How Common Is A TBI After A Car Accident?
Accidents involving vehicles can be fatal.
One of the most serious and life-threatening types of injuries caused by an automobile accident is a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The CDC estimates that 1.7 million TBIs occur annually, either as a single injury or in conjunction with multiple injuries.
TBIs are typically brought on by a hard blow or jolt to the head or body, which happens frequently in auto accidents.
Inside of your car, a missile, the steering wheel, a window, or your head could all collide.
We will talk about how often traumatic brain injuries are in car accidents in the article that follows.
TBI: What Is It?
TBI is a phrase used to describe a traumatic brain injury's aftereffects (TBI).
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be one of several minor injuries or a serious head injury.
A severe blow to the head or body, a violent jolt, or intense shaking are the usual causes of traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury can also result from an item, such as a broken piece of the skull, passing into brain tissue.
Your brain cells may experience a brief alteration due to mild traumatic brain damage, such as a mild concussion.
A severe traumatic brain injury can cause the entire brain to bruise, tear, bleed, and have other physical effects.
These wounds frequently end in death or life-long consequences.
You must get medical help right away if you believe an automobile accident caused a head injury.
It is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible following a suspected head injury or traumatic brain injury (TBI) because the symptoms of a head injury may not be apparent right away.
How Frequently Occur TBIs In Auto Accidents?
The second most common reason for TBIs is automobile accidents.
Each year, 17.3 percent include automobile accidents.
Just over 35% of traumatic brain injuries are caused by slip and fall accidents.
Falls, suicides, and car accidents are the main causes of TBI-related fatalities.
According to the CDC, motor vehicle accidents were the greatest cause of mortality for people aged 15 to 24, 25 to 34, and older adults over 75 in 2014.
Traffic accidents are thought to cause 200,000 injuries annually.
TBIs following auto accidents are challenging because they can happen even if there isn't a direct impact.
The brain can be moved by the physical force of a sudden collision without the head hitting anything, according to research.
This is why you should always see a doctor after being in a vehicle accident.
Additionally, you should always buckle up in a vehicle, and young children should always ride in the back seat belted into a booster seat or child safety seat.
TBI Types in Automobile Crashes
Various TBIs can develop as a result of an automobile accident.
Some of the most alarming closed head injuries that you should be aware of are listed below:
Concussions are caused by trauma to the brain caused by an accident or a change in velocity, such as a quick braking when two cars meet. There could be a loss of consciousness, but not usually. Healing from concussions can take weeks, months, or even years.
Contusions: A contusion is a brain bruise brought on by the rupture of tiny blood vessels.
Two brain contusions on opposing sides are known as coup-contrecoup injuries. The mobility of your skull is abruptly stopped by a forceful collision or change in speed, but your brain continues to move, crashing into one side of the skull and rebounding into the other.
When the brain's nerves are overstretched to the point of rupture, diffuse axonal injuries—which resemble shearing wounds—occur. By collision or quick, abrupt rotation, this is accomplished. It's a "diffuse" injury since it can harm different sections of the brain in addition to the area directly hit. Chemicals within the cells are released as the nerves rupture, leading to more cell death and damage. The catastrophic effects of axonal injuries include irreversible brain damage, functional limitations, comas, and even death.
Traumatic Brain Injury's Symptoms
There are numerous physical and psychosocial repercussions of traumatic brain injury.
Some indications or symptoms show up right away, while others take a few days or weeks to manifest.
Traumatic brain injury signs and symptoms include:
Confusion
Seizures
No memory
Dizziness
Fatigue
inadequate focus
consciousness loss
Irritability
dual perception
No Memory (loss of memory about things that occurred before or after the accident)
Headache
distorted vision
Disorientation
Inability to coordinate
loss of equilibrium
After receiving a direct strike in a car accident, if you experience any of these symptoms, you should consult a doctor right once.
Patients' symptoms differ from one another because each head injury is unique.
In severe circumstances, the patient may experience prolonged unconsciousness, coma, or possibly pass away.
Usually, a diffuse damage results in a lower level of consciousness.
Depending on the part of the brain that is injured, focal injuries cause a variety of symptoms.
Car Accidents That May Cause TBIs
Whiplash is a common injury sustained in auto accidents.
Whiplash happens when your head is abruptly flung back and then forward.
This action can cause your brain to hit the interior of your skull quickly, resulting in mild to moderate TBI symptoms.
A front-end accident can also result in a sudden stop for your car.
Your body will continue to go forward at the same rate as it was before the collision even as your car abruptly comes to a stop.
Additionally, your brain can hit your skull as a result of this.
A traumatic injury to the brain frequently follows severe facial injuries.
Your head is thrown in the impact direction during side-impact crashes.
Your head will be thrown to the left if your car is impacted on the driver's side.
As a result, your brain first impacts the right side of your skull before rebounding to impact the left.
Being struck in the side directly will do far greater damage than being struck farther in the front or back of the car.
During a rear-end crash, hitting your head against the window or steering wheel could cause skull fractures or lacerations.
Glass shards or bone pieces can enter your brain and inflict grave, potentially fatal injuries.
These wounds are referred to as open head wounds.
Testing and Care for TBI Following a Car Accident
Although MRIs and CT scans will show structural alterations, not all brain injuries are picked up by these diagnostic imaging procedures.
Diagnostic imaging and functional testing are used to identify a TBI following an automobile collision.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography are imaging tests for TBIs (SPECT).
Medical care for a patient with a TBI comprises medicine, assistive technology, environment modification, education, and counseling. It also includes cognitive-behavioral rehabilitation.
Since the TBI is a primary injury, the main objective of your initial therapies is to stop any subsequent brain damage.
I was in a car accident. Can I sue for TBI?
After a car accident, you can undoubtedly file a lawsuit for this kind of head injury.
In addition to any losses brought on by your collision, you can sue the at-fault motorist for medical costs, property damage, lost pay, and pain and suffering.
However, you must first demonstrate that the other driver was to blame for the incident and that your damages and injuries are a direct outcome of the collision.
Make an appointment for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer
You need a brain injury attorney to make sure you receive the compensation you are entitled to if you or someone you care about sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a result of an accident.
Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys are here to assist you if you've suffered a personal injury as a result of someone else's carelessness.
Our knowledgeable legal team will fight to obtain compensation for your medical expenses, missed wages, and pain and suffering since we are aware of the negative effects a TBI can have on your life.
For the past ten years, we have assisted people in taking their cases to court and are still working to secure the just recompense for our clients.
Call us right away to arrange your free consultation so that our attorneys who specialize in traumatic brain injury can begin assisting you with your personal injury claim.