Car crashes can cause a variety of injury types, many of which are quite severe. For example, crashes cause some of the worst soft tissue injuries and broken bones reported at modern hospitals and are responsible for a large number of spinal cord injuries as well. Those very serious injuries can be easy for people to spot, someone may not be able to move at all or put weight on a body part affected by a broken bone because of the pain it causes. However, some people have injuries that aren’t so apparent at first and which will likely get worse without treatment.
For example, head-related trauma can take some time to become symptomatic. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can affect someone’s ability to work and may generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, sometimes even more. Unfortunately, brain injuries are often easy for people to overlook after a crash.
People often overlook the early warning symptoms
The signs of a TBI can be very different for people depending on the kind of injury they suffer and even their underlying medical conditions. Some of the common TBI symptoms people may present include:
- headaches
- difficulty sleeping
- a persistent sense of fatigue
- dizziness
- memory issues
- changes in personality
- blurry vision
- ringing in the ears
- challenges with motor function
Losing consciousness is also one of the most important warning signs of a possible brain injury, and it is often one that people overlook. Even a half second of unconsciousness during a crash could be an indicator of bleeding or bruising.
Many seemingly unrelated symptoms can be warning signs that someone may have hurt their brain in a car crash. Given the vast range of potential symptoms, it is often best for those who noticed they don’t feel quite normal after a crash to see a doctor for medical evaluation.
If a crash occurred at height speeds, then the chances are better that the violent motion of the crash could have potentially caused damage to someone’s brain. The same is true in cases where the vehicles suffer massive damage and are not safe to drive after a collision. Violent shaking, spinning or rolling over are all examples of crash circumstances that could very easily cause a brain injury even if someone doesn’t hit their head.
Recognizing the early warning signs of a TBI can help people get a diagnosis and proper treatment more quickly, which may improve their long-term prognosis after a crash.