With the recent release of the movie “Concussion,” the public has never been more aware of the effects a traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) can have on a person’s life. What people may not realize is that the most common causes of TBI’s are not football, or sports-related collisions, but motor vehicle accidents and falls.[1]
A TBI is defined by the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) as a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or a penetrating head injury.[2] While a person who suffers a penetrating head injury is most definitely going to be aware of the potential for a brain injury, it is the lesser impacts to the head that often go missed and can potentially result in partial or permanent disability.[3]
The issue with many people who have sustained TBI’s, is that it is not always apparent immediately after the accident. A person does not need to strike his head against something in order to sustain a brain injury. Rather, the impact of a car accident, or the force of a fall can cause the brain, which is floating inside the skull, to jolt forward and back, striking the wall of the skull. This is called “acceleration/deceleration movement” of the brain.[4] Often, these types of brain injuries occur in car accidents, as the injured person is usually unaware of the impending accident and does not have a chance to brace his body.
So, someone may be involved in a car accident or fall-down and attribute his fogginess and dizziness to merely having his “bell rung,” and instead focus on the pain he is experiencing in his back, neck, or shoulders. Meanwhile, as the hours, days, and sometimes months go by, he begins to experience difficulty concentrating, memory problems, and mood swings that were not present before. Now, the person is left confused and frustrated as to why his life has been turned upside down.
The CDC lists deficits in attention, learning and memory, mood disturbances, agitation, aggression, confusion, changes in hearing, seeing and sensitivity to light, headaches, fatigue and sleep disturbance as some of the many effects a TBI can have on a person.[5] A person may experience some or all of these, and the symptoms may go away over time and they may not. But in order for someone who has been involved in an accident to be properly diagnosed with a TBI and prescribed the types of rehabilitation that will help, it is vital that he is aware of the potential symptoms and tells a medical professional if they occur.
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[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Report to Congress on Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Epidemiology and Rehabilitation. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Division of Unintentional Injury and Prevention. Atlanta, GA.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
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