A car accident is a confusing and frightening experience, even when no one suffers serious injuries. Unfortunately, even minor accidents can cause significant harm if a victim of the accident hits their head during the collision. Even a seemingly small blow to the head can produce a brain injury that impacts many parts of a victim’s life. Without proper treatment, these destructive symptoms can last up to a year.
If you experience a car accident and do not think you suffered any injuries, you should always go to a doctor for a full medical examination, just to be sure. For many victims, a sense of relief floods over them when they regain composure after an accident and don’t feel any serious pain or see signs of injury. It is reasonable to feel this relief, and we should always be grateful for avoiding injuries and harm, but it is unwise to allow that relief to keep you from undergoing a medical examination that may help find hidden injuries, like a brain injury from a blow to the head.
If you suffer a minor brain injury, you may not realize it. However, the symptoms that follow can alter your ability to focus, communicate and control emotional responses to stress, and can easily put your job and personal relationships in jeopardy.
A minor injury?
The brain is generally considered the most complex object in the known universe, or at least pretty close. Scientifically speaking, you experience every part of your life through your brain. The signals it sends to the rest of your body, and relatively small changes in the brain, can produce massive changes in your experience and the way you relate to others and respond to stress.
If a brain injury occurs and does not receive proper treatment as soon as possible, the victim may suddenly find that they cannot do simple tasks that they have done many times before, or that they cannot make themselves do something that they understand is possible.
Similarly, minor brain injury victims often respond irrationally to minor frustrations and may seem volatile or even dangerous to those around them. Unless the victim and those around understand that these changes in behavior are caused by a brain injury, the behavior may quickly lead to job loss and strained or broken personal and professional relationships.
Minor brain injuries also commonly cause disconnections in a victim’s brain between the words they know and their ability to understand contextual meaning. Often, the victim does not even realize that they misinterpreted something they read or heard until this causes frustrating complications.
Protect your future now
If you believe that you suffered a blow to the head in a car accident, you must protect your rights quickly. Without proper protection, your whole life may suffer significantly, and those around you may suffer as well. A strong legal strategy and personal injury claim helps you obtain the treatment you need and compensation you deserve.