If you've suffered an injury caused by a motor vehicle accident, then you'll know first hand how much suffering and pain it can inflict on one's life.
One of the worst injuries that can occur through a vehicle accident is that of brain, neck and head trauma. It is also one of the leading causes of death and disability resulting from motor vehicle accident.
Damage and trauma resulting from car accident can cause irreversible damage that may affect the victim permanently. A person's speech, mobility and ability to function can be destroyed, resulting in long-term rehabilitation, expensive and reconstructive surgery and no guarantee of return to the normality experienced before the accident occured.
Following are some of the brain, head and neck injuries a person may suffer due to car accident.
Head trauma due to motor vehicle accident
Head trauma during an accident normally occurs when the head impacts something hard. This could be the windshield, a dashboard, a window, roof of the vehicle or resulting from being thrown from the vehicle.
The first thing that will be impacted is our skin and other structures such as the eyes or skeletal structures like the nose, jaw and the skull. Oftentimes severe lacerations may occur and will need immediate attention. Some victims of head trauma may find themselves disfigured depending on the extensiveness of their trauma and may need to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery.
Closed head injuries are often referred to as concussion. Someone who has experienced this type of head trauma may lose consciousness or become comatose. Closed head injuries can be dangerous as bleeding and swelling of the brain can occur, oftentimes days to weeks after the accident.
Due to an impact it can often cause the head to whip forward and back in such a severe manner that the brain will move. This can cause bruising to the brain, which may result in headache, dizziness and problems concentrating, and short term memory loss. If the damage is severe, other areas of functioning can be effected.
The more extensive the closed head trauma is can result in brain dysfunction. As the brain is the epicenter of every part of a person's life from speech, mobility and even personality, damage to the brain is extremely dangerous.
Brain injury due to motor vehicle accident
Sometimes a head may be impacted so hard that it will cause an open head injury or a penetrating head injury. This is when the scalp and skull has been fractured and is an extremely serious injury. Due to the function of the brain, the result of this sort of injury can be debilitating, devastating and sometimes fatal.
There are many different types of brain injury that can occur due to car accidents. Some damage may involve surgery; extensive rehabilitation and sometimes a person may receive permanent brain damage. How the brain is affected will depend on blood flow into the brain, the extent of the damage to nerves and other important functions the brain controls and where the damage has occurred.
Blood carries oxygen to the brain and may be hindered due to head injury. A hematoma (blood clot) can form in the skull and within the brain tissue. This can be extremely dangerous and will require immediate surgery.
Neck injury caused by accident
At the base of the brain is the brain stem, which connects to the spinal cord and is located in the base of our necks. Damage to this area can result in the loss of many vital functions such as our heart rate and our breathing. The spinal cords main function is to transmit neural information from the brain to our nervous systems.
Impact caused by accident can often result in the head and neck being subjected to severe trauma. Damage to the spinal cord, even slight or minor damage can cause extensive and permanent damage.
Some common injuries associated with this are pinched nerves, herniated or separating of discs in the neck and spinal cord or fractured vertebrae. Due to the number of nerves in this area, damage can be extensive.
Head, neck and brain trauma is often a serious injury when caused by motor vehicle accident. Most often it leads to extensive surgery, emotional turmoil, financial distress and lengthy rehabilitation that may not lead to a quality of life the victim may have had prior to the accident.
If you have suffered from any of the above type of injury due to car accident, you may be entitled to compensation for the costs and suffering you've endured.