What are the signs of a brain injury?

Traumatic brain injuries are often caused by collisions involving cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Injuries are usually caused by a violent blow to the head, such as someone hitting a dashboard, windshield or other solid objects.

Brain injuries can be mild, moderate, or severe and come with an array of physical and psychological effects. Concussions, post-concussion syndrome, brain hemorrhaging, and hematomas are all types of traumatic brain injuries. Symptoms can show up immediately after a crash, while others can take days or weeks to show up. Recovery from TBIs depends on the severity and the person. Sometimes they are temporary and other times, they are permanent.

Suffering a head injury in a collision warrants calling an attorney immediately. Kaiser Law can hanlde your case. Call us at 630-274-4400.

Symptoms of traumatic brain injury

The Mayo Clinic lists these physical, cognitive and sensory symptoms of a mild head injury:

• Losing consciousness for a few seconds or minutes
• Conscious but in a confused, dazed or disoriented state
• Headache, nausea or vomiting
• Extreme fatigue, sleeping longer than usual
• Dizziness and loss of balance
• Blurred vision, ringing in the ears
• Bad taste in the mouth, changes in the ability to smell
• Sensitivity to light or sound
• Memory or concentration problems, mood changes or swings
• Depression or anxious feeling

Moderate to severe brain injuries can include the symptoms listed above, as well as the following that may appear in the first few hours or days after a head injury:

• Loss of consciousness for several minutes or hours or coma
• Persistent headache, repeated vomiting
• Convulsions or seizures, dilation of one or both eyes
• Clear fluids draining from nose or ears
• Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes, loss of coordination
• Profound confusion, slurred speech

Seek medical treatment immediately

The Mayo Clinic recommends that anyone who has received a blow to the head or body should see a doctor if they experience any of the symptoms of a traumatic head injury. While a brain injury might be diagnosed as "mild," it can still be a serious injury that requires immediate treatment.

Anyone injured as a result of someone else's negligence should seek the advice of an experienced personal injury attorney here in Illinois. Brain injuries can require extensive treatment causing massive medical bills, lost wages and other related costs. An attorney can help recover compensation for the injured party.