Anytime someone suffers from a head injury, a possibility of lifelong repercussions exists. If your doctors told you that you suffered a closed head injury, you may wonder what that could mean for the rest of your life. It all depends on the severity and type of injury.
The main characteristic of a closed head injury lies in the fact that no penetration of the skull occurred. They occur in motor vehicle crashes, falls and other accidents. More severe injuries could involve intracranial pressure or swelling of the brain, which may lead to permanent brain damage. One of the most dangerous aspects of a closed head injury involves the victim being unaware that significant damage occurred.
Closed head injuries
Closed head injuries come in the following types:
- Diffuse axonal injury
- Concussion
- Hematoma
- Brain contusion
Your doctors more than likely performed tests to determine the type of injury you suffered. The next step involves determining the extent of your injuries and ascertaining the best course of action to stop any further damage from occurring.
Signs and symptoms
You may have exhibited one or more of the following symptoms, which led you to seek medical treatment:
- Ringing ears
- Slurred speech
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Confusion, difficulty concentrating or maintaining your balance, and mood swings may also signify a closed head injury. You may also have suffered, or continue to suffer, from a change in your sleep patterns and sensitivity to noise and light.
More severe injuries often cause the sufferer to exhibit one or more of the following:
- Nerve damage
- Personality changes
- Seizures
- Sensory perception changes
- Communication difficulties
- Cognitive disabilities
- Coma
- Post-concussion syndrome
Exhibiting any of these symptoms requires immediate medical intervention since they could lead to a permanent vegetative state or death. Regardless of the severity of the injury, doctors will create a treatment plan that should provide you with the best outcome, which may include rehabilitation and other aftercare.
Sadly, accurately predicting the outcome of a closed head injury remains somewhat of a mystery to medical science. It may take some time to know whether you will fully recover from your injuries. In the meantime, your recovery could take a significant amount of time, resources and effort.
Seeking compensation for a closed head injury
If someone else caused the accident that resulted in your injury, you may seek compensation for the financial losses you have already incurred, along with those that you may incur in the future. Until you know the full extent of your injuries, it would not serve you to accept any settlement offered to you by an insurance company, especially without first ensuring that it will benefit you. Far too often, any offers of settlement from insurance companies leave much to be desired.
A Pennsylvania attorney could help by reviewing the situation and the offer to help you decide whether it is fair. This may involve some investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident, your medical condition and prognosis and what damages you may seek to recover. In the end, further negotiations or the filing of a civil action may be more to your benefit.