Brain injuries can be common after a car accident if the driver or passenger’s head hits a firm object, such as a window, dashboard, or steering wheel. Brain injuries are often considered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which can result in severe damage to the person’s brain. These injuries can leave the person debilitated permanently and cause an impairment in the physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning of the person’s brain. In the over a million people who suffer TBIs every year, many people can experience a wide range of issues with their brain functioning after an accident.
Who Gets a TBI?
A TBI can happen to anyone at any time during a car accident. It can occur during the accident, after the accident, as the person is removed from the accident scene, or the person can fall later as a result of residuals from a car accident. This is why you must get checked out by paramedics after a car accident. Even if you “feel fine” after a car crash, there could be internal damage that is not seen by someone just looking at you.
TBIs and Other Accidents
Of course, TBIs are common with any accident from a sport, assault, fall, or any other type of accident where a brain injury can occur. If the brain is shaken or seriously disturbed, an individual can also have bruising of the brain that might cause residual swelling, which can be a serious injury as well. In the case of a car accident and a whiplash injury, the neck and the brain may be involved in that type of injury. When there are TBIs that occur due to an explosion, the damage to the brain can be severe, which comes after pressurization waves following an explosion. The pressure changes affecting the brain can force air bubbles to build in the person’s bloodstream, moving up to the brain and disrupting the blood supply.
Determining Seriousness of TBI Injuries
At no time should you ever try to self-diagnose your brain injury. The likelihood of you getting it wrong, missing the significance of a symptom, or being inaccurate is very high. Some TBIs can be life-threatening and should therefore be taken seriously at all times.
TBIs Can Be Mild or Severe Depending on the Symptoms
If a TBI is considered mild, it is a short change in mental abilities or consciousness. A severe TBI is usually followed by more extensive episodes of unconsciousness, amnesia, or brain dysfunction after a car accident. For example, if a person is unconscious for under 20-30 minutes, there is a chance the injury to the brain is quite mild. But if the person is “blacked out” for over an hour and up, that individual may have a more severe TBI.
TBIs Are Common Emergency Room Visits
Studies show that TBIs are usually mild when a person presents at the Emergency Room of a hospital after a car crash or accident. Many times, the individual lost consciousness but gained it right back soon after the loss occurred. In those cases, most people make a full recovery with few lingering issues after a car crash. However, it cannot be stressed enough that there are still issues that can occur even after the person is seen in the ER, and TBIs often have lingering and residual effects that can be as dangerous as the initial accident. This is the reason that you should always get checked out by a medical or healthcare authority after a car crash, as damage to the brain is not always recognized by family members, friends, or other non-doctor authorities (such as your boss if you return to work immediately after a car accident).
Pay Attention to the Symptoms of a TBI
There are many common symptoms that are seen after a concussion has been experienced after a car accident. These symptoms may creep up over time, or you may feel them come on right after the car accident. The post-concussion symptoms are:
- Sleep difficulties
- Problems keeping focused, poor concentration
- Becoming easily irritated
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Having memory issues
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Trouble thinking and focusing
- Dizziness
- Blurry or double vision
- Having sensitivity to bright lights
Diagnosing a TBI After a Car Crash
Your doctor or other healthcare clinical staff will need to correctly diagnose a TBI if you have been in a car crash. Your friends and family are not in the position to say, “Well, it looks like you have had a concussion.” Just be aware that, as has been said, a concussion can look one way to a doctor and another way to a friend or family member.
The only accurate way to diagnose a TBI is with the use of testing that includes:
- EEG
- CAT
- MRIs
- Clinical imaging
- Neuropsychological battery testing
- Speed tests
- Memory tests
- Distractibility testing
Your doctor can diagnose if you have had post-concussion syndrome (PCS) after a car accident with careful testing to determine any damage to the brain due to the crash. Keeping track of your feelings, tingles, headaches, changes in how you see the world, your ideation, and any personality or anxiety changes will help the medical authorities to make the best diagnosis regarding your possible TBI.
Recovering from a TBI
It is fully possible to recover from a TBI, even a severe one experienced in a car accident. It will take hard work, but you can recover from a TBI suffered in a car crash. It will often take up to 6 months to recover your full faculties, but it will be time put in towards a full recovery if you can work on a care plan that includes evidence-based interventions to help you recover fully from a TBI.
When you are suffering from a severe injury that has come from a car accident, give our injury and accident attorneys a call at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm. We are here for you and will help you to get the recovery that you deserve. We will give you peace of mind to know that your concerns are being heard, and we will get you the compensation that you should have as a result of being injured from the wrongful actions of other parties. Just give us a call today at (470) 323-8779 right now.
