A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most serious injuries that someone can suffer. It may happen in a car accident, but it could happen any time someone strikes their head. Even a closed injury can result in a TBI.
If you’ve suffered any kind of blow to the head or even if your head was shaken (for example, in a rear-end collision), it’s important to see a doctor. However, if you don’t see one right away, you should know the signs and symptoms to look for if you suspect you may have a TBI.
The symptoms of a TBI are wide ranging
Every TBI is unique, depending on the part of the brain that was injured and the severity of that injury. Here are some potential symptoms that people may see:
- Loss of vision
- Slurred speech
- Nausea and vomiting
- A headache that only seems to become worse
- Difficulty waking up
- Seizures or convulsions
- Clumsiness and lack of coordination
- Feeling numbness and tingling in the extremities
- Losing consciousness
- Confusion, agitation and irritability
One of the key things to focus on is whether or not the symptoms are getting better. If they seem to be progressively improving, healing may be taking place. But if the symptoms seem to be getting worse – for example, if that headache only intensifies in the hours after the crash – then that could be an indicator of a brain injury that needs medical treatment.
This can be very expensive. Therefore, those who have been injured due to the negligence of others need to know exactly what legal steps they can take to seek financial compensation.