Head Trauma from a Car Accident Can Cause a TBI Without Your Knowing It

Following the shock accompanying a car accident, you will look the body over for visible injuries and seek medical care to address these wounds. But more debilitating trauma may go undetected, leaving an accident victim vulnerable to injuries that become more difficult to associate with the car accident as time passes. Head trauma in a car accident is not always visible, and it can take days or weeks before symptoms begin to appear.

Being involved in an Atlanta car accident can impact your life and change it forever, particularly when a traumatic brain injury (TBI) goes undetected immediately following an accident. The steps that are taken following a car accident can make the difference in receiving the help you need to address severe traumatic brain injury that may not be outwardly visible.

Why Choose Us

The Stoddard Firm has witnessed the devastation of undetected TBIs following a Georgia car accident. A skilled team that possesses the experience to prove your brain injury resulted from the accident is vital to getting the help you deserve. Our firm provides each client with the following:

• Extensive dedication to uncovering the facts of an Atlanta car accident to prove negligence led to a TBI and how these actions impact the lives of our clients
• An investment in your healing, understanding that TBIs can be life-altering, requiring immediate care to protect against long-term effects
• Aggressive representation in a courtroom environment when negotiations with insurance companies fail to produce the results you need.

Our team of car accident attorneys in Atlanta will guide you through the complex legal process, keep in contact so you know what lies ahead, and provide answers to questions to allow you to make the best decisions for your recovery. In addition, we collect no fees until we secure a victory for you.

Car Accidents Often Cause TBIs

The sheer impact of two vehicles colliding together thrusts occupants’ heads in multiple directions, which may produce a violent crashing of the brain with the skull. While the body remains restrained by a seatbelt, the head forcefully snaps back and forth, creating the potential for a traumatic brain injury.

TBIs Often Leave no Visible Injury

TBIs can be difficult to initially identify because these injuries may be classified as closed brain injuries. Closed brain injuries occur when there are no penetrating injuries through the skull or into the brain. They result from the forceful back-and-forth shaking of the brain that may lead to tearing in the brain tissue or blood vessels and bruising.

It may be simple to dismiss the possibility of a TBI following a car accident when no penetrating injury exists. Adrenaline may also play a part in the lack of pain or symptoms associated with the sudden impact causing a brain injury. But even more notable is that traumatic brain injuries may take time to become recognizable.

Symptoms May be Subtle or Delayed

Brain injuries may be classified into two categories.

• Primary brain injuries: Injuries to the brain occurring at the time of the accident resulting in sudden, noticeable trauma that completes at the moment of impact
• Secondary brain injuries: Evolving trauma that presents hours or days following the primary injury. These traumas produce stages of slower changes impacting the brain’s tissue, chemicals, cells, and vessels, resulting in further deterioration of the brain.

Why TBIs are Serious if Untreated

When undetected, the trauma of secondary brain injuries resulting from the primary injury may lead to the following injuries cited by the National Library of Medicine:

• Ischemic and hypoxic damage
• Cerebral edema
• Increased intracranial pressure
• Hydrocephalus
• Infection.

Swelling in the brain’s tissue, low blood pressure and pressure inside the skull may lead to a lack of critical oxygen, which is necessary to keep the brain functioning correctly.

Intracranial Pressure Prevents Blood Flow

Generally, swelling accompanies an injury to the body. Unlike other body parts, the brain, constrained by the skull, has nowhere for the swelling to go except to produce pressure against the skull, which may lead to a lack of blood in the brain’s tissue.

Neurochemical Interruption Disturbs Neurological Function

Neurotransmitters in the brain are responsible for carrying signals throughout the nervous system. When the chemistry of the brain is disrupted by a TBI, behavioral and cognitive abilities may be impacted. Identifying and addressing secondary brain injuries creates an avenue for addressing these symptoms and may help reduce long-term damage.

Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury

When TBIs produce no visible injuries, symptoms may slowly become present over time, with their origins becoming challenging to identify as injuries associated with a car accident. The symptoms that are experienced may be attributed to other illnesses or previously existing injuries, which may provide an additional layer of complication requiring the experience of a knowledgeable Atlanta brain injury lawyer. Symptoms to be aware of include:

• Headache or worsening headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Numbness or weakening of the fingers and toes
• Blurred vision
• Drowsiness or fatigue
• Balancing challenges.

Infants’ and children’s symptoms may be more challenging to identify, but these behaviors may be observed:

• Uncharacteristic irritability
• Changes in sleeping patterns
• Lethargy
• Constant crying
• A loss of attention in toys and activities
• Seizures.

Why Medical Care is Vital to Detect TBI Following an Atlanta Car Accident

Getting medical care and early intervention can lead to timely detection through diagnostic testing when you have suffered a TBI but don’t know it. Additionally, it provides the necessary documentation to help a car accident attorney in Atlanta help you secure the compensation you deserve to create a care plan for your injuries and potentially prevent severe long-term damage.

Contact an Experienced Atlanta Car Accident Attorney

Diagnosing and treating TBI resulting from a car accident is a complex process, especially when an injury victim is unaware of their injuries and does not seek immediate treatment. However, these are all challenges we are prepared to handle effectively to get the results to benefit your recovery.

The Stoddard Firm offers vital support in a time of overwhelming uncertainty. Let us go to work for you.  Schedule a free consultation by contacting us at 470-467-2200.