You’ve probably heard about the dangers of concussions in the context of N.F.L. players experiencing serious brain injuries from a lifetime on the playing field. While most of us will never suit up for a football game, concussions are a serious injury that anyone can experience as a result of a car accident.
Concussions are commonly occurring, mild brain injuries that can have dramatic long and short term consequences for those who experience them. They are caused by the brain accelerating within and hitting the interior of the skull, which results in trauma. Too often, people experience concussions after an accident and decide to “shake it off” or not take it seriously. Unfortunately, that can be a serious mistake. Having helped numerous clients in Mississippi recovering from accidents, Barrett Law can help clients through this potentially life altering condition.
Having helped our clients through accidents resulting in concussions, we want to provide the following information as a guide to those who may need our services.
All Concussions are Serious – It may sound obvious, but too many people would treat a broken arm seriously, but not an injury to the brain. That’s likely because the pain from a broken arm is acute and the injury is visible. Brain injuries are often not obvious, and are always invisible. But even a slight concussion can later pose serious problems. In short, you need to seek medical treatment for a concussion, even if it does not immediately seem to be a significant medical condition.
You Do Not Need to Hit Your Head to Get a Concussion – The obvious way to receive a concussion is by hitting your head. But a concussion is not necessarily caused by impact to the skull. Again, a concussion is caused by the brain accelerating within the skull and impacting the skull’s interior. That can result from the sudden impact of an automobile accident. You should never rule out a concussion because you did not “hit your head.” Any time you experience an automobile accident, you may have a concussion. Only a medical professional can rule that out.
If You Experience a Concussion, You Are More Likely to Experience Another – Unfortunately, you become more susceptible to concussions once you have had one. So if you have been in a sports related trauma, the odds of you having a concussion as a result of an automobile accident are increase.
The More Concussions You Have, the More Dangerous They Are – We are just learning about how concussions affect people in the long term, but as indicted by the recent studies into NFL players experiencing CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, repeated concussions—even minor ones—can have short term side effects of pain, light sensitivity, dizziness, and fatigue, but also have serious long term neurological effects. Sadly, repeated concussions may cause debilitating brain degeneration.
It is a serious mistake to simply assume that you do not need a medical consultation after a car accident. Even if you have not impacted your head, you may be experiencing a concussion. This is particularly true if you have suffered from a concussion in the past. Making decisions that may affect your long term health and livelihood without expert advice at this moment is a mistake.
If you have been in an accident, you are not in a position to assess the possible long term consequences of the injuries you may have incurred, especially brain or neurological injuries. The Barrett Law Firm is an experienced Mississippi auto accident firm skilled in providing the sort of advice you need if you have experienced a concussion as a result of negligence of other drivers.
Contact the Barrett Law Firm now if you have been in an automobile accident.
Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney at the Barrett Law Firm at (601) 790-1505 to receive a consultation regarding your accident, regardless of its seriousness. Too often, a “minor” accident or “fender bender” has unanticipated, long term consequences. Our experience helping accident victims may mean the difference between healing and long term debilitation.
