The human brain not only controls memory and personality but also someone’s physical capabilities. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause a broad assortment of different symptoms depending on how someone hurts their brain and what part of the brain the injury affects.
Severe TBIs can cause a variety of challenges, possibly including a need for life support in extreme cases. Car crashes are one of the most common causes of moderate or severe brain injuries in the United States. Why do collisions so frequently lead to brain injuries?
There are many ways for a crash to hurt someone’s brain
The most obvious mechanism for a significant brain injury in a car crash is blunt force trauma. People may hit their heads on the steering wheel or the window of the vehicle. Those thrown from a vehicle can also develop a TBI. Blunt force trauma can cause bleeding or swelling that will result in a TBI.
Even if someone does not hit their head, the violence of a car crash could very easily cause a brain injury. The motion of the vehicles during the collision could cause the brain to move violently inside the skull. Scenarios in which vehicles roll over or spin could easily produce a TBI.
Occasionally, a brain injury might occur because of penetrating injuries. Glass and other shrapnel from the crash can penetrate someone’s skull and potentially injure the brain. In rare cases where a collision leads to an explosion, the percussive force of the explosion will potentially lead to a brain injury.
Any of those mechanisms could cause significant damage to someone’s brain that will require medical intervention. Brain injuries often carry significant price tags because of the medical care that they necessitate. They can also have an impact on someone’s earning potential. Brain injuries that affect motor function or cognition can force people to leave well-paid professions. More severe brain injuries might leave someone completely unable to work.
Car crash TBIs often lead to sizable insurance claims and can necessitate personal injury lawsuits in some cases. Knowing what risks someone faces after a crash may help them take the right steps to protect their interests, such as seeking prompt medical evaluation to rule out or diagnose a TBI and seeking legal guidance to pursue compensation from an at-fault party.