South Florida Personal Injury Blog

Head trauma is one of the scariest injuries a person can incur. Fort Lauderdale accident attorney Andrew Alitowski knows that families are often devastated to hear that a loved one has suffered a head injury, especially a traumatic brain injury, which can occur in motor vehicle collisions and other accidents.

Head injuries are one of the most common reasons why children are hospitalized. About 0.3 percent of the general population will experience a head injury in any given year. Serious head injuries appear to be significantly more common in North America, where approximately 25 out of every 100,000 people die every year of head injuries, compared to just nine of every 100,000 in the United Kingdom. Motor vehicle accidents, falls, accidents in the home or workplace, and even intentional attacks by another person are the most common causes of head injuries.

Concussions are one of the most well-known types of head injuries, according to Broward accident lawyer William Moore. A moderately bad concussion can cause some degree of amnesia, in which the affected person experiences some degree of memory loss regarding the events before or after the injury or the events culminating in the injury. A concussion can also cause other symptoms, such as making the victim feel tired, dizzy, depressed, or ill.

Certain types of head trauma can lead to hematomas, which involve bleeding. An epidural hematoma is rapid bleeding out between the tissue surrounding the brain and the skull itself. Generally, patients will have lost consciousness and regained it, only to lose it again later. This is a serious condition that can develop even just moments after the head trauma occurs. A subdural hematoma is caused by a torn vein near the cerebral cortex. Subdural hematomas can cause death or serious, long-lasting complications and should be treated urgently.

Other types of head injuries people who have been in motor vehicle accidents may experience include cerebral contusions and diffuse axonal injury. A cerebral contusion occurs when the brain is actually bruised due to head trauma. These injuries are considered relatively severe head injuries and the prognosis varies significantly depending on the area of the brain affected. Diffuse axonal injuries, like cerebral contusions, vary from injury to injury.

Skull fractures are a fairly uncommon, but problematic injury seen with motor vehicle accidents. Skull fractures are often associated with bleeding on the brain. It can also lead to brain infections in some cases.