As used in this chapter, the term:
(1) “Brain injury” means a traumatic injury to the brain (cranio-cerebral 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 abnor-
malities, skull fracture, or diagnosed intracranial lesions. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent and can result in a partial or total functional disability.
(2) “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.