Car Accident Concussion Symptoms

Suffering a Concussion After a Car Accident? Here’s What You Need to Know

Over 1.7 million Americans suffer from concussions every year.

Can you guess the leading cause behind most concussions?

Car accidents.

It’s not surprising considering the violent and unpredictable impact of car crashes.

Imagine traveling at 80 mph in your car and crashing into an oncoming SUV. Your head may be smashed against the window, steering wheel, or headrest. Whiplash will probably be the least of your problems. The sudden and violent impact rattles your brain against your bony skull.

You could face a variety of issues ranging from a mild headache and temporary memory loss to a permanent disability and strokes. It all depends on the severity of your brain’s impact against your skull.

Unfortunately, many car accident victims overlook concussion symptoms and end up acting too late. Don’t let your trauma turn into a tragedy!

In this article, we’ll help you identify the early symptoms of concussions after a car accident. It’ll help you seek out treatment as early as possible.

The Impact of Car Accidents on Traumatic Brain Injuries

Car accidents are responsible for 28 percent of all traumatic brain injuries.

Your skull is Mother Nature’s powerful helmet to shield your brain. But a car accident turns this shield into a weapon.

The sudden impact of the accident makes your brain crash back and forth against your skull. It can cause bruising and bleeding in your delicate brain tissue. You can still die from this violent impact even if you didn’t suffer a broken skull. You don’t even have to hit your head against anything to suffer a concussion.

You usually hear about concussion concerns in football, hockey, and other contact sports discussions. But car accident victims suffer way more high-grade concussions than athletes.

Think about it. Can you really compare crashing into a 250-pound athlete sprinting at 10 mph with a 3000-pound car traveling at 80 mph?

A car accident can trigger three different grades of concussion:

Grade 1 – Known as a mild concussion, it usually allows you to come back to normal completely within a few days after the accident. You don’t experience any loss of consciousness.

Grade 2 – Known as moderate concussions, they require several days of rest before you return to normal daily activities. Victims may suffer a short loss of consciousness ranging from one to five minutes.

Grade 3 – Known as severe concussions, they pose the highest risk of long-term brain damage to victims. They require extensive rehabilitation and treatment. You may lose consciousness for more than five minutes. This type of concussion is considered high-grade.

Recognizing Concussions Following a Car Accident

An attack on your brain is an attack on your body’s command center. You don’t know which part of your body will get compromised by a traumatic brain injury.

Concussion symptoms can easily deceive you into thinking there’s nothing wrong. It’s not easy to spot them visibly and even a normal CT scan may fail to catch traumatic brain injuries. That’s why many doctors recommend MRI scans when they suspect concussions.

An undiagnosed and untreated concussion is a ticking time bomb. It can lead to strokes or permanent changes in your cognitive functions, personality, and memory.

You need to know what the warning signs look like to get help on time.

Here are some concussion symptoms to watch out for after a car accident:

•       Loss of consciousness – Losing a few seconds to a few minutes of consciousness.
•       Physical symptoms – Nausea, headaches, dizziness, light and sound hypersensitivity, vomiting.
•       Cognitive symptoms – Confusion, amnesia, inability to concentrate, slurred speech.
•       Sensory symptoms – Seeing stars, ringing in ears.
•       Emotional symptoms – Mood changes, irritability, depression, anxiety.
•       Sleep disturbances – Disrupted sleep patterns, insomnia.

Potential Consequences of Car Accident Concussions

Concussions can present a mixed bag of symptoms. Some of them show up right away while others pop up after a few days or weeks.

Moderate to severe concussions are highly common in car accidents because of the high-speed impact.

Remember, you can suffer a moderate to severe concussion without a single bruise on your body to give you a hint. Your brain could be bleeding from the inside or collapsing due to uncontrolled intracranial pressure.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) cause over 30 percent of injury-related deaths every year. You’ll be shocked to know many car accident victims who lost their lives due to these injuries had no clue there was anything wrong.

Seeking Legal Guidance After a Car Accident Concussion

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries can be highly deceptive and dangerous. They can have severe long-term consequences or leave a permanent life-altering impact.

Your brain is one of the most delicate organs in your body.

Treating brain injuries requires the expertise of highly trained specialists. It’s often challenging to get connected to them and be able to afford their services.

The severity of these injuries and treatment costs will make your insurance provider take your case more seriously.

At Isaacs & Isaacs, many of our skillful personal injury lawyers have helped several traumatic brain injury victims. We know how traumatic and challenging it is to recover from these injuries.

We want you to get the most effective treatment in the fastest and most affordable way possible. This often means speaking with neurologists and therapists on your road to recovery.

You just have to relax and focus on recovering with your loved ones. We’ll take care of every step – from proving liability to negotiating the best settlement possible.

Damages in Car Accident Concussion Cases

Here are the common types of damages that victims of car accident concussions may be entitled to:

•       Medical expenses (past and future)
•       Loss of wages
•       Loss of earning capacity
•       Rehabilitation costs
•       Pain and suffering
•       Emotional trauma
•       Loss of consortium claim by a spouse
•       Punitive damages

Long-Term Effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A moderate or severe TBI can have devastating long-term consequences. Some of them may take years to recover from, and some of them will lead to permanent disabilities.

Here are some of the long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries:

•       Brain bleed
•       Coma
•       Paralysis
•       Seizures
•       Anxiety
•       Depression
•       PTSD
•       Alzheimer’s disease
•       Parkinson’s disease
•       Dementia
•       Movement disorders

Your mind governs the quality of your life. A healthy mind can help you sail through the ups and downs of life in a smooth way. But if your mind starts breaking down, you can’t even enjoy a wealthy life with a loving family.

Unfortunately, TBIs can permanently sabotage your financial security. We’re not just talking about your treatment and rehab costs. They will compromise your physical and cognitive skills in a way that most jobs will become inaccessible to you. So you could be losing out on hundreds of thousands of potential earnings.

It’s important to have a holistic understanding of how TBIs can lead to permanent life-altering disabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the relationship between concussions and traumatic brain injuries?

Are car accidents more likely to cause traumatic brain injuries than other events?

What are the common signs of a concussion following a car accident?

Can you experience a concussion without losing consciousness?

How can I seek legal assistance after a car accident concussion?

What damages can I seek compensation for in car accident concussion cases?

How do traumatic brain injuries affect long-term health and well-being?

What steps can I take to protect my legal rights if I suspect a concussion after a car accident?