Brain Injuries Caused by Car Accidents

You remember the rear-end crash and getting out of the car. Later, you cannot follow a text conversation without reading it twice. A sudden jolt can cause a concussion even if your head never hit the steering wheel or window. A change like that is worth describing to a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

How a car crash can injure the brain

A seat belt can restrain your body while your head still moves rapidly. A blow to the head or a forceful jolt to the body can make the brain shift or twist inside the skull. A concussion is one type of traumatic brain injury, often shortened to TBI. It can affect concentration, balance, sleep, or the ability to tolerate light and noise. The CDC explains how a concussion happens.

Other crashes cause a bruise in the brain or bleeding in or around it. The first injury occurs at impact. Afterward, swelling or an expanding collection of blood can put pressure on the brain. That is one reason emergency teams ask whether a person is getting harder to wake or has developed new weakness. Read the National Institutes of Health overview of traumatic brain injury.

Is it whiplash, a concussion, or both?

Whiplash is a neck injury from a rapid back-and-forth movement. The same crash can also cause a concussion. Neck pain, headache, or dizziness alone cannot tell you which injury you have. Tell the clinician about symptoms in both areas, including a stiff neck, a gap in your memory, or trouble tracking a conversation. Mayo Clinic’s guide to whiplash explains what the neck injury can feel like.

What if the symptoms start later or the CT scan was normal?

Some changes are easier to notice once you try a familiar task. You might feel fine sitting in a quiet exam room, then struggle with a brightly lit grocery store or a computer screen. Let your provider know when that first happened. Seek emergency help for danger signs even if you were examined earlier. Strong Law’s guide to delayed brain-injury symptoms covers changes families may notice.

An emergency CT can help clinicians look for bleeding. A concussion can still be present when a scan looks normal. A clinician considers how the crash happened, your symptoms, and the examination together. Ask for written guidance about driving, work, or school, especially if your job involves machinery, heights, or long periods on a screen. See the CDC’s recovery guidance.

How to connect a brain injury to the crash

For an injury claim, two questions matter separately. What happened on the road? What changed medically afterward? A crash report can help with the first. Emergency records, follow-up exams, and specific observations from people who know you can help a clinician or attorney understand the second.

• At the scene. Write down anything you remember about a head strike, sudden movement, or missing time. If you cannot remember part of the crash, say so.
• At home. Date the first time you noticed a change. “Stopped reading after five minutes because the words blurred” gives your clinician more to work with than a pain score alone.
• At follow-up. Bring the discharge instructions, medication list, and work restrictions. Mention earlier migraines, concussions, or neck problems so the clinician can compare your usual symptoms with what changed.

If you have questions about a claim, a Strong Law brain injury lawyer can review the crash evidence and medical timeline with you. Request a free case evaluation.