The life-threatening injury you could overlook after a crash

Posted on Sep 2, 2022 by Conrad Saam

You may have heard stories of someone suffering a soft tissue injury in a car crash and then not realizing it until much later. You may find yourself wondering how anyone could fail to notice the warning signs of whiplash or another serious injury.

There are a few reasons that someone would overlook a major health issue right after a car crash. One is that their body has a fight or flight response to the trauma that covers their pain symptoms. The other is that they may not have any symptoms at the scene of the collision.

One of the worst injuries possible in a car crash is a condition that you might not notice for days. However, the longer you wait for a diagnosis, the more symptoms you may eventually have to tolerate.

Brain injuries are often invisible at first

With the exception of severe injuries that render someone immediately unconscious or that affect their motor function and speech abilities at the scene of the crash, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are easy to miss shortly after you get hurt.

Symptoms develop when the bleeding or bruising on the brain or inside the skull creates enough pressure to affect the functioning of the brain. If someone continues to bleed after a crash, their symptoms will get worse, and they may even develop completely new symptoms.

The more violent the motion of the vehicles at the time of the wreck and the higher your speed before the crash, the greater the possibility that you may have a TBI.

Doctors can diagnose you before you have symptoms

You don’t have to wait until your condition progresses to get care. Doctors have access to imaging technology and other tests that can help them validate or rule out concerns of a TBI following a car crash.

The sooner a doctor reviews your condition and confirms whether or not you have a TBI, the easier it will be for you to connect both with appropriate medical care and with compensation from the insurance of the driver at fault for the crash.

A traumatic brain injury can cost tens of thousands of dollars in medical care in the first few months alone and can cause ongoing medical needs for the rest of your life, in addition to potentially affecting your earning potential. Knowing the basics of car crash injuries like TBIs can help you take the right steps after a motor vehicle collision.