31-18-2. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the term:

“Brain injury” means a traumatic injury to the brain (craniocerebral head trauma), not of a degenerative or congenital nature, but arising from blunt or penetrating trauma or from acceleration-deceleration forces, that is associated with any of these symptoms or signs attributed to the injury: decreased level of consciousness, amnesia, other neurologic or neuropsychologic abnormalities, skull fracture, or diagnosed intracranial lesions. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent and can result in a partial or total functional disability.#

“Spinal cord injury” means a traumatic injury to the spinal cord, not of a degenerative or congenital nature, but arising from blunt or penetrating trauma or from acceleration-deceleration forces, resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia, which can be a partial or total loss of physical function.#