It only takes a second in a car accident to hit your head, but the consequences can last for years. Even if a blow to the head in a car accident seemed minor, you still need immediate care and attention from a medical professional. You can have a concussion, brain bleed, or even brain damage.
Next, you should talk to a car accident attorney to determine if your case can lead to compensation. A head injury from a car accident is often a serious matter. Your auto accident attorney can help file a personal injury claim or lawsuit for medical bills and other damages.
Did You Hit Your Head During The Auto Accident?
Vehicle occupants often hit their heads in car accidents. Even a minor accident may cause you to hit your head on the window, steering wheel, or roof. The head injury may not seem severe initially, but even a mild bump on the head can cause serious medical consequences.
Some auto accident victims may brush off a bump on the head, only to discover they wake the next day with a severe headache, balance problems, and more. This is why you should always go to the ER after a car accident where you hit your head. Even a so-called mild concussion can cause problems with memory, motor skills, and cognitive function.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
When you hit your head in a car crash, it may disturb the brain’s normal functions. Your brain can suffer trauma, such as bleeding, bruising, or compression. There can be damage to your vision, hearing, speaking, comprehension, or motor control.
Many accident victims lose consciousness in the crash, even if only for a few seconds. If your brain suffers from a lack of oxygen, you can have catastrophic medical consequences, including death.
Many secondary injuries to the brain happen if the brain starts to swell as a reaction to the initial injury. If doctors can’t decrease the pressure, severe injury or death is almost inevitable.
Other accident victims suffer penetrating injuries to the head, such as when objects fly around in the car during the accident. Glass or metal can embed themselves in the skull and cause major damage.
Types of Head Injuries in Car Accidents
Auto accident victims may suffer many types of head injuries, even ones that seem only a bump on the head initially. In the worst case, the victim can be in a coma or vegetative state without immediate care. Note that you might not detect many head injuries at first:
Concussions
A bump on the head in a car accident can cause a concussion. You may notice blurred vision, loss of consciousness, or nausea.
Most people recover from a concussion in one or two months. However, more severe concussions can cause lasting damage and symptoms.
Contusions
A cerebral contusion is bruising of the brain. When you strike your head in a car accident, the injury caused to the brain is more severe than a concussion.
You can experience one of these injuries:
- Coup: The injury to the brain is directly under the part of the skull that experienced the blow.
- Contrecoup: The brain injury is on the opposite side of the head from the crash impact.
- Coup-contrecoup: The brain suffers two injuries, one at the point of impact and also on the other side.
Diffuse Axonal Injury
This is when brain nerve fibers tear because of twisting forces, which commonly happens in car accidents. You may have severe effects on your cognitive functions, including memory, reasoning, and communication. Coma or death are also possible.
Penetrating Head Injuries
This injury is when an object penetrates the skull, such as an object inside the vehicle. These injuries are often fatal.
Timing Of The Brain Injury And Treatment Are Critical
When a brain injury occurs, the timing of subsequent treatment is vital to recovery. Many accident victims have a bump on the head during the accident. They may feel fine at first, but a secondary injury can take a few hours to appear. It can also take time for the brain to bleed or swell and cause symptoms.
That is why you should get immediate medical treatment when you suspect a head injury. Also, it’s recommended that patients always go to the ER after an auto accident to check for head and other injuries.
Retaining a car accident lawyer quickly is critical, too, but their ability to assist can be limited if you don’t get fast medical treatment after your brain injury. Waiting days to receive medical care for a head injury can limit your ability to collect compensation. Thus, always seek immediate medical care after a bump on the head in a car accident.
Types Of Auto Accidents That Cause Head Injuries
When other drivers violate traffic laws and endanger the safety of others, there’s a good chance a severe crash will happen. If it happens to you, a serious head injury can be the result. Some of the most common car accidents that can cause you to hit your head are:
Rear-End Crash
A rear-end crash happens when the front of the rear vehicle hits the back of another vehicle. This accident can cause you to hit your head on the car’s roof, dashboard, or steering wheel.
Sideswipe Crash
A sideswipe accident happens when a car brushes against the side of yours, usually going in the opposite direction. The initial impact may cause you to lose control and hit other vehicles or objects.
T-Bone Crash
A T-bone crash happens when the front of a car hits the middle of another in an intersection. This type of crash can cause a severe head injury if your head hits the windshield, window, or roof of the car.
