Car accidents can have devastating consequences. While some people in a car accident are lucky enough to end up with just a few bruises and scratches, injuries such as sprains, strains, bone fractures, cuts, burns, and whiplash are common.
As you can easily imagine, most of these injuries are quite easy to diagnose. But unfortunately, in the case of traumatic brain injuries, symptoms can take a long time to appear. Brain injuries can be completely invisible, which makes them difficult to diagnose.
Have you, or someone you love, been injured in a car accident? Watch out for these signs of brain injury after a car accident, which could appear days or weeks after the collision. You should also contact a Whitby personal injury lawyer for a legal consultation. The lawyer may advise steps to help you seek compensation for your injuries.
Keep in mind that even a mild traumatic brain injury could have long-term consequences on your life, especially if you ignore the signs and don’t seek medical attention and the treatment you need.
Physical symptoms
The physical symptoms of a brain injury are among the symptoms you should be able to notice on your own. But you might not be able to notice them right after the accident since you might have contusions and other injuries that cause you constant pain.
As your body heals and you go back to your normal daily activities, however, you could start noticing physical symptoms such as:
- Loss of balance
- Coordination issues
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty reading
- Difficulty concentrating
- Loss of energy
- Fatigue
- Loss of sex drive
- Dizziness
- Sensitivity to light, sound and touch
- Changes in vision, taste or smell
- Sleep issues
- Seizures
- Slurred speech
- Numbness of the fingers and toes
- Heightened awareness of pain and discomfort
Feeling tired or experiencing sleep issues can be normal after a car accident. But if you are experiencing at least a few signs from this list regularly, you need to see a doctor.
Cognitive symptoms
As your body recovers from physical injuries after a car accident, you might appear perfectly normal to your doctor and your neighbours. However, your family and your friends might be able to notice some changes in your behaviour.
You might even be able to notice some serious changes in your thought processes. The cognitive symptoms of a brain injury include:
- Memory loss
- Forgetfulness
- Confusion and disorientation
- Short attention span
- Brain fatigue
- Slowed thinking
- Inability to organize thoughts
- Longer response time
- Difficulty driving
- Impaired comprehension
- Inability to multitask
- Inability to focus
- Difficulty in recalling words or spelling them
- Difficulty thinking in noisy environments
- Difficulty in following conversations
- Difficulty in inhibiting certain behaviours
If you feel like you are constantly in a fog following your car accident, this could be due to a traumatic brain injury. Even a small blow to the head could be enough to affect different areas of your life, and you need to be concerned about symptoms such as brain fatigue and memory problems.
Do yourself a favour and see a doctor as soon as possible.
Emotional symptoms
Brain injuries can have emotional symptoms as well. Many emotional symptoms of traumatic brain injuries are also common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, which can make it more complicated to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.
You might suffer from a traumatic brain injury if you do not feel like yourself after being involved in a car accident. Emotional symptoms include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Apathy and lack of interest
- Low motivation
- Shaken sense of self
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty managing emotions
- Frustration
- Anger
- Sudden emotional outbursts
- Mania
- Fearfulness
- Hypervigilance
- Agitated behaviour
- Nightmares
- Feelings of helplessness
- Gullibility
- Easily feeling overloaded
You might be able to notice some of these changes in yourself. But if your loved ones tell you they are concerned about you because they noticed changes in your personality, you should trust their words.
See a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. If you struggle with PTSD instead of a traumatic brain injury, you still need some medical attention.
Medical attention
If you notice just a few signs of traumatic brain injury, it’s important to seek medical attention and get a proper diagnosis. Keep in mind that symptoms of a brain injury might not appear right after a car accident. Still, it’s always a good idea to see a doctor immediately after getting involved in a car accident, even if you feel fine.
A mild traumatic brain injury might not require any treatment, but a severe one might lead to a lengthy hospital stay, medication, and rehabilitation.
A brain injury could negatively affect every area of your life, so it’s primordial to get the help you need as quickly as possible.
