Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) After A Car Crash in Tampa, Clearwater or St. Petersburg?
Twenty percent of all brain injury cases are caused by a motor vehicle accident. Car crashes are the second largest cause of brain injuries. The leading cause is falling, which accounts for 28 percent.
However, traffic accident brain injuries accounts for the greatest number of hospitalizations.
Even something as ‘minor’ as whiplash can be damaging to the brain. When the head is suddenly twisted with the deceleration of an automobile crash, the brain will move around as well. Billions of nerve cells communicate with other distant cells through long nerve fibers. These delicate fibers can be stretched during an accident, damaging the ability for cells to communicate with each other. The brain, which essentially floats within the skull, when the head bounces around within the bony skull when a crash occurs. This can cause the brain to bruise and tear and again, occurs without the head actually impacting any object.
If the skull strikes the steering wheel, window, concrete, or wreckage the brain will collide against the inside of the skull with great force. The brain continues to move after the head has stopped causing bruising and bleeding at the part of the brain near the point of impact. This point of injury could be the frontal lobe or the temporal lobe. After hitting the front of the skull, the brain then bounces back and slams against the back of the skull. This can sometimes damage the occipital lobe which is responsible for visual processing.
Different types of brain injuries include:
Loss of Consciousness – Loss of conscious awareness can span from being slightly dazed to being in a coma for multiple days. While loss of consciousness is not required to cause a brain injury, if the person does lose consciousness, the longer the period of unconsciousness, the more severe the brain damage may be.
Post Traumatic Amnesia – Memory loss of events before (retrograde) and after (anterograde) the injury was inflicted is another type of brain injury. Generally, the longer the periods of amnesia, the greater the damage will be. If a patient is suffering from amnesia, they will have a difficult time gauging the true extent of their problem. Family members or friends should communicate with the injured person’s doctor to help them understand their pre-accident condition and to assist in tracking their progress.
Concussion – Symtpoms include dizziness, nausea, disorientation, and forgetfulness. Most cases will be resolved within a couple months while others can last for many years.
Brain Contusion – A contusion is simply a bruise – a mild form of bleeding under the skin. Brain contusions are similar to concussions, and often occur in conjunction with them. If a brain contusion does not stop bleeding on its own, it may need to be surgically repaired. The extent of the damage associated with a brain contusion depends on the size of the bleed, the length of time it lasts, the effects of the surgery, and the location of the injury.
Diffuse Axonal – According to the Brain Injury Alliance, a diffuse axonal is caused by a strong rotation or shaking of the head. This is common in car accidents and abrupt stops when the brain does not move at the same speed as the skull. This causes the brain structures to tear.
If you or a loved one were in a car crash and sustained a traumatic brain injury, call Personal Injury Attorney Chelsie M. Lamie at 727-501-3464 for a free consultation. You can also learn more about Attorney Lamie by visiting www.chelsielamie.com.