Brain injuries occur when you hit your head or when the brain hits the skull due to force. Inside the skull, there are ligaments and tendons that hold the brain in place. When the head moves from side to side quickly, they could sheer. If you hit your head, your brain could impact your skull.
Brain injuries are fairly common following car accidents. Although people usually have airbags, they may hit their heads on the steering wheel or windows if the bag does not deploy. Whipping the head to the side or forward and back could lead to whiplash and a concussion, or other brain injuries.
How are brain injuries ranked?
Brain injuries usually come in one of three forms: mild, moderate or acute. Acute injuries are the most serious, while mild may resolve quickly without interventions. Mild concussions, for example, may take a few days or weeks to resolve and have relatively few symptoms. Acute, or severe, injuries could take years or a lifetime to recover from. They can impact a person’s ability to hear, see, walk or comprehend information. A person’s memory may be lost or he or she could have trouble making new memories.
What should you do after a car crash?
After a crash, it’s important to focus on your health. Initially, you may be in shock. The adrenaline racing through your body is there to help you fight for your life. It numbs any pain or unusual things you’d otherwise notice. As it wears off, you’ll begin to notice the areas of your body that hurt and symptoms of injuries. Instead of waiting for symptoms to appear, it’s necessary to go to the hospital immediately.
A medical professional has the tools to review your condition before you begin to feel the effects. Treated early, some injuries, like brain injuries, may recover better. For instance, by quickly treating swelling on the brain, fewer brain cells are damaged.
It’s important to get medical help before you worry about calling your insurance company or reaching out to your attorney. Your health is the priority, and prompt treatment can help you avoid injuries that progress from a lack of care. Your attorney can help you file a claim after you’re stable and diagnosed, so you can get the compensation you need to pay for the medical services you’ve had to use and will use in the future.