If you’re involved in a motor vehicle collision on a Georgia roadway, the first 24 hours following the accident are critical to your recovery. This is when medical professionals can treat noticeable injuries, but also when they can monitor your condition to make sure your vital signs are stable and that no new symptoms are developing. In fact, you’ll want to continue monitoring your health for several weeks, at least. When a severe personal injury occurs, like brain trauma, symptoms often experience a delay.
When people imagine brain trauma, they typically picture someone hit so hard in the head that he or she falls unconscious. However, this is often not the case in a motor vehicle collision. In fact, you might be awake and coherent and completely unaware that you have suffered brain trauma, until symptoms start showing in the hours or days that follow the accident.
Seek personal injury assessment if these brain trauma symptoms develop
Even if several days or more than a week has passed since your accident, if any of the symptoms shown in the following list arise, it is best to seek immediate medical attention:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Intense agitation, anxiety, depression or mood swings
- Tinnitus (ringing sound in ear) or vision impairment
- Headache or seizures
- Difficulty rousing from sleep
If you go to the hospital with these or other newly developing symptoms after a car accident, let the medical team know that you were recently involved in a motor vehicle collision. The attending physician can then order the right tests to rule out or diagnose brain trauma.
Typical post-collision stress or brain trauma?
It’s not unusual to feel nervous, afraid or upset following a Georgia motor vehicle collision, especially if you suffered injuries. It takes time to process emotions and start down the path to recovery. However, if such symptoms are lingering or worsening, it suggests that you might have suffered brain trauma. This is why it’s always best to seek medical attention, even if days or weeks have passed since the accident.
Holding a driver accountable for negligence
Sadly, many Georgia car accidents that result in brain trauma are later determined to have been preventable were it not for a driver’s negligence or reckless behavior behind the wheel. State law allows you to seek recovery for damages when you have suffered injury because of another person’s irresponsible decisions and actions.
In many personal injury cases, the court orders defendants to pay maximum restitution. Plaintiffs may then use the monies to help offset medical bills, replace lost wages and cover expenses associated with a specific incident.