It is not uncommon for a vehicle accident to cause a significant brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can have a significant impact on a victim. Not only will a brain injury victim have to deal with the immediate medical emergency, but these injuries can lead to long-lasting disabilities that significantly lower a victim’s quality of life. Here, we want to discuss the impacts of a brain injury on a victim following a car accident.
Consequences of a TBI on a person’s life
When discussing the impacts of a brain injury for a person following a car accident, we must first begin with the most immediate signs and symptoms that can occur. A brain injury victim may experience:
- Disorientation
- Loss of coordination
- Extreme headaches
- Confusion
- Unusual behavior
If a car accident victim suffers from a traumatic brain injury as a result of the incident, they may lose consciousness and slip into a coma. In some cases, car accidents only cause relatively mild concussions, and a victim is able to make a full recovery. However, there are times when a car accident victim suffers from a much more serious brain injury. A car accident TBI can lead to long term disabilities, including the following:
- Full or partial paralysis
- Loss of fine motor skills
- Bowel or bladder control problems
- Language and speech problems
- Severe loss of coordination
- Difficulty remembering or thinking
- Other cognitive issues
- Newfound behavioral problems
Traumatic brain injury victims and their families often suffer from significant financial difficulties in the aftermath of the incident. Aside from the emergency medical expenses that arise due to a traumatic brain injury, permanent brain damage could require significant long term care for a victim. It is not uncommon for a car accident brain injury victim to need care for the remainder of their lives, which can become incredibly costly for families. Speak with a Senoia personal injury lawyer to discuss how you or a loved one could recover compensation from the negligent party that caused the accident.
Most common head injuries suffered after a car accident
Brain injuries can occur in a variety of ways due to a car accident. In general, we think of a brain injury occurring when a person strikes their head on an object inside the vehicle, usually the steering wheel, a window, the dash, the airbag, or the frame of the vehicle. However, a brain injury can occur even if a person does not hit their head on anything. When a person’s upper body is jerked back and forth rapidly, this can cause the brain to ram up against the skull, leading to a serious brain bleed.
Concussions are the most common type of brain injury that occurs in a vehicle accident, and victims are typically able to make a full recovery after sustaining these injuries. However, there are more severe injuries that can lead to severe signs and symptoms, and even permanent disability. This includes:
- Diffuse axonal injury. This is characterized as a brain injury caused by the extreme forces exerted on the head and brain caused by the deceleration associated with a car accident. This causes the fibers within the brain stem to tear or shear.
- Coup-contrecoup injury. This is a type of traumatic brain injury that arises from an impact with an object. This type of brain injury occurs in two places – at the sight of the impact and then at the opposite side of the brain. The initial impact causes the first injury, and then the brain rebounds and strikes the opposite side of the skull, causing the second injury.
- Open skull fracture. Any type of open skull fracture can lead to a significant brain injury, particularly it is a penetrating wound.
- Acquired brain injury. This type of brain injury occurs anytime the brain does not receive enough blood or oxygen to continue proper function. This can occur as a result of a lack of blood reaching the brain due to blood loss elsewhere in the body or if a person stops breathing.
Contact Kam, Ebersbach & Lewis, P.C. in Newnan, Georgia to discuss your injuries after a car accident, we offer free initial consultations and work on a contingency fee basis so you can work on your recovery while we fight for the compensation that you deserve.