Many people injured in car crashes know immediately that they need help. A person with a complete spinal cord injury may not be able to get out of the vehicle because they cannot move their legs. Someone with a broken bone may experience excruciating pain. Someone with a laceration on their scalp might bleed profusely until they receive medical attention.
People with specific, obvious injuries can potentially self-diagnose and get support right at the scene of a crash. However, it is actually possible for an individual to sustain a potentially life-altering injury without realizing it. One of the most debilitating and costly injuries commonly associated with car crashes can be difficult for people to identify immediately after a wreck.
How might people overlook injuries that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and affect their lives forever?
Brain injuries take time to develop
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more in lifetime medical expenses. Doctors cannot cure brain injuries, but they can help prevent them from progressing and assist people as they adjust to life with their injuries.
Seeing a doctor as soon as possible is important for optimal recovery, as doctors can perform surgical procedures that prevent the bleeding or inflammation inside the skull from causing worse damage to the structure of the brain.
Unfortunately, symptoms may not arise immediately after the initial trauma. Instead, people may only notice that something is wrong when their condition has spiraled completely out of control. What started as a mild, intermittent headache may become worse and more persistent as time passes.
Blurry vision, issues with balance, memory challenges and changes in personality can all slowly develop days or even weeks after the initial trauma occurs. The broad range of symptoms and their delayed onset combine to make it hard for people to self-diagnose with TBIs.
Anyone who has hit their head, experienced violent vehicle motion or blacked out during a car crash could be at risk of a TBI. Seeing a doctor to diagnose car crash injuries as soon as possible can help people secure the best prognosis. They may also have an easier time pursuing compensation when their diagnosis occurs shortly after a crash.