Head-On Crash
A head-on collision is when two cars hit each other head-on, such as when a sleepy driver drifts into oncoming traffic. These crashes may lead to severe or fatal head injuries.
The violent force of any of these crashes may cause your body to be thrown forward, backward, or sideways, causing your head to hit something. A head injury can come from the head whipping back and forth.
Immediate Steps To Take After A Car Accident Head Injury
If you hit your head in a car accident or think you did:
Get Immediate Medical Attention
Go immediately to the hospital from the accident scene if you hit your head. The longer you wait before getting medical treatment, the more serious the brain injury can become.
Fast medical care can minimize brain injury damage. Rapid medical care also ensures you have a full array of legal options if you want to file a claim against the liable driver later.
Follow Your Treatment Plan
After the initial treatment, the doctor may give you a treatment regimen to complete. Follow the treatment plan to ensure the best recovery completely. You must also complete the treatment plan to show the liable insurance company that you follow the doctor’s instructions.
Not following up on your doctor’s orders can lead to less compensation in your claim.
Keep All Case-Related Documents
Keep a file with all of your medical bills and records. You also should have a copy of the police report, eyewitness contact information, any photos and videos you have of the accident scene, etc. Turn all of these critical documents over to your attorney.
Attend All Medical Appointments
Some head injuries are difficult to detect, and an insurance company may question your injury. It can lead to the adjuster offering less compensation than you deserve. If this happens, your attorney can retain a medical expert to provide their expert opinion about the injury.
The medical expert may:
- Perform a physical examination, including a neurological exam, to check for brain and nervous system injuries.
- Draft a medical report that relates the head injury to your auto accident.
- Testify, if necessary, in discovery deposition or civil trial.
Ensure that you attend all medical appointments made by your doctors and attorneys. Getting maximum compensation depends on medical professionals stating that your head injury is severe and related to your accident. Attend all scheduled medical examinations to ensure the insurance company knows your injury is serious.
Retain A Car Accident Attorney To Help With Your Head Injury Claim
Retain a skilled car accident attorney if you suffer a head injury in a car accident. Treating head injuries is expensive and may take months or years. Obtaining the most compensation for your head injury requires an attorney who knows how to negotiate with insurance companies and litigate in court when necessary.
Your attorney will:
Investigate the Car Accident
The auto accident attorney will investigate the accident to prove how it happened and who caused it. The attorney will speak with eyewitnesses, talk to you about how the crash happened, review law enforcement reports, and take photos of the crash scene. They will also look for any available surveillance video of the accident.
Your attorney may hire an accident reconstruction expert to show how the crash occurred. They also may retain medical experts to testify about your brain injury and its consequences. You must prove that another party violated their duty of care in the crash and caused your head injury. In a claim or lawsuit, you can only successfully seek compensation for injuries and other losses.
File a Claim
After collecting the accident evidence, your attorney can file a personal injury claim with the liable party’s insurance company. Your car accident attorney will negotiate with the liable driver’s insurance provider to offer a fair settlement.
Head injury care can require hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars of care for the best recovery.
The insurance company may not offer a fair settlement. In that case, your car accident attorney may file a personal injury lawsuit in court.
Litigate In Court
During court litigation, your auto accident lawyer will help with the discovery process and, as needed, represent you in the pre-trial and settlement conferences. If all else fails, your car accident lawyer will represent you in trial and make the most convincing argument for the jury.
Compensation for Damages In A Head Injury Auto Accident Claim
A victim of a severe head injury can recover monetary compensation for damages, depending on the type of injury and who caused it.
First, you may be eligible for compensation for your head injury medical expenses. This compensation may include your initial medical care at the hospital, ambulance costs, surgery, prescription drugs, and rehabilitation.
If you need future medical care, such as surgeries and ongoing medical care at home, you may receive compensation for future medical care.
Second, you may be eligible for lost earning capacity if you cannot work or work in your previous capacity. You also deserve compensation for past and current lost earnings.
Third, your head injury may entitle you to compensation for pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, and inconvenience. Money also may pay for a permanent disability after you hit your head in a car accident.
Remember that only an experienced auto accident attorney can secure maximum compensation for your head injury losses. Attempting to settle on your own with the insurance company will usually result in less compensation than you can have with an attorney.
Speak to a Car Accident Attorney Now
Hitting your head in a car accident can result in life-altering injuries that prevent you from working and living as you did before. If another driver hit and injured you, speak to a car accident attorney immediately. You can recover compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost income.
