If you’ve just been involved in a minor fender bender, there’s a good possibility that you have not suffered significant injuries. You may think you are fine and even refuse medical treatment or an evaluation because there are no apparent injuries. However, some injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents have no symptoms at first and may remain hidden for quite some time. Head and brain injuries are very common in motor vehicle accidents and sometimes start out like this.
Let’s face it, any injury to the brain is a big deal, but when you have no idea that you are even injured, bigger problems can arise. You may not get the treatment you need by the time your symptoms become apparent. The signs of a brain injury may not pop up until days or even weeks after the accident. Here are the most common types of brain injuries seen in motor vehicle accidents in Colorado and some of the symptoms associated with each.
Concussions
Concussions are also known as mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI). Concussions are some of the most common types of brain injuries and account for thousands of hospital visits every year. A concussion can range from mild to severe and is often the result of a sudden blow to the head that can cause your brain to accelerate in the direction of the force. A concussion literally shakes your brain.
Only a generation ago, many thought of concussions as just mild inconveniences. These days, however, doctors know that concussions can result in permanent brain damage. If you suffer a concussion, you may experience headaches, dizziness and fatigue. However, many of these symptoms can appear many days after the initial impact or accident.
Coup-contrecoup brain injuries
If you suffer a significant impact to your head, it can cause your brain to slam into the opposite side of the impact site and result in what is known as a coup-contrecoup brain injury. Coup-contrecoup brain injuries can cause damage to two sides of the brain: the impact site as well as on the opposite side. These types of injuries often result in bleeding or bruising of the brain.
Although any accident can cause a coup-contrecoup type of brain injury, these often result from serious motor vehicle accidents. If you suffer this type of brain injury, you may experience swelling of the brain, hemorrhaging or loss of consciousness. Since these injuries are the result of a significant impact, survivors may suffer permanent effects and often need extensive care and support to recover.
Better to be safe than sorry
Head and brain injuries of any type are very serious. Brain injuries can have a myriad of symptoms that may occur at the time of the injury, or they may not pop up until days or weeks later. If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident and suffer a blow to the head, get immediate medical attention and don’t try to shake it off or push through it. If the accident happened because of the negligence of another person, you also have the right to seek monetary damages for many of your expenses along with your pain and suffering.