One of the most serious injuries from a car accident in Massachusetts is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that includes a concussion. Estimates are that some 2 million people suffer from traumatic brain injuries each year from car accidents, sports incidents, and other personal injuries although traffic accidents are the leading cause.
Unlike a bone fracture or a deep cut, a concussion or other serious head injury may not be so obvious at first and symptoms may not immediately manifest themselves for several hours or even days following the trauma. However, there are several tell-tales signs that you may have suffered a concussion or other type of head injury following a motor vehicle accident. Symptoms of a TBI can include:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headaches
- Dilated pupils
- Fatigue or lethargy
- Dizziness/blurred vision
- Memory loss
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Slow pulse
- Fluid spilling out of ears or nose
- Body tingling or numbness
- Mood changes
- Inability to focus
Concussions From A Car Accident
Not all concussions or head injuries result in a TBI. It depends on the severity of your symptoms and their duration and how responsive you were at the time of the accident. Generally, a neurocognitive disorder must manifest itself immediately following the injury or after the victim recovers consciousness and the disorder persists past the acute post-injury phase. This can include severe mood changes, difficulty recalling events or information, slowness in learning or processing information, and even seizures.
Do not hesitate to immediately go to your doctor or to an emergency medical facility if you suffer any of these symptoms following an accident. The sooner you are diagnosed and treated, the better are your chances for recovery. Common diagnostic procedures of a suspected head injury are an MRI and CT scans.
Further, if another party was at fault, it is vital that you promptly contact a car accident attorney who can advise you on what steps you can take to preserve a claim, and who will handle all the steps and procedures necessary to obtain compensation for you.
Other Types of Head Injuries from a Car Accident
It may not take a severe collision to sustain a concussion or other type of head injury that can be a TBI. A TBI is any trauma to the head where it suddenly and violently strikes an object (car door, window, steering wheel, air bag) or when an object penetrates the skull.
You can sustain a concussion or other type of head injury even if you did not lose consciousness, though loss of consciousness even for a few minutes or seconds is an obvious sign of a concussive injury.
Other types of head injuries that can occur from a car accident are:
- Diffuse axonal injury—neural connectors to the brain are torn
- Contusions—bruises on the brain leading to bleeding
- Intracranial hematomas—significant bleeding of the brain that can lead to blood clots days or weeks after the trauma; symptoms are vomiting, headache, slurred speech
- Coup-contrecoup—significant trauma event where the brain bounces from one side to the other causing damage to both sides
Treatment can include surgery in the more serious cases, but most treatments consist of speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive therapy, and counseling.
Compensation in TBI Cases
A TBI is a serious injury that can result in expensive medical and psychological therapies that can be substantial. Most auto liability insurance policies are insufficient in such cases so that a resourceful and experienced car accident attorney will seek other possible sources of compensation. An investigation of a serious auto accident can sometimes reveal other responsible parties. For instance, an involved vehicle may have shown steering or braking issues, faulty tires, an airbag that failed to deploy, a defective seat belt or car seat, or other mechanical problems that was a cause of your injuries.
Also, if you purchased underinsured motorist coverage (UIM), then you could recover additional compensation once the other party’s low liability policy is exhausted. For example, if that party had $50,000 in coverage that you were offered, and you have UIM coverage of $100,000, then you could recover up to $50,000 in added compensation.
Damages in Car Accident Injury Claims
Proving damages is an essential element of any injury claim. Only an experienced car accident attorney can adequately present your damages in any claim or court action.
Damages typically include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future income loss
- Pain and suffering
- Lost income capacity
- Diminished quality of life
- Emotional distress
- Spousal claim for loss of consortium
Retaining a car accident attorney as soon as possible has been shown to significantly increase a victim’s chances to obtain a satisfactory resolution.
Retain the Law Office of Burns and Jain
Have a car accident attorney from Burns and Jain represent you in any serious accident so that you can obtain the compensation your claim deserves. Call our office at (617) 227-7423 for a free and comprehensive evaluation of your injury claim.