Every year, millions of people die and suffer injuries due to road accidents. The most common type of injury sustained during these crashes is head injuries. Knowing how delicate the head is, these injuries can range from fatal to non-fatal, but ultimately, any head injury has the potential to affect one’s life permanently.
In some cases, victims of auto accidents are entitled to some compensation after sustaining a head injury during an accident. Hiring the services of a traumatic brain injury lawyer in Toronto can help you determine what legal actions you can take to claim maximum compensation. These lawyers are expert negotiators with a full grasp of the law.
Below are some of the most common head injuries sustained from an auto accident. It is important to immediately seek medical attention if you’ve been involved in an accident or suspect you’ve suffered any of these injuries.
- Concussion
This is one of the most common types of traumatic brain injury during an auto accident. An individual can suffer a concussion when their head strikes a hard surface, affecting their brain due to the sudden change in momentum.
Concussions range from very mild to very severe and are accompanied by a host of symptoms such as nausea, sudden confusion, headaches, a temporary loss of consciousness, vomiting, tinnitus, short-term amnesia, fatigue and slurred speech.
- Penetration
Probably one of the most severe head injuries sustained during an auto crash is penetration. Having something penetrate the head can be fatal. A penetration injury occurs when an external object pierces into the skull of an individual due to the impact of the crash.
During car accidents, many objects inside and even outside the vehicle can suddenly become projectiles capable of causing severe harm. Some of the complications that arise from penetration wounds are heavy bleeding, seizure, difficulty breathing, loss of limb movements and sensation, loss of consciousness, coma, loss of bladder and bowel function and bleeding from the eyes and ears.
- Contusion
A victim in an auto crash may suffer a contusion when their brain gets bruised because of a direct impact on their head with an external or fixed object. A common scenario would be the driver or passenger colliding with the steering wheel, windows, or any other hard surface in a car.
Symptoms that could arise from a contusion may include loss of consciousness, numbness, or a tingling feeling in the affected area.
In more severe instances, you may suffer facial deformation, which can lead to damaged dentition. In that case, you would require the services of a dentist in Bolton to bring back your smile.
- Coup-contrecoup
When your brain suddenly jerks in your skull, you suffer a coup-contrecoup injury. This is a very common head injury in auto accidents where the vehicle rolls over because they are extremely forceful and violent.
Due to the impact, the brain violently collides with both interior sides of the skull, causing damage to both sides of the brain. A person suffering a coup-contrecoup injury would experience symptoms such as a fractured skull, swollen brain, bleeding brain, loss of consciousness, amnesia, nausea, mood alteration, blurred vision, seizures, headache, fatigue, slurred speech, tinnitus and light sensitivity.
- Diffuse Axonal
This type of head injury occurs when there is severe rotation or rigorous shaking in one’s head. A victim can suffer a diffuse axonal during a car accident when their vehicle stops abruptly, and their brain moves more slowly than their skull.
A diffuse axonal injury is very common in high-speed auto accidents. It leads to several kinds of symptoms, such as the tearing of some brain structures, loss of consciousness, nausea, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and lightheadedness.