Head Injuries: Signs of Head Trauma

Accident victims, including people hurt in car accidents or slip and falls, frequently experience head trauma, which can be one of the hardest injuries to recover from. Head trauma victims may experience pain, mobility limitations, memory loss and personality changes long after their accidents.

The Hazleton personal injury lawyers of Munley, Munley & Cartwright know that the residual effects of head injury can affect your quality of life, requiring extensive rehabilitation and resulting in lost income, not to mention the ongoing pain and suffering. If you have experienced head trauma as a result of an accident, call our Hazleton accident attorneys at 1-800-318-LAW1 or contact us online to discuss your case.

About 2 million head injuries occur each year in the United States, with about 1.4 million of those causing traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Each year, more than 200,000 brain injuries are serious enough to require hospitalization. About half of those will cause long-term disabilities. About 50,000 U.S. citizens die each year from brain injuries, and approximately 5.3 million Americans need long-term assistance with daily life as a result of a severe brain injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Falls are the leading cause of TBI, accounting for 28 percent of injuries, while motor vehicle accidents, including car accidents, truck accidents and motorcycle accidents, account for an additional 20 percent.  When serious brain injuries requiring hospitalization are considered separately, roughly half stem from motor vehicle accidents. 

Patients who are unconscious at the site of an accident should be taken immediately to a hospital. But some of us may experience head trauma at an accident and not realize it. Signs of head trauma include:

• Anxiety;
• Blurry or double vision;
• Depression;
• Difficulty concentrating;
• Difficulty finding words or understanding the words of others;
• Dizziness;
• Headaches;
• Loss of balance;
• Loss of coordination;
• Loss of memory;
• Lightheadedness;
• Muscle stiffness or spasms;
• Seizures;
• Sleep disruption;
• Slurred or slowed speech.

Accident victims who have suffered moderate to severe head injuries may be unable to work or carry on the simple tasks of everyday life. They may also need physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech or language therapy, psychology help and social support. All of these treatments can be expensive and may come at a time when the victim has mounting medical bills and no steady income.

In times like these, an experienced Hazleton accident lawyer can help you recover compensation for the harm you've suffered. If you’ve experienced symptoms of a head injury as a result of an accident that was somebody else’s fault, call the Hazleton personal injury attorneys of Munley, Munley & Cartwright at 1-800-318-LAW1 or contact us online to discuss your case.