Hidden brain injuries are common in car accidents

When car accidents occur, they often cause brain injuries that victims cannot feel immediately. In the confusion of a car collision, a victim may easily strike their head without realizing it, leaving them with minor brain injuries that may cause massive complications. In fact, if a car accident victim chooses to not seek a medical examination after the collision, they may have significant injuries they cannot feel for several days.

If you are a recent car accident victim, you may have a minor brain injury that needs proper diagnosis and treatment. Without medical treatment, a brain injury can complicate life and strain or break many of your relationships with behavior changes you cannot control. A proper diagnosis helps ensure that you receive the treatment that you need and gives you the tools to explain the injury to others around you.

Common changes in behavior

Just because a brain injury is mild does not mean it is insignificant. Our brains control our behavior and how we interpret the world around us, and any injury the brain sustains may change how we behave and how we understand our experiences.

A mild brain injury may cause physical symptoms, such as headaches, blurred vision and prolonged nausea. However, many mild brain injuries cause cognitive problems instead of physical pain.

Many victims of brain injuries cannot complete tasks they preformed easily before their accident. This may be something as simple as washing dishes after a meal or completing duties at work. If a victim does not understand that they suffered a brain injury and cannot communicate clearly with their coworkers and employers, it may look as though they suddenly changed personalities.

When a victim encounters difficulty with a task they feel as though they should understand, they may overreact with frustration. This can be frightening for the victim and for those around them. In some cases, the symptoms of a mild brain injury look very similar to behavior changes common in substance abuse.

A mild brain injury may also alter the way that a victim interprets what they read or hear in conversation. Often, victims lose some contextual understanding of words and phrases they know well, which can easily lead to enormous miscommunication and misunderstandings. Whether at work, at home or in some other setting, this can quickly strain or break a victim’s most important relationships.

Protect your rights by taking action

If you suspect that you received a blow to the head in a recent car accident, please make it your first priority to seek a complete medical assessment from your doctor. The longer that you wait to receive proper diagnosis and treatment, the more vulnerable you are to complications. If your injuries occurred because of someone else’s actions or negligence, you may need to build a personal injury claim to protect your rights and pursue fair compensation for your losses and expenses. Make sure that you use high-quality legal resources and medical care as you build your claim, to keep yourself secure and ensure that you have the tools you need to recover well and maintain your most important relationships.