Each year approximately 280,000 people in the United States suffer a traumatic brain injury in a car accident or collision. That’s nearly 20% of all head and brain injuries that occur in the same 12-month period, making car accidents one of the major causes of brain injuries in the country. Only falls account for more head injuries in the United States. Furthermore, the head injuries from a car accident are frequently significant, causing a person to experience long-term consequences and complications.
What else do you need to know about head injuries in a Florida car accident? Below we cover the circumstances and information you need.
What Is a Brain or Head Injury?
The terms brain injury and head injury describe a wide range of health conditions and ramifications associated with trauma to the scalp, skull, or brain. The amount of damage to the brain and head can vary from a small bump, with no other negative effects to traumatic brain injury, which can be fatal.
The most common head injury from a car accident is a concussion. Rarely is this form of head trauma deadly, but each year there are several cases in which concussions lead to irreparable brain damage. The symptoms of a concussion often include feeling dizzy or unbalanced, nausea, moments of disorientation or amnesia, and sleep disturbances or unexplained fatigue. After a car accident, individuals experiencing these symptoms should seek medical attention.
Another common injury is a brain contusion. This injury is directly related to the impact of your head or skull on a part of the car, windshield, back of a seat, or another hard object. A contusion is a scientific name for bleeding on the brain, which can cause a number of other cognitive and mental issues if untreated.
Other head injuries are immediately and obviously more serious. This is what is referred to as a traumatic brain injury or TBI. These injuries can cause a person to lose consciousness, whether that is for several minutes, days, or weeks, and has lasting consequences involving memory loss, slurred speech, balance, and coordination. Many people that suffer a moderate or severe TBI experience cognitive and decision-making problems for the rest of their life. The worst scenarios a TBI is fatal, but a TBI from a Florida car accident could also leave someone in a vegetative state.
Delayed Onset of Head and Brain Injuries
Often, the sooner a mild head injury or TBI is addressed the better chance of a complete recovery. And in all instances, a motor vehicle accident that involves whiplash or impact to the head should be handled cautiously, in case a brain or head injury occurred. There are specific and advanced medical procedures available to treat all types of head injuries from a Florida car accident, but first, the head injury must be assessed and diagnosed.
A significant problem with head injuries such as concussions and even traumatic brain injuries is that the onset of such trauma can be delayed. An individual may not experience any complications in the hours or day after an accident, but later on start to feel symptoms, such as nausea, memory loss, and dizziness associated with common head injuries.
If these symptoms arise in the days or weeks after a car accident, it is common for a medical professional to make the association between the accident and the injury. An injured individual should be certain, first and foremost, to seek appropriate care, but also inform the attending physician that the motor vehicle accident occurred.
Potential Compensation for Head Trauma
As always, damages from a Florida car accident are appropriate when one driver was reckless or negligent in causing the accident. Once this fault and liability are established, it’s appropriate to determine the appropriate amount of compensation.
The potential compensation and damages from a car accident will depend on the severity of the injury and the likelihood of lasting effects on the injured individual. In instances when ongoing care is required, it’s appropriate to request compensation for that future care from the at-fault party, in addition to medical costs already incurred. Compensation for head trauma can also include the cost of rehabilitation, physical therapy, and other specialized medical care.
A knowledgeable Florida accident attorney can also counsel you on the availability of damages for lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. These non-financial damages aren’t appropriate for every personal injury claim, but also overlooked in some instances. To speak with a Florida car accident lawyer, call Aronfeld Trial Lawyers at 1-866-597-4529 or (305)-441-0440. Our Miami office can also be reached by email at [email protected].
