Perhaps one of the most serious injuries that result from a Nevada car accident is a head injury. This type of injury can result in a range of symptoms, from minor bruises and cuts to serious brain damage. Even minor brain injuries can have long-term effects. Below is some basic information on the most common type head injuries suffered by accident victims.
Types of Head Injuries
There are many ways in which a head injury can occur. When someone is involved in a car accident, a head injury can happen when a driver or passenger’s head makes a hard impact after striking something inside the vehicle — like the dashboard, steering wheel, or window. Moreover, the simple momentum of the vehicle crashing into another can cause the brain to collide with the inside of the skull without an accident victim’s head striking anything. This can still result in a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. There are several types of head injuries, for example:
Closed head injuries: These injuries happen when the sheer force of a car accident makes the brain strike against the skull. Oftentimes these injuries can be serious and even life-threatening if not treated immediately. These injuries may include:
- Concussions;
- Subdural hematoma;
- Epidural hematoma;
- Acute hematoma;
- Coup-contrecoup;
- Contusion; and
- Diffuse axonal.
Open head injuries: these injuries happen when the skull is pierced or penetrated by an outside object, exposing a part of the brain. Bone fragments may strike sensitive areas of the brain, causing more neurological issues. An example of an open head injury is a skull fracture.
Common Symptoms
There are many symptoms of head injuries. They are unique and depend on the severity and type of the accident. The most common signs and symptoms of head injuries after a Nevada car accident include:
- Fatigue or drowsiness;
- Blurred vision;
- Nose bleeds;
- Confusion;
- Loss of consciousness;
- Nausea;
- Difficulty with short-term memory;
- Difficulty with long-term memory;
- Irritability;
- Light or sound sensitivities;
- Depression;
- Sleeping issues;
- Seizures;
- Fine and gross motor problems;
- Numbness in the arms or legs; and
- Slow processing or response time.
Skull fractures and brain injuries can cause serious medical issues such as paralysis, dementia, loss of bodily functions, or even death. If you or someone you know has been hurt in a Nevada car accident and symptoms of a head injury are showing up, seek medical treatment immediately.
Proving a Head Injury
If you are filing a claim for personal injuries, you need to establish medical and non-medical evidence that supports your head injury claim. There are several forms of evidence that you can use, including:
- Medical records authored by your treating physicians;
- Records of doctors’ appointments and hospital records;
- Diagnostic, X-rays, and imaging test results;
- Prescription medications;
- Medical bills detailing cost of treatment;
- Photos of the accident scene;
- Police report; and
- Witness statements.
Contact Our Nevada Attorneys
If you have experienced any type of head injury from a Las Vegas or Henderson car accident, contact our personal injury attorneys at H&P Law right away. Our experienced lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve.
