The death of popular comedian Bob Saget while on tour in Florida last month was surprising and tragic, but the injury that claimed his life is more common than you might think.
According to the medical examiner in Florida who performed the autopsy, Saget most likely fell and struck the back of his head, causing bleeding on his brain. Saget’s family said he probably thought nothing of the injury and went to sleep. A hotel employee found him dead in bed the next afternoon.
On a typical day, brain injuries like Saget’s claim the lives of more than 160 people in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. About 61,000 people died from a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, in the U.S. in 2019 alone.
