Car crashes are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Not only can these injuries lead to concerning symptoms after a crash, they can also create life-altering challenges for injured people. What should you know about the impact that a TBI could have on your life?
What symptoms could indicate that a crash caused a TBI?
Depending on the area of the injury and how serious the injury was, a TBI can involve many different symptoms. Symptoms include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Headache, including a persistent headache that grows worse over time
- Confusion, memory issues and problems with concentration
- Dizziness or difficulty with balance
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Fatigue or changes in sleep patterns
- Behavioral or mood changes
- Nausea
These symptoms may appear immediately after the trauma. However, they could also develop slowly over several hours or days.
How could a brain injury impact someone’s health long-term?
The long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury can be as varied as the symptoms and may affect all aspects of a person’s life. Some potential long-term health challenges that individuals with TBI may face include:
- Seizure disorders – Ten percent of people experience a seizure in the week after suffering a TBI, and around 2 percent of people who experience a traumatic brain injury develop epilepsy.
- Cognitive challenges – An injury to the brain can lead to issues with memory, attention and processing information. This can make it difficult for injured people to perform tasks at work.
- Long-term emotional changes – TBI survivors can experience many emotional changes such as depression, irritability or anxiety.
- Personality changes – A brain injury can alter the way that a person interacts with the world, and the changed personality traits of TBI survivors sometimes lead loved ones to describe them as being like a stranger.
While many people recover from these difficulties, some must deal with the impact of a brain injury for the rest of their lives.
The recovery process for a TBI can be lengthy. It may involve a range of treatments including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and psychological support. Thankfully, a personal injury lawsuit can offer damages to pay for medical costs as well as the paychecks that an injured person loses if they cannot work during recovery.