Seeking justice is smart after suffering traumatic brain injury

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, a variety of emotions may overcome you, ranging from frustration to fear. You may be frustrated if the accident stemmed from the carelessness of another driver. At the same time, you may be fearful if your injuries are serious enough to be life-changing.

One type of life-changing, accident-related injury is a trauma to the brain. These types of injuries can easily harm your very essence and even stifle your growth opportunities in the future as a result.

Concussions

A concussion is the most common form of traumatic injury to the brain. It stems from direct impact trauma; for instance, perhaps you suffered whiplash in your car crash, or you experienced shaking. With a concussion usually comes the loss of consciousness, although losing consciousness does not always accompany a concussion. Symptoms that are not quite as obvious, such as a foggy mind, confusion and dizziness, can also point to a concussion.

Contusions

A contusion, like a concussion, results from direct impact head trauma. Contusions are basically areas of the brain where localized bleeding has occurred. Doctors may have to remove a contusion surgically because the formation of a blood clot at the site of the contusion may be fatal. If the impact is extremely forceful during a car accident, your brain may actually slam into your skull's opposite side, thus causing a second contusion called a coup-contrecoup contusion.

Diffuse axonal injuries

A diffuse axonal injury results from the severe shaking of the brain, which causes tears in your brain's structures. The tears form due to your skull's shearing your brain's edges. Unfortunately, the neuro-chemical disruptions that the tearing causes in your brain can lead to permanent damage to the brain, coma or even death. The symptoms you may experience will depend on the particular brain structures that were torn, such as olfactory disruption, memory disruption or motor function disruption.

Legal rights

If you have suffered a traumatic injury to the brain in a car accident, you may have an uncertain future ahead of you. Certainly, there will be medical bills and perhaps expenses for therapy and medication. Depending on the extent of your injury, you may not be able to work, potentially bringing financial hardship to your family.While it doesn't seem fair that you should have to suffer for someone else's negligence, you can take comfort in knowing that you have the right to pursue justice through the civil courts.