Medical treatment is very important if you ever suffer a head injury in a car accident. People sometimes make the mistake of thinking their injuries are not serious, but they actually have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). If it is getting worse due to bleeding in the brain or other such factors, avoiding medical treatment can be very problematic as the injury progresses.
But how do you know if you have a TBI or not? As a general rule, you always want to work with medical professionals to make this determination. However, it can also be helpful to know what symptoms to look for that may indicate it is time to go to the hospital.
8 common TBI symptoms
The following is not an exhaustive list, but eight of the most common symptoms reported by medical professionals:
- Slurred speech and difficulty talking
- Ongoing nausea or repeated vomiting
- A headache that is persistent and gets worse with time
- Loss of sensation or numbness in the extremities
- A loss of consciousness, whether it is just for a few minutes or a number of hours
- Loss of memories, such as an inability to remember the car accident
- Increased mental confusion, agitation or irritability
- Experiencing seizures, convulsions or other involuntary symptoms
In the very worst cases, traumatic brain injuries can even be fatal. This is part of the reason why you want to talk to medical professionals, even though the care that you need may be expensive. If another driver caused the accident, then you need to know how to seek financial compensation for those medical costs and more.