Signs of a Brain Injury

August 31, 2022 Posted In Personal Injury

Brain injuries come in a variety of forms and if you or a loved one are involved in a major accident, it is important to recognize the signs of a brain injury in order to not only get medical treatment as soon as possible, but also to document the injury for when you file a lawsuit for your injury. Brain injuries are always life altering in some way and getting proper medical care is important to the recovery process. 

There can be both short term and long term effects from a brain injury and some may not be noticeable right away so it’s important to pay attention to anything suspicious after an accident. 

Symptoms of a brain injury are grouped from mild to moderate and severe. Additionally, symptoms can be physical, but can also be emotional as well. 

Signs of a Mild Brain Injury

Physical signs of a mild brain injury include slurred speech, blurred vision, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light or sound. Most of these symptoms can persist for a few hours to a couple days after the injury, but should subside. If the headaches worsens or the symptoms become prolonged, this is a clear sign of a more serious head injury. 

Mental signs of a mild brain injury include mood swings or abrupt changes in mood, prolonged anxiety or depression. Brief loss of consciousness, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, feeling dazed or confused while conscious, and problems with memory and concentration. 

Signs of Moderate to Severe Brain Injury

Along with all the signs and symptoms of a mild brain injury, a person with a severe brain injury may also experience symptoms such as prolonged loss of consciousness, inability to wake from sleep, convulsions and seizures, draining of clear fluid from the nose, persistent headaches, nausea, and vomiting, numbness or weakness in the extremities, loss of coordination, dilated pupils, profound confusion, and coma. 

Mental signs include depression or lack of interest in once enjoyable activities, agitation or aggressiveness, and lack of focus/ability to pay attention. 

Many of these symptoms can show up days or even weeks after an injury which makes it difficult to tell immediately after an accident just how badly a person may be injured. It’s always a good idea to get checked by a doctor and if new symptoms arise to go in for another check up. 

Types of Brain Injuries

With these types of symptoms the range of brain injuries can be quite significant. Most notably the reason for these types of injuries is due to an impact to the head.

Even a minor impact can cause a concussion which can lead to serious side effects that last for decades. Swelling of the brain, the buildup of fluid, even lacerations and damage to important cognitive functions can occur if a person takes a serious blow to the head in an accident. In the worst cases, a person can die from a brain injury. 

People can be left with severe cognitive impairment, mental and physical disabilities, and even the loss of all higher brain function. 

This is why it is important to hire a brain injury attorney in San Bernardino right away after an accident, the long term effects of an accident may not be known immediately and it is important to get compensation for these types of life altering injuries.