Patients in Kootenai County who have sustained a head injury in a car crash or other accident are often diagnosed with having sustained a “mild traumatic brain injury.” This diagnoses may exist even in the absence of any break in the skull (sometimes called a ‘closed head injury’).
However this technical medical terminology does not mean that the consequences of the brain injury are mild. Patients who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury may go on to exhibit the following symptoms and difficulties:
- Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes.
- Headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Speech difficulties
- Sleep disorders
- Problems with memory
- Depression and/or anxiety
- Mood swings
- Inappropriate displays of anger
- Difficulties with maintaining balance
- Fatigue and drowsiness
The above symptoms can cause the patient to have difficulties functioning in the workplace and can cause family disputes at home.
Mild traumatic brain injuries are often missed when a patient is brought to a hospital emergency room after a car crash. The E.R. physician is primarily looking for broken bones, skull fractures, ruptured arteries and other injuries that require immediate medical intervention. Patients who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) may not show abnormalities on a head x-ray or other diagnostic imaging performed at the emergency room.
However, family members and loved ones should be on the lookout for the above symptoms in the days and weeks after the injury. If they appear, the patient should be brought to a specialist such as a neurologist to determine if a brain injury has occurred.
If you or a family member believe that you have sustained a brain injury in Idaho, call attorney James Bendell for a free initial consultation to see whether monetary damages may be recovered for this injury. Phone number 208-623-0280.