Kenneth Goldblatt | October 20, 2018 | Personal Injury
Common Brain Injuries
Concussion, or bruising of the brain, is a common injury that results from automobile accidents, falls, and sport-related accidents. The force involved in an impact like this may cause the brain to move and bruise within the skull and may also cause bleeding in the brain.
The force of an impact to the head can also cause tearing. Tearing refers to areas of the brain where small cracks form on the surface like cracks in ice. Most times the damage to the nerves caused by tearing is serious and may impair a person’s movement or speech.
An impact to the brain can also cause the brain to swell within the skull. While swelling is a normal bodily reaction to an injury, when the brain swells within the skull, the brain suffers from the increase in pressure. This is known as intra-cranial pressure.
Open and Closed Brain Injuries
Typical brain injuries can be classified into two categories: open injuries and closed injuries. An open injury refers to a head injury where the skull has been fractured. This kind of brain injury often is the result of a fall or other accident where a person has suffered a direct impact to the head. A closed head injury doesn’t involve a skull fracture, but it can be more serious because of the potential for brain swelling and the formation of dangerous blood clots inside the skull. Whether a brain injury is open or closed, the most serious of either type can cause paralysis, loss of consciousness, and even death.
Symptoms of Brain Injury
The symptoms of a brain injury may not be noticeable immediately after an impact to the head. An injury that is visible from the outside may not even be present. Brain injury symptoms may not show up for some time after an impact, and they can get worse very quickly. Here are some signs to watch for when evaluating someone for a brain injury.
- Confusion
- Fuzzy short-term memory
- Unusual sense of fatigue
- Nausea and/or dizziness
- Headache
- Weakness or numbness on one side of the body
It’s important to seek medical attention soon after an accident or injury that involves an impact to the head, even before symptoms emerge. The emergency room should be the first stop after a head injury in New York. And after a thorough medical exam, consider consulting with the brain injury lawyers of Goldblatt & Associates. The experienced attorneys of Goldblatt & Associates represent the legal interests of those individuals who have sustained traumatic orthopedic and brain injuries due to the negligence of others. In representing our clients, the firm oversees and handles all aspects of insurance issues ranging from ensuring client’s medical bills are paid and assisting client’s in getting reimbursed for out of pocket expenses, including lost wages. We also pursue claims to compensate clients for injuries sustained that have impacted, and may continue to impact, their abilities to perform activities of daily living.