Traumatic Brain Injuries in MN

From In-Forum:

The rolling hills and forests of rural Minnesota can often be just as dangerous as the state's metropolitan areas when it comes to severe head injuries, according to a new study based on data from the state's emergency rooms.

Researchers have good guesses about why people get hurt where they do, but they don't know for sure. But they say the number of traumatic brain injuries is going up, and that's a good reason to sound the alarm.

In the metro area, Washington County has the highest rate of head injuries treated in emergency rooms without needing hospitalization. Dakota County is second. Some counties has several times as many injuries as others.

Jon Roesler, a state Health Department epidemiologist, said the high numbers of injuries in wealthy areas like Woodbury in Washington County could be the result of the "expensive toys effect."

For the wealthy, "It's skiing, snowboarding, whatever the higher income group can afford. Sports and rec are one of the three leading causes of emergency room treatment" for traumatic brain injuries.