’ve seen.”
If you or a loved one has been in a motor vehicle crash, a commercial vehicle accident, or some other traumatic event, and believe you have a traumatic brain injury, you need lawyer with the experience to get you to the right experts to diagnose and treat the injuries you or your loved one has suffered.
Contact Bennett Injury Law today for a free consultation and for more information.
