If you’re traveling in Florida when another vehicle hits you, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention. Even after receiving medical care, however, it’s wise to closely monitor your health during the weeks following a collision and to seek additional medical support as needed, especially if symptoms arise indicative of a brain injury.
The blunt force of impact in an automobile collision can cause serious injuries, some of which may not be immediately apparent. In other words, you could have a brain injury and not know it right away, especially if you did not lose consciousness when the accident occurred. If symptoms arise in the days or weeks following the incident, seeking immediate medical attention may be the key to a full recovery.
Do not ignore these brain injury symptoms
It’s understandable that you might experience some days that are better than others following a car accident. Various symptoms can come and go; however, if recovery is progressing, you should start to feel a bit better as time passes. You should not disregard the symptoms included in the following list as “par for the course,” however, because they often accompany traumatic brain injury. You should address these symptoms with a medical professional right away:
- Dysfunctional sense of time and space, such as not realizing how much time has passed or thinking you are living in the past
- Incoherent speech or difficulty understanding speech
- Difficulty swallowing
- Tremors or seizures
- Bruising behind the ears or fluid leaking from an ear or nose
In addition to these symptoms, numerous others indicate a strong possibility that you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in a Florida collision.
Getting the care you need following a TBI
Depending on the severity of a traumatic brain injury, the neurosurgeon and medical team overseeing your care might recommend various forms of treatment. For example, if you have a mild to moderate concussion, your doctor might recommend staying in a darkened and quiet room and limiting your cognitive activities. If you have a more severe injury, such as a skull fracture, you might need a hospital stay or surgery.
In some cases, a brain injury can have implications that last a lifetime. Such injuries might cause you to lose function in a particular part of your body. You might need daily assistance from an at-home care provider. If another driver’s negligence was determined to have caused the Florida collision that resulted in your brain injury, you would be entitled to seek restitution for damages, which often leads to a monetary award that can help alleviate the financial strain associated with the incident.