Serious car accidents cause debilitating and sometimes life-altering injuries. Head injuries, in particular, can be incredibly serious. It often isn’t apparent just how serious a head injury is until the doctors have had a chance to observe you. Many don’t realize that they have a concussion until hours or even days after the accident occurred. If you’ve experienced a head injury from a car accident, the last thing you want to do is discuss the situation with the insurance company. Contact an attorney early in the process and we will protect the integrity of your claim.
Types of Head Injuries in a Car Accident
Even in situations where your head doesn’t strike anything, you can experience a concussion from the deceleration and jolt of suddenly stopping. These are known as closed head injuries. By contrast, open head injuries involve the cracking of the skull exposing the brain. The latter is considerably more serious than the former. It is also more rare. But that doesn’t mean that closed head injuries aren’t serious.
When a concussion occurs, your brain begins to swell. This puts internal pressure on the cranium. It is especially dangerous when a second concussion happens after a first concussion hasn’t healed. In these cases, the brain’s internal protection mechanism shuts off allowing the brain to continue to swell past the safety threshold.
If you experience any type of head injury after a car accident (but particularly a closed head injury) it is important to see a doctor regardless of how normal you feel. A doctor will be able to gauge the amount of swelling in your brain, document your symptoms, and propose a treatment plan.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injury is an umbrella term for any injury that affects the brain. As such, there is a considerable range of severity when it comes to TBI injuries. These can range from acute injuries that go away with time or chronic injuries that are irreversible. However, a diagnosis of TBI requires one of the following symptoms be present:
- Loss of consciousness
- Partial amnesia
- Anomalies on a brain scan
- Post-traumatic seizures
- Skull fracture
Types of TBI include:
- Severe concussion – Characterized by swelling of the brain in the skull. Symptoms may not be apparent until days after the accident occurs. Symptoms may get worse over time. Loss of balance, vertigo, nausea, and headaches are the most common symptoms.
- Contusion – Brain contusions are caused by blunt force trauma that leave a bruise on the brain. They often include some penetration of the skull.
- Diffuse axonal – Characterized by shearing or tearing in the brain resulting from the twisting or rotating of the brain in the skull.
- Coup-contrecoup – Characterized by damage to both sides of the brain. The brain hits the skull after a severe trauma, then hits the other side of the skull after impact.
Consequences of TBI
TBI can either be acute or permanent. In some cases, those who suffer a traumatic brain injury lose certain cognitive abilities for life. These injuries can prevent them from doing their current job or even securing employment in the future. In those cases, the injured party deserves to be compensated not only for lost wages but lack of employability and reduced quality of life.
Talk to a Car Accident Attorney Today
If you or someone you love has experienced a head injury from a car accident, the attorneys at Brylak Law can help them get the economic relief they need to focus on their recovery. We will also fight to get compensation for your reduced quality of life. Talk to us today to set up a free consultation.
