How Long Will a Concussion Last After a Car Accident?
What You Need to Know about Concussions
Concussions are serious injuries that you need to be able to identify in case one happens to you or your child. What is scary about concussions is that you don’t need to have a hard impact collision at a high speed to have a concussion. You can actually have a concussion at a low speed and a moderate impact car collision. You may not even realize at first that you have developed symptoms of a concussion.
How Safe is Your Car?
Even though car manufacturers have taken plenty of high tech safety precautions to protect the driver and passenger, they are still fairly limited to how they can protect you and what they are able to protect you from. The seat belt itself can only really protect the upper body, and will not protect you from injuries to your neck and head. Though airbags do provide more security for your torso in the event of an accident, you can still suffer from head and brain injuries.
Concussions can cause long-lasting symptoms that can alter or impair you for weeks or months, depending on how bad the injury is.
Different Types of Concussions
Grade I concussions are the simplest types of concussions which are less severe in nature, when compared to the other types of concussions. Symptoms last for 15 minutes or less and you do not have a loss of consciousness.
Grade II concussions fall between grades I and III, in terms of danger and severity. There is also no loss of consciousness, but symptoms last longer.
Grade III concussions are the most severe and the most harmful. There is a loss of consciousness, but this may be relatively short.
For most people who only get a grade I or grade II concussion, most of the symptoms only last for one to two weeks. If you have a grade III concussion, your symptoms could last for months.
Symptoms of a Concussion
Most people think that you can only have a concussion if you are completely knocked out, but you do not need to be knocked out to have a concussion. Here are some of the most common symptoms of concussions.
– Having a headache
– Being dizzy
– General confusion
– Feeling foggy
– Problems sleeping
– Having trouble focusing or concentrating
– Being Irritable
– Constant anxiety
– Depression or sadness
– Sensitivity to lights
The following symptoms are worrisome and should prompt you to seek medical care right away:
- Worsening headaches
- Decreased ability to walk
- Vomiting
- Not able to be aroused
- Seizure
- Increased agitation
- Child won’t stop crying or can’t be consoled
Avoid Resuming Activities too Early
If you go back to work, physical activity, or school too quickly, you could run the risk of prolonging the symptoms of your concussion. Make sure you see or take your child to see a doctor and not to return to regular activities until you or your child are cleared to do so. Most kids and adults are better in a few weeks, but symptoms in some can lost for months.
What you Should do in the Event of a Concussion
If you think that you are having any of these symptoms, you should go to your doctor or physician immediately. Your doctor may give you an MRI to take a closer look at your brain to look for physical and chemical changes to your brain composition.
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Marysville Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Marysville car accident lawyer. If you, or someone you love has suffered serious injuries in a car accident, give me a call at (530) 392-9400 for free, friendly advice. If calling from outside of the Marysville-Yuba City area, simply call me toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
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Image Attribution: Courtesy of Patrick J. Lynch, a medical illustrator CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], by way of Wikimedia Commons
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