How does a closed head injury occur?

What is the main cause of closed head injuries?

What are the symptoms of this injury?

Are brain injuries easy to diagnose?

How are these injuries diagnosed?

How are these injuries treated?

How common are brain injuries?

I was involved in a car accident and suffered a head injury. Should I contact an attorney?

What is negligence and how is it determined?

I often hear about a settlement that includes “pain and suffering.” What does this mean?

What is the statute of limitations in this type of case?

What is a closed head injury?

A closed head injury is a head injury in which there is no skull penetration.

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How does a closed head injury occur?

This type of injury occurs when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, but the object does not break the skull of the victim. Normally, in a vehicular accident, the head is snapped backwards and then forward, causing the brain to smash against the back of the skull and then to the front of the skull causing this type of injury.

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What is the main cause of closed head injuries?
Vehicular accidents are the leading cause of traumatic head injuries. Occupant protection such as seat belts and air bags cannot fully protect a person's head and neck. A side impact against a door, even at low speeds, can have significant force impact on the head. Head-on collisions pose an extremely high risk of injury because the body is moving back away from seat belts and air bags. Head injuries can also result from:

• Construction Site Accidents
• Slip and Falls
• Bike, Scooter and Motorcycle Accidents
• Shaken Baby Syndrome Situations
• Violent Acts
• Sports and Recreational Events
• Plane Crashes
• Railroad Accidents
• Defective Products
• Boating Accidents

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What are the symptoms of this injury?
Symptoms vary, but the most common are:

• Difficulty paying attention and concentrating
• Problems making sense of what has been read or seen on television
• Forgetting things
• Finding it difficult to learn new tasks or complete tasks
• Confusion in finding places or following geographical directions
• Unclear thinking
• Inflexibility
• Diminished organizational skills
• Poor decision making, judgment, and reasoning
• Fatigue
• Restless sleeping
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Speech problems

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Are brain injuries easy to diagnose?

No, because some of the symptoms of closed head injuries are similar to those of depression, so a head injury diagnosis is frequently overlooked.

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How are these injuries diagnosed?
The diagnosis of a closed head injury is best made by an experienced physician or neuropsychologist skilled in cognitive perceptual motor testing. Neuropsychological tests are standardized tests which take six to ten hours to complete. They evaluate the function of many different areas of the brain and can show abnormalities that other medical tests cannot detect. Factors, including distraction, illness, or depression, can affect the outcome of testing.

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How are these injuries treated?
Closed head injuries can be permanent, but many of the problems can be improved with rehabilitation. This includes cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive perceptual motor remediation. Comprehensive rehabilitation may include any, or all, of the following health care providers: a physician, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech pathologist, a neuropsychologist, a social worker, a vocational counselor, a recreational therapist, a nutritionist, and/or a case manager.

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How common are brain injuries?
Statistics show that there are approximately 2 million brain injuries reported each year in this country. Of those reported brain injuries, over 51,000 were fatal and 20-30% of the surviving victims suffered permanent disabilities. It is reported that currently there are more than 5 million people in the United States who are permanently disabled due to the effects of a brain injury.

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I was involved in a car accident and suffered a head injury. Should I contact an attorney?
Many motor vehicle accidents are caused by negligence. When negligence is the cause of a traumatic injury, the victim may be entitled to recover all their damages due to another's negligence including all current and future medical costs, property damage, pain and suffering, loss of current and future earnings, loss of enjoyment and in some cases, punitive damages. Families of the victim may also be entitled to be compensated for damages if, due to the injury, they are forced to change their circumstances and lifestyle in order to care for their loved one. You should contact an attorney to discuss the particulars of your situation.

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What is negligence and how is it determined?
Negligence is the failure to act reasonably in any given situation. Negligence does not simply mean doing something wrong. All of the following elements must exist for an act to be considered negligent:

• Lack of reasonable care
• Breach of duty
• Injury to the victim
• Forseeability (knowing an act would occur based on the circumstances)
• Damages

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I often hear about a settlement that includes “pain and suffering.” What does this mean?
Pain and suffering is factored into a financial settlement to compensate for expenses over and above medical costs and lost wages.

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What is the statute of limitations in this type of case?
Generally 2 years from the date the incident occurred.

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