Car crashes can wreak havoc on the body. The more violent the crash, the more serious the injuries are in most cases. One of the most troubling car accident injuries — and often left undiagnosed in the period immediately following a car accident — is a traumatic brain injury, TBI for short.
If you are in a car crash, you should seek out a medical evaluation. This is true even if you don’t feel like you were injured since internal head injuries can be hard to self-diagnose, as head trauma can result in blood clots, brain damage, loss of consciousness, reduced brain function, memory loss, long-term impairments and other serious injuries that can be sustained from an auto accident.
Here are common questions-and-answers about car crashes and brain injuries/head trauma:
Do I Have To Hit My Head To Suffer A Brain Injury?
You don’t have to hit your head during the accident to suffer from a brain injury. Some brain injuries are caused by the violent shaking of the head. Think about the shaken baby syndrome and you can get the gist of how serious these life-threatening injuries might be. Always seek medical attention after an auto accident, to have x-rays takens, or a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan taken to ensure that all areas of the brain are healthy.
Will I Know Right Away That I Have A Brain Injury?
Some symptoms of a traumatic brain injury won’t be evident right away. It might be a few days or even weeks before you know that you suffered a brain injury. This is one reason why having a medical es or ct scans and following up with your doctor are important after you are in a car accident. All brain injuries are serious and the thought of a mild traumatic brain injury can be misleading.
What Symptoms Should I Watch For?
The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury vary based on the location and severity of the injury. Some of the most common symptoms include dizziness, a headache, nausea, vomiting, trouble staying awake and difficulty concentrating.
One of the main symptoms of a traumatic brain injury is a headache. Other symptoms are also possible, but might not show up in all cases. These include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Loss of consciousness
- Ringing in your ears
- Trouble concentrating
More serious signs of a brain injury include losing consciousness or having blood or fluid leak out of the ears, as well as skull fractures, which can be more devastating from an auto accident than a gunshot wound.
If you are in a car accident and have any signs of a traumatic brain injury, you should seek medical care. This is true even if you just feel like something isn’t right, so you, your family members and loved ones can rest easy knowing you have been checked out and do not need hospitalization or other medical treatment.
When Will These Symptoms Show Up?
You might notice the symptoms of the brain injury while you are still at the scene of the accident. This is likely the case if you bang your head during the accident. If you don’t notice the symptoms right away, you might still have a traumatic brain injury.The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can show up days or even weeks after the event that caused the injury. For this reason, you should pay attention to how you feel for some time after the rear-end crash.
What Options Do I Have For Compensation After An Accident Causes A Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury can lead to medical interventions, such as surgery, prescription medications and rehabilitative therapy. In these cases, you might have to miss time from work. The loss of your income, even temporarily, might devastate you financially.
You have the option of seeking compensation for the injuries you suffered in the car crash. You can seek compensation from the driver who rear-ended you. Other parties, including that driver’s insurance company, might also be named in your civil lawsuit.
If you or a loved one has suffered a TBI due to the negligence of another, reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney for help.
Is a TBI Considered a Serious Injury?
Traumatic brain injuries can be very serious. Some of these injuries can lead to global defects that can impact every aspect of the victim’s life. For example, a person who has a severe open head injury or traumatic brain injury might not be able to work. Some patients might die because of these injuries. There can be swelling of the blood vessels, blood clots, brain damage from injured brain tissue, or bruising of the brain (or brain contusions). The CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) shows that traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can be quite serious. The help of a neuropsychologist can help aid in the recovery from these injuries.
What Are The Impacts That I Might Have To Deal With?
Victims of traumatic brain injuries might miss out on income. They might have trouble living life like they are accustomed to. The victim’s family members can also suffer because of the injury. Children, for example, might have trouble adjusting to the injury. Young children might wonder what happened to their parent and why their parent can’t interact with them in the usual manner.
A brain injury changes your life right away. From the moment you wake up in the hospital, you’re going to be able to tell that things are different. You may experience an altered mental status, or memory loss, not being able to remember where you are or who you are. You might have difficulty speaking or walking. Depending on what parts of the brain the injury is, you may even lose your sight or hearing.
You may also suffer additional symptoms from a severe TBI such as not being able to use limbs from the opposite side of the areas of the brain that are injured, or experience a sudden loss of consciousness or reduced brain function.
One of the worst scenarios is when someone slips into a coma. There is a scale used to measure the depth of the coma called the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS will range from 3 to 15 points and determines what level of brain injury has been suffered (a mild TBI, moderate TBI or severe traumatic brain injury).
These are symptoms that not only affect the sufferer — they affect his or her loved ones as well. They will experience and live with a person who has changed as a result of the traumatic brain injury, and that fact is only made worse by the notion that a negligent or otherwise reckless driver caused the accident that led to the sufferer’s traumatic brain injury.
Do I Have Any Legal Recourse For The Effects Of The Crash?
You can seek compensation for the effects of the crash if the cause was another person’s negligence. You or your loved one’s personal injury claim can include compensation for all the damages you suffered because of the car accident, including non economic and economic damages.
The injuries that you suffer in this car accident could be minor in nature, or they could be very serious. In fender benders and the more minor accidents, it is uncommon for the injuries to be serious — but they can still happen includin traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken bones, concussions, or other injuries. However, in major accidents, serious or even catastrophic injuries can occur. In these cases, it is imperative for the victims of the accident to know their legal standing and to fight for their rights after the crash.
The financial burden that can occur after an auto accident can be immense, from long-term medical bills, expensive ct scans or scans from a magnetic resonance imaging machine, as well as the hospitalizations that were a result of the car accident.
Also, be aware that you won’t always need to go to court for this after you file your lawsuit. It is common for these civil lawsuits to be settled out of court. If you live in the Kansas City area and have been affected by a car accident, then consult with the attorneys at Townsend Law.
You can contact our law firm today and receive a free consultation with an injury attorney to discuss your individual case, the type of injury you sustained, why you sustained this severe injury, and what your options are moving forward.
Call us today at 816-408-6541 or fill out our contact form for your free case evaluation of your traumatic brain injury.