Seeking prompt medical attention after a car accident is important. Most people in Illinois already know this, but the prospect of hefty medical bills scares many victims into ignoring their symptoms. Instead, it might feel easier to just go home even when those symptoms signal a larger problem — a brain injury.
Brain injuries happen more often than you might think. When the sudden jolt of a blow impacts a person’s head, the resulting injury can interfere with his or her brain function. Foreign objects that penetrate a person’s skull can also cause serious injury. All of these situations can happen in a car accident, so it is easy to see why motor vehicle accidents are one of the most common causes of brain injuries.
Can you recognize brain injury symptoms?
In general, you should start feeling symptoms of a brain injury pretty soon after the accident. Those symptoms will not necessarily start up right away, though. This means that if you are involved in an accident you should carefully monitor yourself for some of the following:
- Severe headaches
- Weak limbs
- Excessive drowsiness or loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Loss of vision or dizziness
- Slurred speech
- Nausea or vomiting
- Numbness
Do not try and second guess yourself or wonder if your symptoms could be related to something else. There is no time to wait when it comes to brain injuries. Timely medical intervention is essential and can sometimes improve victims’ outcomes.
How doctors diagnose brain injuries
One of the first tests your doctor might perform is the Glasgow Coma Scale Test. When patients are experiencing brain injury symptoms, doctors use this test to see if they can follow simple directions. This helps medical providers determine just how serious an injury may be.
Depending on the results, your doctor might give you an MRI or CT scan. This is so that he or she can get a better idea of what is actually going on in your brain. Your doctor might also want to talk with anyone else who witnessed or was involved in the accident.
Common brain injury treatments
The course of treatment will depend on the type and severity of your brain injury. Treatment for very mild injuries might involve over-the-counter medicine for pain and lots of rest. You could also need anti-seizure medications, surgery and long-term rehabilitative therapy.
Suffering any kind of brain injury can change the course of your entire future. Not only do you need to deal with your immediate needs like getting medical care, but you have medical bills, lost wages and maybe even a lost career path to think about. Do not wait to get the help you need for addressing these damages. Instead, you should ask an experienced attorney about how you can recover necessary compensation with a personal injury lawsuit.