Traumatic brain injuries are often associated with serious vehicle, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents. They can turn a person’s world upside down. In this educational blog post, a car accident lawyer will teach you more about traumatic brain injuries, including:
- What a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is
- The symptoms associated with a TBI
- The potential long-term side effects of a TBI
Let’s get started.
What Is A Traumatic Brain Injury?
What is a traumatic brain injury? A traumatic brain injury occurs when the brain experiences a sudden force that causes the brain to move and become damaged. According to John Hopkins Medicine, there are several types of traumatic brain injuries. These include:
- A closed brain injury. This occurs when the forceful impact on the brain doesn’t cause anything, such as part of the skull or something coming through the windshield, to penetrate the brain. An example of this may include a severe concussion from the head hitting the windshield, dashboard, or steering wheel. While the brain is damaged, nothing physically enters the brain.
- A penetrating brain injury. This occurs when the force on an object causes it to penetrate the skull and brain.
- A primary brain injury. This occurs when there is a sudden injury to the brain that ends at the time of the impact. These are commonly seen in various types of vehicle, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents.
- A secondary brain injury. This occurs when changes to the injury occur over time that destroys the brain.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Traumatic Brain Injury?
There are multiple symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. According to our friends at Herschensohn Law Firm, PLLC, these symptoms can include:
- Headache that gets worse over time or that just won’t go away
- Vision becomes blurred, causes double vision, sensitivity to light, or loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Tinnitus (ringing of the ears)
- Ongoing nausea and vomiting
- Confusion
- Restlessness
- Agitation or other unusual behavior
- Slurred speech
- Problems with balance or coordination
- Weakness or numbness in the arms, legs, or face
- Difficulty remembering
- Difficulty paying attention
- Changes in a sleep pattern
- Overarching fatigue
- One pupil may be larger than the other
- Clear fluid coming out of the mouth or ears
What Are Some Of The Potential Long-term Side Effects Of A TBI?
Some of the potential long-term side effects of a TBI include and may not be limited to:
- Future cognitive issues
- Coma
- Confusion
- A shorter attention span than usual
- Problems with memory, including and not limited to amnesia
- Inability to solve problems
- Problems with their judgment
- Loss of sense of time
- Decreased awareness of the self or other people
- Difficulty following more than one or two step instructions
- Tremors
- Decreased endurance
- Paralysis
- Weakness
- Problems with swallowing
The above isn’t a complete list of potential long-term side effects. If you or someone you love has these symptoms, make sure that immediate medical care takes place. Then, contact a lawyer near you so that you and your family get the compensation you deserve for the injuries that were sustained.
