Car accidents can cause many different head injuries. They’re often unexpected and can force your head to jerk suddenly, or make your head hit something in the car. These head injuries can be mild or severe, and need medical treatment for recovery.
When you get a head injury, your recovery time might require you to visit medical professionals multiple times, miss work, and then pay for your medical expenses. But you don’t have to handle this financial stress on your own. A Lexington car accident lawyer can help you get the compensation you need for your injuries. The Law Office of Todd W. Burris has represented victims injured in car accidents and their families and tirelessly fought for their rights.
Traumatic Brain Injury
People sustain traumatic brain injuries through “bumps, blows, and jolts to the head.” Other major brain injuries can com from a penetrating head injury that affects the brain’s functions. Car crashes are the third leading cause of TBI hospitalizations and deaths for all age groups. While any head injuries need a medical evaluation, not all head injuries result in a TBI.
Some examples of Traumatic Brain Injuries are:
- Concussion.
- Contusion.
- Diffuse Axonal: When the head rotates and tears brain structures.
- Penetration.
Symptoms of TBI
A TBI can affect many aspects of your brain. If you’ve been in a car accident, watch out for some of the common symptoms of a serious brain injury. TBI symptoms manifest in typically four categories:
- Cognitive: You might have issues thinking, concentrating, or remembering recent events or information. You can also feel slowed down.
- Physical: Common physical symptoms are headaches, fuzzy vision, dizziness, light sensitivity, lethargy, and nausea.
- Mental: A sudden change in your mood and emotions can be a side effect of a TBI. Typical emotional changes are feeling irritable, sad, or experiencing anxiety
- Sleep: If you feel like you’re sleeping more or less than usual, or having issues falling asleep, this might be a result of a TBI.
Some of these symptoms could be immediate, or arise weeks after the injury. Keeping track of your injury symptoms could help your claim. If you’re in a car accident, start recording your symptoms in a journal and take note of the date and what you’re feeling. Get a family member or friend to corroborate your journal. They could attest to mood changes or complaining of specific pains. This will help prove how the car accident has affected you.
See a Doctor
After being injured in a car crash, you need to see a doctor to check if you have any injuries. The shock of a car accident can mask symptoms of injuries and make you think you’re fine when you’re not. Over time, unchecked injuries can get worse and can result in a longer recovery or chronic issues.
Sometimes, people return to work before completing their recovery because they’re worried about coworkers judging them for missing work. While this thought is common, your coworkers aren’t thinking this. People know how serious car accident injuries are, especially head trauma. You need to give yourself time to heal, and others understand this.
Seeing a doctor as soon as possible will also help your claim. Waiting too long until your injuries get worse might prevent you from getting compensation that may cover the costs of your complete recovery.
