When most people think of suffering ‘whiplash’ they think of a neck injury from having their head thrown forward and back upon the impact of being rear-ended in a car accident. When your head is thrown forward, your brain is also thrown around inside your head. Depending on the force involved, the brain can be quite seriously injured. If you experience certain symptoms after a car accident you should let your doctor know. Brain injuries can result in permanent disabilities and death.
A brain injury that occurs as the result of an external force is considered a traumatic brain injury. The Everett traumatic brain injury attorneys at Russell & Hill, PLLC are knowledgeable about brain injuries and how they can impact a person’s quality of life in significant ways.
What Happens to the Brain During ‘Whiplash’?
When your body experiences what is thought of as whiplash it means the 11-pound weight on top of the small vertebrae of your spine hurls forward and then slams back throwing your brain around and causing it to impact with the inside of your skull. Even though this may sound violent, a brain injury due to whiplash is usually considered to be a mild traumatic brain injury. We know these types of injuries more commonly as concussions.
How Whiplash can Injure the Brain?
At one time concussions were not thought to be as serious as they are today. It is now known that serious brain injuries can result from just a little ‘bump on the head’. Normally, the brain is floating around in your head in the fluid that protects it from hitting against the skull. When a traumatic force causes the brain to bang into the skull it can cause bruising to the brain and damage the nerves at the point of impact.
Nerve damage may not be obvious at first so it’s important that let a medical professional know if you experience any of the following after a whiplash-type car accident.
- Trouble thinking clearly – can’t concentrate or focus
- Trouble remembering things
- Dizziness – blurred vision
- Emotional irregularities – irritable, fearful
- Trouble sleeping
If You Suspect a Brain Injury from Whiplash
It is important to remember that some serious brain injuries are not obvious right away. So it is critical to pay attention to your symptoms. Damage to the tissues, blood vessels, and nerves can lead to swelling of the brain even days later. When swelling becomes severe it can lead to permanent disabilities and death. And neurological damage that interferes with the brain’s communication system can develop into extreme impairment or death.
If you have been in a car accident and suffered injuries due to whiplash, you need to make sure you understand the full extent of your injuries so that you will be fully compensated. At Russell & Hill, PLLC, our Everett car accident attorneys have seen how devastating a brain injury can be and we are skilled at negotiating the maximum available recovery for our clients. You can contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling 425-212-9165.