Traumatic Brain Injury Is Often the Result of A Car Crash

No one expects to be in a collision with another car, side-swiped into a rollover or forced off the road by a truck driver who loses control of a big rig.

In fact, no one expects to be in a fender-bender, but even a minor accident like this can cause trauma to the brain — and you might not realize it at the time.

How brain trauma occurs

Surprisingly, vehicle accidents cause more than half of all reported traumatic brain injuries. As a result of the impact, the brain may collide against the skull’s hard interior surface. Even a minor rear-end collision can cause this sort of force. There may be no outward sign of trauma, but the brain can suffer bruising, also known as a contusion, or bleeding, also known as hemorrhaging. In a more powerful impact, your head could strike the steering wheel or dashboard, causing an open wound and more severe brain trauma.

The symptoms

You could literally walk away from a car crash, especially a fender-bender, and feel perfectly fine at first, outside of a case of nerves. However, if you are in a car accident of any kind, you should seek medical assistance immediately because you could have a serious injury that is not apparent. For example, the signs of a brain injury might include headaches, blurred vision, trouble with balance, difficulty concentrating, even loss of energy, and symptoms along these lines might not show up for days.

How crashworthiness comes into play

Outside factors might contribute to a vehicle crash that results in severe injuries. “Crashworthiness” is a term frequently used by automakers in determining how well the structure of a vehicle can protect the people inside. In designing their cars, they must take daily use into account. If a serious injury such as TBI is the result of a car crash, did an automotive defect have a role to play? A good personal injury attorney will examine every possibility in determining who, including an auto manufacturer, perhaps, was at fault for the traumatic brain injury you sustained.