Concussive brain injuries can manifest in the weeks after a crash

When you are involved in a motor vehicle crash, you have to be vigilant to watch for injuries that might be hidden at the time of the wreck. One of these is a concussion or any traumatic brain injury. The adrenaline that your body releases in response to the stimuli of the crash could mean that you don’t feel the symptoms of the injury right away. Plus, these injuries might become progressively worse over the next few days.

There are many misconceptions about these catastrophic injuries that you might have heard. For example, some people think that you have to hit your head on something to have a concussion. This isn’t true because a violent shaking of the head, which is possible in a crash, can cause the brain to strike the inside of the skull and damage the delicate brain tissues.

Know what signs signal a brain injury

Concussive brain trauma has several signs that you should remember. These might appear right after the crash, but they can also develop in the days and weeks after. If you experience any of these, you should seek out medical care.

  • Headache, either sharp pain or pressure
  • Confusion, foggy brain feeling
  • Seeing stars, dizzy
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Trouble with memory and concentration
  • Slurred speech, trouble communicating
  • Fatigue, dazed feeling
  • Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Light or noise sensitivity
  • Changes in smell or taste
  • Depression, anxiety, restlessness, irritability

Seeking medical care

You need to seek medical care if you think that you have a brain injury of any sort, regardless of whether you think it is serious. The doctor might prescribe “brain rest” to give you time to heal. This will mean that you are unable to return to work because you won’t be able to do much thinking. Typically, you need to rest in a dark space for the duration of the brain rest and only take care of vital tasks, such as using the restroom. Screen time should be eliminated or severely restricted.

When you think about the time that you have to take off work and the cost of the care you need, you might come to realize that this is going to impact your finances in a negative manner. Take the time to learn about seeking compensation. This helps you to shift that financial burden to the person who is liable for the wreck that resulted in your injury.

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