September 18, 2022
Brain Injury Signs to Watch out for After a Car Accident
Car accidents can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI) since the high-velocity impact of a motor vehicle collision can result in a forceful blow to the head. Intense head trauma causes the brain to shift and slam onto the sides of the skull, leading to injuries, such as concussion (brain bruising, fractured skull, damaged brain cells or nerves, hemorrhage, or broken blood vessels. To make sure that you get proper help, you need to learn about and recognize the symptoms of TBI
Signs of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) After Car Accident
Recovery from a traumatic brain injury after a car accident can be a challenge. While some signs are noticeable and can be detected immediately or in the days and weeks following the collision, others are less obvious and can go undetected for years.
The delayed onset of symptoms is the reason why car accident victims need to seek immediate medical care and treatment after a crash. Even a seemingly minor car accident can result in a mild TBI.
Mild TBI Symptoms:
- Loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes after trauma to the head
- Confusion or disorientation
- Nausea or vomiting
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Speech problems or difficulty speaking
- Difficulty sleeping
- Sleeping longer than usual
- Dizziness
- Loss of balance
- Blurry vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Unable to smell certain scents
- Phantom smell or olfactory hallucination
- Unpleasant taste in the mouth
- Memory problems
- Concentration problems
- Mood swings or irritability
- Depression or anxiety for no apparent reason
If you or a loved one starts to experience any of these mild TBI signs following a car accident, seek medical attention ASAP!
Moderate to Severe TBI Symptoms:
- Loss of consciousness for several minutes or even hours
- Ongoing or worsening headache
- Persistent nausea or repeated vomiting
- Seizures or convulsions
- Dilation in one or both pupils
- Clear fluid discharge from nose or ears
- Unable to awaken from sleep
- No coordination
- Slurred speech
- Agitation or combative behaviour
- Severe confusion
Types of Brain Injuries From Car Accidents
Below is a list of injuries that can be caused by motor vehicle accidents:
- Concussion – A form of mild head injury that may result in a brief loss of consciousness depending on the severity of impact. It may not cause permanent injury or damage to the brain.
- Contusion (or Coup or Contrecoup Injury) – Refers to the bruise to the brain caused by a substantial impact on the head. The coup injury causes bruising directly under the impact area, while the bruising in the contrecoup injury occurs on the side opposite the impact.
- Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) – This type of TBI causes the nerve cells to shear and stretch at a cellular level. The shifting of the brain back and forth inside the skull results in the tearing and damaging of the nerve axons. Axons connect a single nerve cell to a network of brain nerve cells. Severe and extensive injury to the axon can interfere with the brain’s normal transmission of information, causing drastic changes in a person’s sleeping pattern.
- Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (tSAH) – This form of TBI causes the surrounding space of the brain to bleed. The small tears in the arteries can trigger the blood to spread over the brain’s surface, resulting in widespread effects.
- Hematoma – It refers to the blood clot formed due to a ruptured blood vessel. When the blood breaks away from the bloodstream, it thickens and clots. The size of the hematoma can be small or grow large, which leads to the compression of the brain. The symptoms of a hematoma depend on the location of the clot. Epidural hematoma refers to the clot forming between the brain’s dura lining and the skull. Subdural hematoma refers to the clot that develops between the brain and the dura. Intracerebral hematoma refers to the blood clot that forms deep within the tissue of the brain. The removal of large clots may require surgery.
Brain Trauma From Car Accident
Many people suffer head trauma due to car accidents. However, most victims do not realize that it does not take a fatal motor vehicle accident to cause a brain injury. A person can sustain a brain injury even without a strong blow or impact with an object, such as the dashboard, steering wheel, and windshield. Even a low-impact car crash can put you at risk of traumatic brain injuries.
A severe brain injury not only has a devastating impact on your quality of life but also on your finances. If you or a loved one suffered a TBI due to the negligence of another person, you might be entitled to motor vehicle accident claims for your injury. This is to compensate for the damages, including:
- Past and future loss of income
- Past and future medical bills (hospitalization, rehabilitation, treatment)
- Pain and suffering brought about by physical injury and past and ongoing symptoms
- Loss of consortium for a spouse whose wife or husband sustained severe motor vehicle accident injuries
If you are a victim of a car accident in Whitby, you and your family should be aware and mindful of the potential symptoms that come with head and brain injury. If you don’t seek immediate medical care, it can have devastating long-term effects.
Consult an experienced lawyer for motor vehicle accidents to help you obtain fair compensation for your brain injury, even if it is a mild one. A Whitby injury lawyer can help verify and establish liability and insurance coverage for the car accident, file, and resolve insurance claims, or if necessary file and successfully win a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party.
If your life has drastically turned upside down after a car crash due to another person’s negligence, you do not bear the burden alone. We understand that traumatic brain injuries can result in serious disabilities, loss of income, and physical, mental, and emotional trauma. That is why we will sit down and discuss your legal rights in a free initial consultation. Let our team of trusted and reliable personal injury lawyers handle your claim so you can focus on healing and rebuilding your life. Call us at 416-477-7288 for a free consultation.