Every year, more than 2 million people in the U.S. incur a traumatic brain injury, with about 286,000 of those being the result of a car accident. If you or a loved one has experienced this type of injury after a car crash in Springfield, MO, it’s important to contact a Springfield personal injury attorney to find out your next step. But first, get to know the most common types of traumatic brain injuries that often occur after car accidents.
Open Head Injuries
When the skull is broken or penetrated by an object, what results is an open head injury. This might happen when debris from the car accident or an object in the car hits you in the head hard enough to go through your skull into your brain. It can also occur when your head hits something hard enough to cause a skull fracture, such as when your head hits the windshield in a car accident. In many cases, when the accident causes a skull fracture, a piece of the skull may even break off and enter the brain.
The main symptom is an open head wound, but you can expect additional symptoms, depending on which part of the brain has been damaged. For example, if your traumatic brain injury damages the nerves that allow you to hear, see or smell, you might not have those functions anymore. This may be permanent, or it could be temporary as the brain takes time to heal.
It’s important to contact a Springfield personal injury attorney to find out your next step.
Closed Head Injuries
When you receive blunt force trauma to the head but your skull doesn’t fracture and nothing penetrates the brain, you have a closed head injury. For example, if your head hits the dashboard of your car during an auto accident, you might get a closed head injury. Even whiplash from an accident can result in this type of injury to your brain.
In most cases, a closed head injury causes the brain to swell, which can compress nerves, deprive the brain of oxygen and keep fluids from leaving the brain. For this reason, closed head injuries can be anywhere from mild to severe enough to cause death.
Some common symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury include confusion, headache, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and even brief loss of consciousness. You might also notice depression, trouble concentrating, anxiety or mood swings hours or days after you get a traumatic brain injury.
On the other hand, the symptoms of a moderate or severe brain injury include extreme headaches, seizures, frequent vomiting, dilation of the pupils, inability to wake up, difficulty walking and loss of consciousness for several minutes or even hours. You might be confused, agitated or possibly in a coma in the days following the accident.
If you think you or a loved one may have a traumatic brain injury of any kind, it’s important to get medical attention fast. Once the condition has been treated, you need to contact a Springfield personal injury attorney who has experience with cases like yours if you want to find out if you can at least get your medical expenses paid for after the accident.
At Mann Wyatt Tanksley Injury Attorneys, we offer a free initial consultation to discuss the details of your case. We can even come to you at your home or in the hospital if you’re having trouble getting around after the car accident. Call or fill out our online form to set up your free consultation with one of our licensed Springfield personal injury attorneys today!
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