Head trauma from an auto crash may inflict a brain injuryYes. Motor vehicle accidents, including car crashes, are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries in the United States. Since most of us travel by car at least some of the time, it is important to be aware of the risk of brain injury so that you can identify the symptoms of an injury and promptly get the help that you need if you are hurt.

How Car Accidents Lead to Brain Injuries

Car crashes can result in many different kinds of traumatic brain injuries. Often, these injuries occur for one of the following reasons:

  • The force of the collision causes the brain to collide with the skull bone. This may result in a closed head brain injury where the brain suffers trauma without any penetration. Instead, the violent shaking that occurs during the collision causes the brain to be hurt. Dangerous brain swelling is possible. The exact prognosis will depend both on the force of the collision and the part of the brain that was hurt.
  • The collision causes the person to hit his or her head on the dashboard or another object. The damage done by this type of direct impact brain injury will also depend on the force of the collision and the part of the brain that was hurt.

Any headaches, pain, sensory changes such as vision or hearing problems, cognitive problems, loss of consciousness, or other symptoms of a traumatic brain injury should be immediately reported to a doctor.

What to Do If You or a Loved One Has Been Hurt

Your doctor will diagnose your brain injury and discuss your treatment options with you. You should be prepared for extensive medical expenses and lost income. Brain injuries may require long recuperation times, and they can result in lifelong disabilities. Thus, if your brain injury was caused by someone else’s negligence in a car crash then you should also take action now to protect your legal and financial recoveries. Please start a live chat with us now to learn more.

Jason F. Abraham
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Helping car accident and personal injury victims throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa since 1993.