Car accidents are one of the leading causes of brain injury as people involved in vehicle crashes might have been subjected to hard jolts, blows, or bumps to the head. But not all brain injuries are the same.
There are multiple types of brain injuries from car accidents, and they all happen under different circumstances with different effects. This post discusses six types of brain injuries that car accidents can cause and talks about your legal options after.
Read on to learn more, or contact Will & Will to discuss your next steps as you seek compensation.
Why Seek Compensation for a Brain Injury?
Before we dive into the types of brain injuries from car accidents, we need to take a moment to explain your legal options. If your car accident brain injury was the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to file a claim for compensation.
In many cases, seeking compensation is the only way to regain control of your life. Brain injuries can have horrific effects, including:
- long-term disability
- inability to work or care for yourself
- huge medical bills, memory loss
- damage to personal relationships
- overall reduced quality of life
You may be able to recover compensation for these and any other damages you suffered. The fight for compensation won’t be easy, but a trusted brain injury lawyer can make it much easier and help you maximize your compensation.
6 Types of Brain Injuries from Car Accidents
The type of brain injury you suffer will determine the symptoms you experience and the overall impact on your life. Below, we discuss six of the most common types of brain injuries from car accidents.
1. Concussion
Although a concussion is considered a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), it can still lead to serious health effects and extreme pain. Concussions, which are caused by a blow to the head, are marked by symptoms like headache, nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, and blurred vision.
A car accident can easily cause a concussion. Nearly any type of impact with another vehicle or even a stationary object can cause your head to hit something inside the car.
2. Brain Contusion
A contusion is a bruise. A brain contusion is a bruise on your brain. This is often the result of a blow to the head or a violent jolt that causes your brain to collide with the inside of your skull. Many contusions will heal on their own, but they can lead to much more serious outcomes, such as blood clots and bleeding on the brain. Symptoms of contusions are often similar to those of a concussion.
In a car accident, a contusion can happen when a rear, frontal, or side collision causes your head to either hit something inside the vehicle or shake violently.
3. Skull Fracture
If the blow to your head is hard enough, your skull may actually fracture. This injury often accompanies other brain injuries, such as contusions and concussions. Symptoms of skull fractures include bleeding from the ears or nose, bruising on your head, and swelling at the site of the blow.
You can suffer a skull fracture in a car accident any time you hit your head. This could occur within your vehicle or outside the car if you are thrown through the windshield.
4. Acquired Brain Injury
Also called a secondary brain injury, an acquired brain injury can occur without any actual impact to your head. This is a brain injury that occurs as a result of some other problem inside your body, such as an injury that is preventing enough oxygen from reaching your brain. Without oxygen, your brain cells die, which can lead to reduced brain function.
Any type of car accident that results in the restriction of oxygen or blood flow to your brain can cause an acquired brain injury. For example, if you were hurt so badly in a crash that you stopped breathing for several minutes before being revived, you might suffer an acquired brain injury due to a lack of oxygen.
5. Coup-Contrecoup
A coup-contrecoup brain injury is a double-whammy. It means your brain is injured in two places, often as a result of a hard blow to the head. Your brain is injured at the location of the blow, but it is also injured when the force of the blow causes the other side of your brain to hit the inside of your skull.
If, for instance, a part of the vehicle that crashed into you hit your head on one side hard enough to jolt your brain against the opposite side of your skull, you may suffer a coup-contrecoup brain injury.
6. Brain Penetration
Brain penetration occurs when an object breaks through your skull and enters your brain. These injuries are deadly. And those who survive are often left with debilitating effects for life.
Any object inside or on your vehicle or that of another driver can penetrate your brain in an accident. The high speeds involved in car crashes can send metal car parts and objects inside a vehicle flying with enough force to cause this severe injury.
Brain Injury in a Car Accident? Contact Will & Will
Brain injuries are serious. Even the most minor types of brain injuries from car accidents can have lasting negative effects on your life. If someone else caused your brain injury through negligence, you deserve compensation. And the attorneys at Will & Will can help you get it.
We are personal injury lawyers with more than 35 years of combined experience. We know the laws surrounding car accidents and auto injuries, and we know how to help people in your situation. We will work tirelessly to help you recover full compensation for your brain injury and keep you informed every step of the way.
Interested in working with us? We’re interested in hearing from you. All you have to do is call 206-209-5585 or contact us online.