The human brain operates on a mere 20 watts of power, yet it contains around 86 billion neurons capable of processing information at speeds of up to 268 miles per hour. Even though the brain is just 2% of a person’s body weight, it consumes 20% of your total oxygen intake. Your brain is also extremely fragile and vulnerable to damage.
Most traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur from some level of blunt force. However, you can sustain a TBI in a car accident from a sudden jolt or rapid movement without ever striking your head. When that kind of injury is caused by another driver’s negligent actions, you owe it to yourself to speak to an Odessa traumatic brain injury attorney to seek a path towards compensation.
Before you can determine the extent of your expenses, you need to have a thorough diagnosis.
Common Symptoms of a Concussion After a Vehicle Collision
In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, your body will release adrenaline as a protective response. This is encoded in our DNA to allow us to flee a dangerous situation. When the perceived immediate danger is removed and you calm down, adrenaline levels decrease. That is when the symptoms of a TBI can arise. If you’ve been involved in any type of car accident where your head was struck or you were jolted, you’ll want to watch out for the following symptoms:
- Physical: You might experience lingering headaches or head pressure, dizziness, balance issues, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, sensitivity to light/noise, and ringing in the ears.
- Cognitive: A concussion is considered a mild TBI that can trigger cognitive issues such as confusion, difficulty focusing, feeling mentally “slowed down,” and amnesia regarding the crash details.
- Emotional: You might experience changes in your mood that manifest as unusual irritability, nervousness, anxiety, sadness, or a general feeling of not being yourself.
- Sleep Disturbances: If you are sleeping significantly more or less than usual, or experiencing lingering fatigue after the accident, it could be a sign of a concussion.
Even though the early symptoms of a concussion might seem mild, they can change during recovery. If you experience severe headaches, repeated vomiting, or loss of consciousness, seek emergency medical care immediately.
Clinical Methods for Diagnosing an Invisible Brain Injury
If you know you’ve suffered head trauma from a car accident, you want to err on the side of caution and seek out a medical evaluation. In the emergency room or urgent care, that evaluation can utilize the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS scores a patient’s ability to open their eyes, as well as their verbal and motor responses, on a scale of 3 to 15. A mild TBI typically yields a score between 13 and 15.
A doctor can conduct standardized cognitive and behavioral tests to measure an individual’s speech, problem-solving, memory, and reasoning skills. The doctor might also use eye-tracking technology and balance assessments to help identify subtle impairments.
When the primary evaluations are inconclusive, your doctor might order the following types of tests:
- Blood Biomarker Tests: These are FDA-cleared tests that measure specific brain proteins, such as GFAP and UCH-L1, that leak into the bloodstream after trauma. If the biomarkers suggest a brain injury, a CT or MRI scan can be ordered to confirm.
- Advanced Neuroimaging: If a standard CT fails to detect an injury but the symptoms persist, a neurologist might order different, more targeted scans such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging (SWI). These can both visualize microscopic axonal injuries and micro-hemorrhages.
- Electroencephalogram (qEEG): Quantitative EEGs assess the brain’s electrical activity, revealing functional and metabolic aspects of injury that are imperceptible on anatomical scans.
Once your TBI is confirmed, a treatment plan can be put into place, and you’ll have a better understanding of what needs to be done and how much it will cost.
Why Prompt Medical Documentation Is Vital for Your Claim
After any type of car accident, it is important to seek immediate medical attention for your well-being, but that is especially true with a head trauma injury. It is also important to provide that documentation as part of your future personal injury claim.
Prompt medical documentation is vital for your car accident claim because it creates a concrete timeline establishing a direct causal link between the crash and your injuries. Without an immediate, objective record, insurance companies may deny liability or downplay the severity of your condition.
That same medical documentation will also generate a list of all the expenses you have associated with the injury. You’ll need this as proof of the damages that you’re seeking. If you want to pursue compensation, you’ll benefit from speaking with the attorneys at Barrera Law Group LLC. We have guided many Odessa residents through the insurance claims process after they were involved in an accident caused by another driver.
Call our offices to set up a free consultation and find out what should happen next. The symptoms from a mild TBI might fade, but that doesn’t mean you should be stuck with the medical bills or the lost income from your recovery.