Car accidents are potentially devastating. No matter the size of the accident, people often walk away from accidents shaken up. Unfortunately, many people leave the scene with worse than that. In 2018, there were approximately 400,000 crashes in Florida, cites the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Even with the best driving habits, accidents can still happen.
Given the violent jolt a person experiences in a car accident, it is no surprise that traumatic brain injuries are a common injury.
What are TBI symptoms?
Traumatic brain injuries have a range of different symptoms to look for, explains MayoClinic. Some will occur immediately following the accident, whereas others may not appear for days and sometimes weeks. For mild injuries, a person may experience a loss of consciousness, headache, nausea, fatigue, trouble sleeping or dizziness.
For moderate or severe injuries, the signs and symptoms may not appear for days, but may also appear within the first few hours. As with mild TBI, there may be a loss of consciousness. The big difference is that instead of a few minutes, a severe brain injury will have a person unconscious for several minutes or hours. The person may suffer from headaches, vomiting, convulsions, loss of coordination and even drainage from the nose or ears.
What are TBI risks?
For those who are in a car accident, there is a high risk of TBI. This is especially true if the person does not wear a seatbelt or have an airbag. Additionally, some people have a higher risk. These people include:
- Adults over 60
- Children under four years old
- Young adults
- Males in all age groups
TBIs can affect anyone in a violent accident.
