In the movies or in popular media, when someone hurts their brain in a car accident or a fall, there are immediate visual signifiers of their internal injury. It is very popular to depict bleeding from orifices on the head as a symptom of a brain injury, but such obvious warning signs are not as common as the media might make people think.
The actual symptoms people develop after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are different for everyone based on the location of the brain injury and how severe it is. Not everyone will have noticeable signs at the scene of an accident. For many people, symptoms develop the next day or even later as bruising or bleeding inside the skull progresses and increases the pressure on the brain. While there is no one universal symptom to indicate that someone likely has a TBI, there is a warning sign that people ignore frequently to their own detriment.
Losing consciousness is a direct warning sign
Some people might claim that they passed out during the crash due to shock or pain, but that usually isn’t what happens. Those who lose consciousness during a car crash often do so because of head trauma. Either striking their head on something or shaking their head too aggressively results in injury to the brain, which causes a momentary loss of consciousness. Given that it may only last for a few seconds or a couple of minutes, people made dismiss what is actually a bright red flag warning them of a possible brain injury as a simple side effect of trauma.
Those who black out often need medical care
Anyone who loses consciousness during a crash or in its immediate aftermath is at higher risk than other people involved in the same wreck of a brain injury. Especially if they have a headache, feel nauseous or experience any other symptoms that could be a warning sign of a brain injury, they will likely benefit from having a medical professional carefully evaluate.
Getting an early diagnosis can help someone secure better medical treatment and may improve their chances of pursuing a successful insurance claim and/or lawsuit after a brain injury caused by a car crash.
