When car accidents lead to brain injury

Nowadays, car accidents are the second-most common cause of brain injuries, accounting for about 20 percent of all cases. Car accidents are also the leading cause of brain injuries severe enough to require hospitalization, beating out falls, which are the leading cause of brain injuries overall.

If you suffer a brain injury after a car accident, you may experience only mild symptoms that require only minimal medical treatment, or you may experience lifelong side effects and hardships relating to your head injury. If you take a severe blow to the head in an auto accident, you may experience:

Concussion
Some people who escape serious car crashes with only concussions consider themselves lucky, but concussions can prove quite serious and damaging. If you suffer a concussion, you may experience confusion, forgetfulness or dizziness. You may also experience nausea, vomiting or both. In most concussion cases, symptoms subside within a few months’ time.

Post-traumatic amnesia
In some instances, a brain injury from a car accident can lead to amnesia, and there are two different types: retrograde amnesia and anterograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia refers to a loss of memory of events that occurred prior to the brain injury, while anterograde amnesia refers to a loss of memory of events that occurred afterward.

Loss of consciousness
If you lose consciousness because of a brain injury from a car accident, the extent of your injury may vary alongside the length of your period of unconsciousness. For example, if you lose consciousness for only a few minutes, you may suffer only minor, if any, brain damage. If, however, you fall into a coma for an extended period, you may suffer considerable brain damage.

While you can reduce your risk of being a car accident victim by practicing safe driving and abstaining from using alcohol or drugs before or while driving, there is only so much you can do when others drive negligently or recklessly. If you suffer a head injury in a car accident, it is critical you seek prompt medical attention.

Share this post!