After a car accident on the Texas freeway, you may feel considerably shaken up. However, you walk away from the collision counting your blessings that a few bruises and a headache seem to be all you have suffered. At The Law Offices of Miller & Bicklein, P.C., we understand that many traumatic brain injuries take time to develop, and if undetected, could lead to permanent brain damage.
Whether or not you hit your head on something, you could have a brain injury. When your head was thrown forward and backward, or side to side, your brain could have hit the inside of your skull. According to WebMD, broken capillaries under the skin typically cause a bruise and some swelling. When the bleeding is between your brain and your skull, the swelling causes pressure against the gray matter.
The blood accumulation may happen very slowly, over the course of days, so that you may not develop an actual issue until two weeks after the accident. However, as the pressure grows, it cuts off the oxygen supply to your brain and begins killing your brain cells. You could suddenly have seizures, pass out or be struck by a sudden and severe headache. The symptoms may not be so immediate, though. You may gradually notice over a couple of weeks that your vision is getting blurry or begin to have difficulty speaking or processing information. You could lose your balance or coordination, or have weakness or numbness in your limbs.
An immediate medical examination after the crash could reveal a tear in a blood vessel, allowing the doctor to treat it before it leads to permanent brain damage.
For more information about severe injuries people often sustain after car crashes, please visit our webpage.