Car accidents can be emotionally stimulating events. In fact, they have a tendency to kick the “fight or flight” response into high gear, sending a rush of adrenaline throughout the body. What does adrenaline do? It blocks pain, sometimes for hours or even days. While this can be vital when you’re running from an armed robber in a dark parking lot, it can act against you at the car accident scene.
Car accidents can be frightening events so this fight or flight response is logical but can also keep you from noticing the severity of your injuries. You can sustain a head injury or a concussion in a car accident and be completely oblivious of what just happened.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to be in a crash and to climb out of their car and claim, “I’m okay, I’m not injured!” However, once the adrenaline wears off, the pain starts to set in. While soft tissue injuries are common in most car accidents, even low-speed crashes, perhaps a bigger concern is a concussion, which can be caused by a blow to the head or by a sudden jolt that shakes the brain, banging it against the skull. Concussions are considered to be closed-head injuries.
Closed head injuries can lead to swelling of the brain and pressure in the brain. Both of these can permanently destroy your brain tissues and nerve cells leading to permanent brain damage.
Signs & Symptoms of a Concussion
Some of the signs of a concussion are obvious from the start, such as nausea and vomiting. Other signs, are less noticeable and can take days to manifest. Signs and symptoms of a concussion, include but are not limited to:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Seizures
- Ringing in the ears
- Sleep problems
- Depression
- Irritability
- Slurred speech
- Sensitivity to noise and light
- Personality changes
If you were recently in an auto accident and you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you could be suffering from a concussion. You should seek medical attention without delay, and contact our firm for a free consultation with our head injury attorneys. Call 1-800-444-5309. We have offices in Scranton, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and will travel to you.
