If you’ve been involved in a collision, one of the injuries that you have to watch out for is a traumatic brain injury. A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can only be officially diagnosed with a medical examination and imaging tests, but there are symptoms that may be signs of a dangerous brain injury that you can recognize.
Some of the signs and symptoms of a brain injury include:
- Slurred speech
- Weakness in the arms and legs
- Mood changes
- Changes in behavior
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness or a loss of balance, vertigo
- Changes in sleeping habits
- Trouble walking
- Difficulty remembering
Some more serious symptoms may include:
- Convulsions or seizures
- Trouble staying awake
- A loss of consciousness
- Unequal dilation of the pupils
All these, and other, symptoms could be a sign that your brain has been injured.
Do you have to hit your head to suffer a brain injury?
No, even if you haven’t hit your head, you could still have a brain injury. For example, if you suffer from whiplash, your brain may have impacted the inside of your skull as it was thrown forward and backwards. This can still lead to bleeding, bruising and symptoms of a brain injury. The symptoms are likely to worsen as the brain swells or if bleeding occurs.
Getting a diagnosis is vital for victims of brain injuries
Getting a diagnosis to show that you have a brain injury and to describe the type of injury you have is important. Usual diagnosis tools include a magnetic resonance imaging scan, a computerized tomography scan, an X-ray, a physical examination and others.
If you are involved in a car crash or hit your head, it is important to go to the emergency room and to have a full medical examination even if you feel fine. Allow the medical team to perform the needed testing and to identify if you have a brain injury, so you can begin to receive treatment as soon as possible. Doing this may help minimize the impact of the brain injury and even prevent it from worsening. You can ask that the at-fault party cover the expenses related to this medical care.