A car accident can leave you with a variety of injuries. While most accident-related injuries tend to be easily noticeable, others might take days or even weeks to notice. An example of this is a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Depending on the severity, traumatic brain injuries can be a serious health problem. This underpins the importance of seeking treatment as soon as you possibly can after the crash, even if you are feeling well.
How common are head injuries in car crashes?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) attributes nearly 25 percent of TBIs to car accidents. These injuries happen when the accident victim slams their head against a surface during the impact. It can also happen when the brain is suddenly jolted during impact. Depending on the severity of the impact, you may sustain any of the following trauma to your brain:
- Concussions – this happens when the vehicle’s sudden deceleration during a collision results in trauma to the brain’s tissue.
- Contusions – this happens when the brain tissue is bruised resulting in the breaking of the blood vessels
Other common brain injuries that can result from a car crash include diffuse axonal injuries and coup-contrecoup injuries.
How do you know you have sustained an injury to the brain?
Brain injuries exhibit a variety of symptoms. Depending on the nature of the injury, here are some of the symptoms you may experience:
- Difficulty maintaining your balance
- Sound and light sensitivity
- Headache that is accompanied by nausea and vomiting
- Changes in your speech
- Fatigue and drowsiness
Brain injury is a big deal. If you sustain this, or any other injury, that is attributable to someone else’s negligence, you deserve justice. And understanding your legal options and obligations after the crash can be a great place to start.