Crash trauma can include devastating brain injuries
When you’re involved in a car crash, one of the injuries that you might suffer from is a brain injury. When there is a blow to your head, the brain may crash against the skull. If the brain continues with that momentum, it may also hit the opposite side, leading to a coup-contrecoup injury.
Brain injuries like this have the potential to continue swelling. There may be bruising or blood leaking into the space between the brain and the skull. If too much pressure occurs, then a patient might suffer from secondary brain injuries, which are often more damaging than the original brain injury was.
There are three classifications of brain injuries including:
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
Mild injuries generally present with a person who is still awake. The patient might be confused or disoriented. Sometimes, they have headaches or suffer from a brief lack of consciousness.
Moderate injuries result in lethargy for most people. The individual may still respond to stimulation, but they may lose consciousness for up to six hours.
In severe cases, these injuries can leave a person unconscious for over six hours. They may not awaken, even after they are stimulated.
What kinds of symptoms indicate a brain injury?
A person with a brain injury may have a few common symptoms such as:
- Fatigue
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Irritability
- Poor attention
- Headaches
- Memory loss
- Dizziness or a loss of balance
Depending on the area of the brain that is injured, the symptoms may vary. For example, damage to the frontal lobe may cause changes in personality, while damage to the occipital lobe may impact vision.
Anyone who has signs of a brain injury after a crash should seek medical attention immediately. Afterward, you may want to speak with an attorney experienced in motor vehicle accidents in order to seek compensation from the at-fault driver or their insurance company.