There are several classifications of brain injury, and many places where they may occur outside of sports activity. Brain injuries can also result from a trip, a slip, or a fall. This may be a result of clumsiness on your part, or carelessness on someone else’s. Were signs or blockades installed to clearly indicate a problem? Brain injuries can also happen from long-term exposure to toxic substances, which may occur in a confined space without proper ventilation, or a sustained lack of oxygen such as in a near drowning. Violent assault, including baby shaking, can also cause damage to the brain.

Types of Brain Injuries

Concussions are just one of four major types of brain injury, also known as head or brain trauma. Brain trauma is a term used to generally describe almost any head injury that affects the brain’s ability to function normally, whether from a shake, blow, penetration or bump.

• Concussion is the result of the brain shaking inside the skull. This is the most commonly recognized brain injury, and happens often in sports activity.
• Penetrating Injury is when a foreign object penetrates the skull to the brain. This is typically from violence or an accident. Foreign objects could be knives or bullets, or metal or glass from a car accident.
• Closed Injury shows little to no noticeable or external side effects. There is no penetration of the skull or external blood loss.
• Acquired Injury does not result from a sudden event. Acquired injuries happen from chemical ingestion or sustained lack of oxygen, such as drowning or suffocation.

Symptoms of Brain Injury

Brain injury is not always the easiest thing to recognize or diagnose. For this reason it is important that if you or a loved one suffer from an event that might have caused trauma, with or without symptoms, you seek medical treatment immediately. Many people erroneously believe that if they maintain consciousness they don’t need a doctor. A loss of consciousness is common with brain trauma, but it is not the only symptom.

If you or a loved one has experienced some sort of head trauma, your doctor can evaluate symptoms, which may include:

• A headache that won’t go away
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Memory loss
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Loss of concentration
• Behavioral changes
• Trouble with cognitive function (reading, speaking, thinking)

The types of symptoms that manifest will depend on the individual, the severity and type of the brain injury. This is not an all-inclusive list. Keep in mind that mild brain injuries are notoriously hard to diagnose and are therefore often missed. Keep close watch over anyone you suspect to have a brain injury in the days following the accident.

Call a Personal Injury Lawyer

An experienced Oklahoma City personal injury lawyer, like the ones you’ll find at Parrish DeVaughn, will have the knowledge and experience necessary to guide you through a personal injury lawsuit. Contact us today for a free consultation.