Closed head injuries, or silent injuries, are often a reality in the aftermath of car crashes.
“It’s a hard cold fact, that more than 2 million Americans suffer closed head injuries yearly, and just because their heads are not bleeding, does not mean they haven’t sustained any injuries,” stated Lance Sharp of The Sharp Firm in Austin, Texas.
Closed head injuries can be the result of the head hitting a hard surface at a high rate of speed, and the object hit does not penetrate the head. One may also recognize the other name for this type of head injury as a contrecoup injury or traumatic brain injury. Alternatively, it could be a simple fall and the head just hit the ground, the wrong way. Closed brain injury will severely affect the victim and his or her family. “It’s quite common to see physical, cognitive, social and vocational changes, that may require years of aftercare,” added Sharp.
Often those involved in a car accident will impact with windshields, steering wheels, dashboards, car seats and air bags as they are deploying. As tough as we may think our heads are, the brain is actually the most fragile organ in the whole body. While smacking into a stationary object may cause brain damage, even whiplash has been known to cause a closed head injury.
The frightening thing about this type of injury is that most people who have suffered it don’t know they have, because the symptoms may be pegged as being muscle spasms or even just a pesky headache. There are some visible signs and they include loss of hearing, fluid drainage from the ear or nose, confusion, lethargy and slurred speech.
When a person sustains a head injury it is important to seek medical care. Even if there does not appear to be an injury, it is important for a medical professional to check the head. The recent death of Natasha Richardson who fell while snow skiing is a tragic example.
With injuries like this, time is a critical factor, so don’t delay contacting a closed head injury attorney who will immediately assess the case and start getting the pertinent information required to file a lawsuit. “We look at each case with a fresh point of view, because each case is unique in its own right,” said Sharp, of The Sharp Law Firm, who has over 40 years combined experience practicing law with Laura Sharp in Austin, Texas.
To learn more about Austin personal injury lawyer, Austin injury lawyer, Austin personal injury, visit Sharpfirm.com.
