Bob Saget died after brushing off a blow to the head. Could it happen to you?

A month after Bob Saget died in a Florida hotel room, his cause of death was revealed to be "head trauma," sending shockwaves through Hollywood and beyond.

"The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep," his family said in a statement shared by Saget's longtime publicist Michael O'Brien said. "No drugs or alcohol were involved," the statement added.

The news left fans wondering how a tragedy like this could happen. The CDC reports there are an estimated 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries each year, though deaths from these cases are rare.

"Everyone should be aware that this is a fairly rare occurrence and it's often not the case with low mechanism falls like tripping, in comparison to a car or motorcycle accident," says Joshua Marcus, a certified neurosurgeon. "But it's still possible."

Original story: Bob Saget's cause of death was 'head trauma' in hotel, family and medical examiner say

When head injuries turn fatal

Trauma surgeon Kari Jerge says that a blow to the head can push the brain "up against the skull," resulting in a concussion, a type of brain injury. Jerge says concussions can lead to two possibly fatal scenarios: "bleeding and bruising" of the brain or asphyxiation during unconsciousness.

Though most head injuries aren't fatal, medical experts say more significant brain trauma is associated with a severe or worsening headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion and loss of consciousness. Even in scenarios where the injured person doesn’t become unconscious, internal bleeding can be a crucial factor as well.

“In some patients, they will hit their head really hard,” Jerge says. “They will be kind of dazed or unconscious briefly, but then they regain consciousness. And then over a period of anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, they’re slowly bleeding into the space around their brain. … That causes both swelling and pressure on the brain."

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Marcus adds it's common for head trauma to cause sleepiness.

"As the pressure builds up, it can make people somnolent, lethargic or sleepy and cause people to potentially sleep into a coma, which is why we want people to be monitored for at least a few hours after a trauma."

Though Saget's outcome is uncommon, it's crucial to seek medical attention after any head injury.

"We all hit our head from time to time, but sometimes it's a freak incident where the wrong part of the brain is hit or the wrong part of the skull is hit and can tear an underlying vessel," Marcus says.

"If you have progressive symptoms like headaches, nausea, or passing out during or after the trauma, those are all causes of concern to seek help immediately."

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Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bob Saget head trauma: When can a brain injury turn fatal?