It is a surprisingly common occurrence for people to overlook brain injuries immediately after a car crash. There are many reasons why people may not recognize the warning signs of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The delayed onset of symptoms is one consideration. It could take multiple days before symptoms become concerning.
Overly-restrictive ideas about how people hurt their brains are additional concerns. While many people do recognize that car crashes are one of the leading causes of TBIs, they may have an overly-simplified idea of how people acquire TBIs in a crash. Specifically, quite a few drivers only think of blunt force trauma when they think about brain injury risk in a collision scenario. Contrary to what many people think, direct contact with other objects is not always necessary for a TBI to develop.
How can a car crash hurt the human brain?
Obviously, blunt force trauma is perhaps the most common reason for people to develop TBIs because of collisions. Striking the vehicle itself during a crash or getting thrown from the vehicle could both cause blunt force trauma that results in a serious TBI.
However, a crash can injure someone’s brain even if they don’t hit their head on anything. Those who have taken parenting courses may be familiar with shaken baby syndrome. Prenatal educators sometimes put prepared gelatin in baby bottles to demonstrate the damage that shaking a baby can cause the brain. It liquefies as they shake the closed bottle violently in a visual demonstration.
The human brain is comprised primarily of fat and has very little room to move inside the skull. When a vehicle flips over, spins rapidly or experiences other violent motions, the people inside may end up injured as a result. Those violent motions can cause rapid movements of the brain inside the skull, resulting in severe injuries.
Other times, flying debris produced when vehicles collide could cause a TBI. Penetrating injuries that look minor on the outside can potentially do significant damage inside the skull. In rare scenarios where explosions occur after collisions, the percussive force produced could also injure the human brain.
Anyone involved in a crash that involved violent motions, flying debris or explosions may benefit from a medical evaluation to check for signs of a TBI. A rapid diagnosis may help them to avoid worsening symptoms. Pursuing compensation for a brain injury after a car crash can be a complex process. Insurance may not be adequate for those with life-altering permanent injuries, making a lawsuit necessary in some cases.