People involved in vehicle collisions, slip-and-falls or similar incidents sometimes immediately recognize the warning signs of spinal cord injuries or broken bones. Internal injuries can be more difficult to identify.
Additionally, someone with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) could face a lifetime of increased medical expenses and reduced earning potential. Despite the severity of a brain injury, people may not notice warning signs right away. The broad assortment of different brain injury symptoms is one reason why people may struggle to identify a TBI. As such, the following are the types of warning signs people should check for after involvement in a major collision.
Physical symptoms
Sometimes, the earliest symptoms of a brain injury are completely physical. People develop headaches that won’t go away or that get worse over time. They may experience persistent nausea. They might also develop issues with their sense of equilibrium or balance. Brain injuries can even cause motor function challenges ranging from changes in how people walk to difficulty with fine motor control.
Sensory symptoms
Brain injuries tend to affect how people interact with the world around them. Blurry vision is often the first warning sign people have of a potential brain injury. Others may report ringing in their ears or even olfactory issues. Someone’s sense of smell or taste may shift after a brain injury. Those changes can take a while to develop, but they can eventually affect how someone lives their day-to-day life.
Memory-related symptoms
The brain devotes a lot of space and energy to storing and recalling information. Unfortunately, neurologists do not fully understand how memory works, so they struggle to mitigate memory-related symptoms when someone has an acquired TBI. People may have issues developing new memories. They may struggle with recall. People often have to learn to live their lives with the limitations of a TBI. The sooner someone receives a proper diagnosis after trauma to their head, the better their chances of avoiding worsening symptoms.
Those with TBIs may need to hold others accountable for the financial consequences of their injuries. Pursuing compensation after a car crash, defective product or fall causes a brain injury can potentially help people recover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs from liable parties.