Concussion After a Car Accident

What Is a Concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a sudden blow or forceful movement that makes the brain shake inside the skull. While concussions are often considered mild, they can disrupt normal brain function and affect how you think, feel, and move through your daily life.

The brain is made of delicate tissue that’s surrounded by fluid inside your skull. When that protective barrier gets compromised, the results can affect every aspect of your well-being. 

There’s a difference between a mild concussion and a severe concussion, but any head injury in a car crash should be taken seriously. Even what seems like a minor bump to the steering wheel, dashboard, or window can cause lasting problems.

How Do Car Accidents Cause Concussions?

During a collision, there’s a sudden impact followed by forceful movement of the head and neck that can cause a brain injury. A whiplash and concussion injury often occurs together because you don’t need direct contact with an object to cause damage. A direct impact can cause immediate symptoms, but since that’s not always necessary for a concussion to happen, many head injuries go undiagnosed initially because doctors and patients focus on more visible trauma. Common injuries in car accidents include everything from broken bones to soft tissue injuries.

Recognizing Concussion Symptoms After a Car Accident

Knowing the signs of a concussion from a car crash can make the difference between getting the treatment you need and suffering long-term consequences.

Immediate Symptoms

Right after the accident, you might notice headaches that feel different from your usual ones. You may feel disoriented or have trouble remembering what happened. Dizziness can make you feel unsteady, and some people lose consciousness for a short while. Nausea and vomiting often show up within hours of the crash.

Other immediate traumatic brain injury symptoms include sensitivity to light or noise, feeling foggy or “not quite right,” and trouble concentrating on simple tasks. You might feel irritable or emotional in ways that aren’t normal for you.

Delayed Symptoms

Head trauma can be tricky because delayed concussion symptoms that auto accident victims experience can appear hours or even days later. Don’t assume you’re fine just because you felt okay right after the crash.

Sudden mood swings, slurred speech, and blurry vision are all warning signs. You might also develop sensitivity to bright lights that makes it hard to drive or work. Changes in sleeping patterns, memory problems, difficulty finding words, and trouble with tasks that used to be easy can all point to car crash brain trauma that needs attention.

Warning Signs of a Severe Brain Injury

Some symptoms of a brain injury after an accident require immediate emergency care. If headaches keep getting worse instead of better, that’s serious. Vomiting, especially if it happens more than once, means you need to get to a hospital right away.

Seizure-like activity, extreme confusion, or losing consciousness for more than a few seconds are also all signs of severe traumatic brain injury symptoms. 

If you’re having trouble staying awake or your speech becomes slurred, these are medical emergencies. When to see a doctor for a concussion after a car accident isn’t a question at this point — you need to go right away.

Seeking Medical Attention: The Critical First Steps

You should get checked out by a doctor after a car accident, even if your symptoms don’t seem that bad. Go to the emergency room or visit a healthcare provider as soon as possible after the crash.

Getting medical care isn’t just to protect your health. It’s also critical for creating medical records that’ll be important for any car accident injury claim. Concussions require early medical treatment to prevent symptoms from getting worse and give you the best chance of obtaining compensation.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery

The concussion diagnosis auto injury process usually starts with neurological exams where doctors test your reflexes, coordination, and cognitive function. They might order tests like MRIs to help rule out other serious issues and get a clearer picture of what’s happening in your brain.

For most, car accident concussion treatment focuses on rest and giving your brain time to heal. This means reducing physical activity and avoiding things like screen time and playing video games, which can make symptoms worse. Your doctor might recommend staying away from bright lights and loud noises while you recover.

Auto injury concussion recovery varies from person to person. Some people feel better in a few days, while others need weeks or months to get back to normal. It’s important to follow your doctor’s advice, even when you start to feel better.

Understanding Post-Concussion Syndrome

If you have post-concussion syndrome, car accident consequences can linger for weeks, months, or even years after the initial injury. It’s not uncommon, especially for people dealing with severe concussions.

Common symptoms of post-concussion syndrome include:

• Ongoing headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Memory issues
• Trouble concentrating
• Sleep difficulties
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Personality changes

This condition can affect brain function for a long time, and it can lead to a diminished quality of life and lost wages when you can’t work. It’s a serious complication that deserves proper medical attention and legal consideration, especially considering the psychological effects of car accident injury repercussions.

Your Legal Rights: Filing a Concussion Claim

Are you searching, “How to file injury claims after concussion?” To build a successful case, you’ll need to prove that the other driver caused the accident and that it led to your injury. Your medical records will show the connection between the crash and your concussion.

Filing a police report in Las Vegas and getting the right medical care right away are crucial first steps. You’ll also need visual evidence from the scene, witness statements, and help from a skilled car accident lawyer. Insurance companies often fail to take brain trauma cases seriously, but you deserve fair compensation for your losses.

Even if your accident wasn’t serious, you might have suffered more than just a head injury. Consider pursuing a soft tissue injury claim, especially if you were involved in a whiplash and rear-end collision.

Lastly, following an injury claim checklist can help make sure you don’t miss any important steps.

Get the Help You Deserve

Concussions are serious injuries that can change your life in ways you never expected. A proper diagnosis and timely legal action are both necessary to protect your health and your rights.

Don’t try to handle this alone. Contact Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, for a free consultation to discuss your concussion claim and learn about your options.

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