A concussion occurs when your head is impacted via a whiplash-style injury. As mobile individuals that must commute back and forth to work, the risk of whiplash injuries and the following concussion can be high if you must drive to work by car or motorcycle day in and day out. Whenever you are in a moving vehicle, there is always a potential risk that a careless driver could run into your vehicle and cause an impact that could leave you with a traumatic brain injury, in this case, a concussion due to whiplash injuries. In this article, we’ll go over some of the signs and symptoms of a concussion as well as what you should do in case you are involved in a motor vehicle accident that has resulted in one.
Symptoms Of A Concussion
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Signs and symptoms of a concussion will depend on how severe the whiplash injury was in the first place. Symptoms you may experience include issues with short term or long term memory, sluggishness, dizziness, nausea and/or vomiting, dizziness, headaches, confusion, and issues with balance. You might have these symptoms immediately or you may get them potentially hours or days later. Whatever the case, if you are able to contact a healthcare provider immediately, do so as you do not want to risk complications down the line by waiting too long to get treatment. Additional issues like irritability and difficulty concentrating as well as a sensitivity to external stimuli can also make it difficult to do day to day tasks if you do not get the right long term treatment and attention right away.
The Long Term Consequences
At the end of the day, whiplash is like any other injury that can cause long term damage to not only your physical but also your financial well-being. Unlike other injuries, a concussion that arises from whiplash can be extremely damaging to your mental health and condition as well as can put your physical and financial well-being in harm’s way. Additionally, this can put an emotional strain on your current relationship with other members of your family including spouses, parents, siblings, and other loved ones that might be peripherally affected by the matter at hand.
There can be a number of issues that arise with the onset of a concussion from whiplash injuries that most people will fail to acknowledge prior to the situation unfolding. For example, the cognitive skills required to converse with one’s spouse can be affected for a certain period of time following the injury. This can lead to emotional distress from a lack of communication between loved ones. Additionally, as a result of the injury, it may be impossible to go into work and earn a living. This can make life significantly more difficult if you are the sole breadwinner of the family and your loved ones rely on you in order to provide for them.
Treatment Options
The treatment for whiplash depends on how severe the initial damage was. Surgical or medical intervention may need to take place if you have incurred swelling, bleeding, any other serious injury to the brain as a result of the trauma that was applied. While most concussions don’t require such serious interventions, you may still require physical therapy as well as continuous over the counter medication dosages in order to ease the pain and get your life back on track at a quicker rate. Additional physical activities that are typical components of sports and recreation may need to be curtailed for bed rest in order to make a quicker recovery. Additionally, you may have to take time away from work and earning a living in order to fully recover. The recovery period can last anywhere from a few weeks to months in some cases and may even require long-term or permanent support in the most serious of cases.
How You Can Take Action
If someone’s negligence caused the injury that you are currently faced with, it is your right to sue for damages via a private settlement or in a court of law in front of a jury. With the damages from a concussion being long and severe, you need to take action and make sure that negligent individuals are held accountable. Because your livelihood, physical well-being, and emotional relationships have been stressed during this period, it is your right to sue for the damages and get a financial reward to cover your medical expenses as well as the trauma you have been dealt with. An experienced attorney can help you and will make sure you get every penny you deserve in such cases. If this has happened to you, make sure you contact us as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you.
