Most of our readers were not yet born when an 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy was hit by a car on July 8, 1965. The day after the pedestrian accident, the Allentown newspaper reported that the boy hospitalized in critical condition had suffered broken legs, cuts and bruises — as well as massive head injuries.

The severe brain trauma he suffered that day resulted in quadriplegia for the boy. Fifty years later, he was still being treated for the injuries suffered that summer day. A few days ago, the accident victim died as a result of those brain injuries from which he had never recovered.

"This required a lifetime of treatment and basically he was paralyzed," a Lehigh deputy coroner said told The Morning Call. "This is something that he never achieved a full recovery from."

The case is at the far end of the spectrum of what can happen when a person sustains traumatic brain injuries in a car accident, a slip or a fall, sports activities, act of violence or other life-changing incident. The Mayo Clinic says on its website that "serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain that can result in long-term complications or death."

If you or a loved one has sustained a head or brain injury in a pedestrian accident or car crash, it is possible that pain and a loss of function can be serious and long-lasting. In those situations, the person responsible for your temporary or permanent injuries can be held accountable with the assistance of an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorney.