You might be worried about broken bones or internal injuries after a car accident, but did you know that head injuries are one of the most common injuries? In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control found that there were 2.8 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) seen in emergency departments around the United States. Of those, 383,293 occurred due to motor vehicle accidents. Broken down by age, 15-24-year-olds saw the most TBIs with 113,743. Even when you make sure your family has buckled up for safety, a head injury is still possible. Head injuries from car accidents can be dangerous because they do not always present with symptoms right away. In some instances, they may not present with symptoms at all. Fortunately, if you or a loved one have been a car accident victim and sustained a head injury, the other driver and their insurance is responsible for your medical bills. An experienced car accident attorney with Shillen Mackall Seldon & Spicer may be able to assist you with filing and negotiating your Florida, New Hampshire, or Vermont car accident claim. Call (802) 457-4848 to learn more about head injuries, their symptoms, and how to prove the injury after a car accident.
The Most Common Head Injuries from Car Accidents
There are a variety of head injuries from car accidents, but some occur more often than others. Being aware of the most common head injuries a car accident victim may experience is critical to being alert to any symptoms that may appear.
Head Injury #1: Concussions
Concussions are the most common head injury, both from car accidents and in general. Concussions are a mild form of TBI but despite the mildness of the injury, they can have severe symptoms. Concussions are often caused in car accidents by the head being rapidly moved, such as in a whiplash scenario, causing the brain to bounce against the skull. This injury can occur in even the most minor accidents. Repeated concussions can result in cognitive problems, delayed or incomplete recoveries, brain dysfunction, and other long-term effects.
Head Injury #2: Contusions
Another common head injury from car accidents is contusions. These are bruises on the brain and often appear in conjunction with other brain injuries. The severity of the accident determines what other injuries may also occur. These bruises are the result of the brain moving inside the skull and bouncing against it. Concussions, hematomas, and diffuse axonal injuries often appear with contusions. Frequently, contusions will appear as coup and contrecoup injuries. This means that there will be one contusion at the initial impact site on the brain (coup) and another contusion on the opposite side of the brain (contrecoup) because the brain impacts one part of the skull, then moves and impacts the skull on the other side.
Head Injury #3: Skull Fractures
Skull fractures are one of the more critical head injuries from car accidents, and are a more severe form of TBI. Skull fractures occur when the bones of the skull break, typically from some kind of direct blow to the head. The severity of the fracture and its location can cause further complications such as brain damage, intracranial bleeding, or cerebrospinal fluid leakage. A CT scan is the primary way to diagnose skull fractures, so seeking medical treatment immediately after a car accident is crucial to catching and treating this type of injury quickly and potentially avoiding long-term consequences.
Head Injury #4: Hematomas
A hematoma occurs when blood vessels are damaged by the crash’s impact and a blood clot forms beneath the skin. As a head injury, these blood vessels are located in the brain and are ruptured by the force of the collision, causing the blood to collect within the skull. Hematomas can occur on their own or along with other head injuries. Hematomas can be very serious head injuries and can cause severe brain damage if not treated.
Head Injury #5: Diffuse Axonal Injuries
Diffuse axonal injuries are another severe form of TBI. These often occur in high-speed collisions, when sudden deceleration or rotational forces cause the brain to rapidly shift inside the skull. This rapid shifting results in widespread tearing of axons (nerve fibers) throughout the brain. Instead of a localized injury, this injury is widespread damage to the brain tissue and can lead to confusion, coma, and long-term cognitive impairments.
Head Injury #6: Penetrating Trauma
Penetrating traumas occur when objects pierce the skull. The object can be a shard of glass from a broken windshield, a long piece of metal from the vehicle’s frame, or another object. The object pierces the skull and damages the brain tissue beneath it. Even if the object does not pierce the brain itself, it can still cause significant damage to the brain tissue. This type of injury is one of the most serious TBIs and requires immediate medical attention. The risk of significant blood loss and the potential for life-threatening complications can result in severe brain damage or even death.
What Causes Brain Injuries in Car Accidents?
Injuries throughout the body can occur in a number of ways in car accidents. There are many factors that play a role in how an injury occurs, including the force of the impact, the location of the impact, and whether the injured person is wearing a seat belt when the accident happens. Previous injuries, whether from car accidents or other types of accidents, can also determine how an injury occurs or how serious it may be. Head injuries are subject to all these factors.
Some of the more common ways brain injuries occur in car accidents include the head hitting the side of the car, the head bumping the steering wheel, a forceful shake of the head, or a hard object striking the skull. Additionally, loose or damaged items in, on, or around the car may penetrate the head. Finally, ejection from the car may result in the individual hitting their head on the street, another vehicle, utility pole, or other object.
What Are Some Signs and Symptoms of Head Injuries?
Signs and symptoms of head injuries from car accidents can vary depending on the severity of the injury. Additionally, symptoms may also differ based on the age of the victim.
Symptoms of Mild Head Injuries
Mild head injuries, such as concussions, may present with symptoms such as headache, nausea or vomiting, speech problems, drowsiness or fatigue, blurred vision, ringing ears, dizziness or loss of balance, a bad taste in the mouth, changes in ability to smell, and sleep changes. The individual may also have memory or concentration problems, or feel dazed, confused, or disoriented. Lost consciousness can also indicate a head injury.
Symptoms of Moderate to Severe Head Injuries
A loss of consciousness may occur in any type of head injury, so individuals should immediately seek medical treatment if they lose consciousness. Additional symptoms to look for with moderate to severe head injuries include a persistent or worsening headache, repeated vomiting or nausea, dilated pupils (one or both), convulsions or seizures, an inability to wake, weak or numb fingers or toes, and slurred speech. Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears, coma or other consciousness disorders, or profound confusion, agitation, combativeness, or other unusual behaviors are also potential indicators of a moderate to severe head injury and require immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of Head Injuries in Infants and Young Children
The Mayo Clinic explains that infants and young children are often unable to express how they feel after a vehicle accident. This means that parents will need to watch for signs and symptoms that they may have sustained a head injury. These signs and symptoms may look slightly different than those that older children, teens, or adults may have. Parents should watch for changes in eating and nursing habits, changes in sleep habits, seizures, drowsiness, sad or depressed mood, and changes in ability to pay attention. Unusual or easy irritability, or persistent crying or an inability to be consoled may also indicate a head injury. Additionally, if the baby or young child loses interest in their favorite toys or activities, this may also be a sign that they have a head injury.
At Shillen Mackall Seldon & Spicer, our car accident attorneys strongly recommend that parents take any infant or small child who has been involved in a car accident to the emergency room for an exam and immediate medical treatment. Even in minor accidents, and even when they are properly strapped in to a properly installed car seat, infants and young children are very susceptible to injuries. By seeking immediate medical treatment, parents ensure that their children’s health is maintained and establish any medical records that may be necessary in the car accident claim.
How Long After the Head Injury Occurs Do Symptoms Appear?
Head injuries from car accidents can occur in a split second. They can happen so quickly the individual does not even realize that their head has moved, shaken, or otherwise done something that could cause injury. Because of this, and the often invisible nature of these injuries, many people rely on the appearance of symptoms to determine whether they have a head injury.
While some symptoms may appear immediately after the accident, others may not appear until days or weeks later. The longer a head injury is left untreated, the more damage that may occur, including permanent damage. Waiting for delayed symptoms to occur may allow this permanent damage to occur. Individuals involved in a car accident should see a doctor immediately. If the individual knows that they hit their head or if they lost consciousness, it is especially important that they seek medical treatment, as both of those can indicate a head injury.
How Do You Prove a Head Injury From a Car Accident?
Head injuries from car accidents can be different from other injuries. They are not necessarily visible like a broken bone or laceration. This means that proving these injuries in a car accident claim may be slightly different. However, it is still possible to prove these injuries exist.
Document Symptoms and Effects
The first step to proving head injuries from car accidents is documenting their symptoms and effects. This should be done in different ways. First, the injured individual should seek medical treatment. This provides medical records such as CT and MRI scans, X-rays, brain maps, diagrams, computer simulations, and other diagnostic tests for levels of mental and physical function. Depending on the specific injury, there may also be intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring for brain swelling, and tests for cognitive abilities, information processing skills, speech control and motor skills. These records can all indicate a head injury.
Another method to use in conjunction with medical records is documenting the day to day symptoms and effects. For example, the individual can keep a journal where they jot down the date and time and what symptom they have each time one occurs (such as vomiting or headaches). They can also note details such as each time they have to stay home from work, or otherwise have their life affected by the head injury. A heavy reader might make note that a concussion has made it impossible for them to read, or someone who was active in the gym or as part of a team sport may note that they are unable to resume their gym routine or attend practices with their team until they are released by their doctor. While medical records indicate the type and severity of the injury, these notes from the victim create a record of the daily frustrations and changes that the injury has created in their life.
Use Medical Records and Experts to Demonstrate the Connection
Automobile insurance companies will seek out reasons not to pay out on a claim. One such excuse is to try to claim that the head injuries did not result from the accident or that the injured party is at fault for the accident. Florida, New Hampshire, and Vermont all follow a modified comparative fault system. This means that if the victim bears less than 50% of fault for the accident, the damages they recover will be reduced by their proportion of fault.
Accident victims will need to use their medical records to show that the accident caused their injuries. This is why immediate treatment is crucial, because the closer the dates of the exams, tests, and treatments are to the date of the accident, the easier it is to prove the accident is responsible for the injuries. However, victims may also need experts who can reconstruct the accident or explain the injuries to make clear how the injuries occurred and that the other driver was responsible. Many people will not know how to find these types of witnesses, so they may want to consider hiring an attorney who can find them on behalf of the injured party.
Showcase the Impact of the Injury on Your Life
The notes a victim keeps about the impact of the injury on their life can be used to help show how the accident and resulting head injury have affected the victim’s life. Individuals who have suffered head injuries from car accidents often deal with cognitive difficulties, physical limitations, behavioral or emotional changes, and education and work changes. Their notes can help to show how these struggles impact them daily.
Additionally, testimony from family, friends, employers, coworkers, and others who know the victim well can also help showcase the impact of the injury. These witnesses can testify regarding changes in behavior, cognitive abilities, and overall health and well-being. They can provide examples of how the victim was prior to the accident and how they are after the accident, which can be an enormous difference in some head injury cases.
Offer Expert Opinions on Long-Term Consequence
Another method of proving a victim’s head injuries is getting an expert witness’s opinions on the long-term consequences. This can be important because these injuries range in severity from mild to severe. Additionally, some injuries such as concussions, can cause more damage with each subsequent concussion. When the victim has sustained previous concussions or other head injuries, or has sustained a severe TBI, understanding the long-term consequences is critical to ensuring fair compensation.
How a Car Accident Attorney May Be Able to Help
Car accidents are frustrating enough, as you try to recover from your injuries, get your vehicle repaired or replaced, and try to get the compensation you may be entitled to from the insurance company. When you have sustained a head injury, it can be even more difficult as you struggle to manage these tasks while also dealing with memory issues, headaches, and other symptoms. An experienced attorney may be able to assist by finding experts to testify on your behalf, gathering and storing evidence, fielding accident-related calls and negotiating on your behalf with the insurance company so you can focus on your recovery. If you or a loved one sustained head injuries from car accidents, call (802) 457-4848 to speak with one of our compassionate and knowledgeable attorneys at Shillen Mackall Seldon & Spicer. We can schedule a consultation in our Florida, New Hampshire, or Vermont offices and review your case to see what assistance we may be able to offer.