Injuries to the head can be difficult to recover from, and symptoms can linger for months if not years. At our law firm, we have fought for compensation for our clients who have suffered head injuries, and we have managed to obtain many favorable settlements.
If you have been injured in a collision or other accident, you will soon be introduced to an array of terms that might sound very foreign. Let us break down what the most common mean.
Open Head Injury
Head injuries can be classified as “open” or “closed.” Open head injuries involve something penetrating the skull, like a bullet. Open head injuries can cause direct trauma to brain tissue and lead to dangerous bleeding.
With a “closed” head injury, nothing penetrates the skull. However, it is a misconception that closed head injuries are less serious than open ones. Depending on the trauma, you could suffer serious traumatic brain injuries even with the skull intact. A violent fall, for example, could cause someone to be unconscious for days and suffer severe damage to brain tissue.
Concussion
A concussion is a relatively mild traumatic brain injury. Of course, they are still very serious. You may or may not pass out after a concussion, but you will probably experience some common symptoms, such as:
- Headaches
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Confusion
- Trouble remembering things
- Impaired balance, coordination, and/or mobility
- Sleep disturbances
These symptoms can last for months before slowly resolving.
Subdural Hematoma
This condition refers to blood collecting between tissues that surround the brain. It is a very serious injury. As blood collects it increases pressure on the brain, which can lead to incapacity or even death. Some subdural hematomas need immediate surgery, otherwise, the results can be fatal.
Diffuse Axonal
This term refers to a head injury caused by severe shaking or rotation. The movement causes a shearing injury to the axons. Because the injury is “diffuse,” axons are damaged throughout the brain, not in a single location. You can experience nausea, vomiting, headache, and dizziness with a diffuse axonal brain injury.
Coup-Contrecoup
A violent accident can cause the brain to shift inside the skull and be damaged on both sides. This is a coup-contrecoup injury. They are complicated to treat, because of the presence of bruises on both sides. You might also experience swelling or bleeding in the brain, along with other symptoms of a concussion.
Brain Injury Attorneys You Can Trust
At Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein, our Miami brain injury attorneys have helped many people recover from accidents. You might qualify for compensation to cover medical care, lost income, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Contact us today at 305-371-2692. We offer a free consultation.