Brain Injury in Car Accidents

TBI Facts Infographic from Brown Law Office in St. LouisMotor vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of traumatic brain injury. Accounting for around 20% of all brain injury cases, an estimates 280,000 people sustain TBI in motor vehicle accidents every year. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a brain injury following a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation for all related damages. Call the Illinois, IL or St. Louis, MO office of Brown & Brown to schedule a complimentary consultation and learn more.

Symptoms of Brain Injury After a Car Accident

Brain injury in car accidents does not require impact. Any uncontrolled or violent movement of the head can allow the brain to become bruised or torn. Depending on the direction the head is forced into, this can result in damage to the:

  • Frontal lobe (emotional control)
  • Temporal lobe (selective attention)
  • Occipital Lobe (visual processing)

Symptoms of brain injury are relative to the area of the brain that has sustained damage. When more than one lobe is impacted, multiple symptoms may be present. Any indication of TBI following a car accident should be brought to the immediate attention of a medical professional.

Symptoms of TBI that may be present on the scene of an accident include:

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Confusion or memory loss
  • Irregular or asymmetrical pupil dilation
  • Clear fluids draining from nose or ears

These symptoms may prompt emergency treatment, but are not always present following brain injury. In some cases, an injury to the brain may take days or even weeks to start showing signs.

Delayed symptoms of brain injury include:

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Vision loss
  • Memory loss
  • Loss of balance or coordination
  • Mood swings
  • Aggression and irritability
  • Sleep disruptions

These symptoms may follow injury to the brain that causes hemorrhaging. As the bleeding continues, symptoms may get worse, impacting the abilities controlled by whichever lobe is continuing to sustain damage. If you have been in a car accident, even if your head did not hit anything, these symptoms should never be ignored. Left untreated, the damage done by brain injury will progress, become more troublesome, and may even result in death.

When to Hire a Brain Injury Attorney

Living with TBI can, over the course of a lifetime, cost millions of dollars. Some estimates suggest the average cost of TBI from injury to death is $3 million, though some brain injuries will certainly result in even more expenses. It is when facing these expenses that hiring an attorney begins to make sense.

If your car accident was the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, physical and emotional suffering, and all other issues stemming from your injury. Even if you share some of the blame, you may be able to collect damages beyond initial insurance offerings in some instances. The best way to find out is through a one-on-one consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer.

If you live in St. Louis or surrounding areas of Missouri, please call Brown & Brown at 314-333-3333 to schedule a free consultation. In the Illinois area of Illinois, call 618-888-8888 to speak with one of our brain injury lawyers today.

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