MVA’s and TBI’s: Here’s What You Need to Know!
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries resulting in hospitalization.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) most often occurs due to a sudden strike of the brain against the skull, violent shaking, or a blow to the head from another object.
Even at low speeds the force of impact can still be great enough that it causes damage to the brain.
These types of injuries are most common in motor vehicle accidents that are the result of negligence, like a drunk driving accident or a distracted driving accident, where one victim’s life is changed forever.
If you or someone you love has suffered a brain injury as the result of a motor vehicle accident, contact Marcari, Russotto, Spencer & Balaban right away!
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
A traumatic brain injury is one which is caused by a violent blow to the head, because of the head being jammed forward, similarly to the motion of whiplash.
A traumatic brain injury can also occur when an object penetrates the skull itself, damaging brain tissue — this can occur if a motor vehicle accident is serious enough that pieces of the vehicle come apart upon impact.
These types of injuries are classified under three categories: mild, moderate, or severe.
The level of severity associated with a traumatic brain injury is typically determined using underlying factors, such as how long the person lost consciousness, if they suffer from post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), and the results of their brain imaging scan.
What are the Symptoms of a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury?
The symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury may look like the following:
- No loss of consciousness, or a brief loss that lasts seconds/minutes.
- Post-traumatic amnesia, that lasts for less than 60 minutes after the traumatic brain injury occurs.
- Brain imaging scan results appear normal.
What are the Symptoms of a Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury?
A moderate traumatic brain injury has similar but vastly different indicators – doctors would still look for the sign like the loss of consciousness and post-traumatic amnesia, however, the patient in question would most likely be experiencing those for much closer to 24 hours, if not longer.
A brain imaging scan would also be done, as with a mild traumatic brain injury, however, clear abnormalities would show, leading doctors to make a different diagnosis.
What are the Symptoms of a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury?
A severe traumatic brain injury has much worse ramifications:
- Patient loses consciousness for more than 24 hours and goes into a coma.
- Post-traumatic amnesia lasts for more than 24 hours after the traumatic brain injury.
- Brain imaging scan shows permanent damage to brain tissue.
What is Whiplash?
While a whiplash injury is not considered a traumatic brain injury, it can put you at risk for one.
Some symptoms of a whiplash injury to look out for are most typically:
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Fatigue.
- Neck Pain.
- Numbness of Upper Extremities.
- Cognitive Difficulties.
Whiplash is commonly caused by rear-end car accidents, but, can also result from sports accidents, physical abuse and other types of traumas, such as a fall.
What is a Concussion?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury – after being involved in a motor vehicle accident, it is best to take notice of any of the below symptoms:
- Headaches.
- Losing Consciousness.
- Confusion.
- Memory Loss.
- Dizziness.
- Ringing in Ears.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Slurred Speech.
- Fatigue.
- Trouble Responding to Others.
Concussions can be quite serious, with symptoms lingering for a while after the initial incident.
After a concussion, it is best to seek immediate medical care, follow your doctor’s orders, get lots of rest, and monitor all symptoms closely.
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, which is commonly caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.
Signs of a Traumatic Brain Injury:
A severe, life-altering, traumatic brain injury may include any of the following:
- Convulsions.
- Seizures.
- Pupil Dilation.
- Fluid from Nose or Ears.
- Unable to Wake from Sleep.
- Limb Weakness.
- Lack of Coordination.
- Extreme Confusion.
- Slurred Speech.
- Unusual Behavior.
- Coma.
Those that have suffered from traumatic brain injuries will typically also suffer from damage that can drastically change their quality of life.
This can certainly have serious effects on a person’s mental and emotional health leading to immense pain and suffering, mental anguish, and the development of psychological issues, like depression.
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