Truck Accidents And Traumatic Brain Injuries

For many people, owning and operating a truck can be a rewarding way to navigate the nation's roadways. But since trucks are larger than passenger vehicles, they can require more space to make emergency maneuvers like stops, turns, or starts. This delayed reaction time can make a truck driver susceptible to involvement in an accident, which can endanger you. If you got in an accident with a truck driver, it is important to consider your health in the aftermath of the accident.

Motor vehicle accidents have the potential to cause traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that can seriously impact the quality of your daily life. Here are three things you need to know about truck accidents and TBIs.

1. TBIs can be difficult to diagnose.

It's not uncommon to visit the hospital for emergency medical care to treat serious injuries, but it is especially important after a truck accident, as a TBI might be sustained without you even realizing it. Mild TBIs can occur whenever you get knocked out for 30 minutes or less. Many people who suffer a TBI in a truck accident don't even lose consciousness.

Because the symptoms of a TBI can take time to manifest, you need to be vigilant in watching for signs that you have sustained head trauma in the days following your involvement in an accident. If you notice that you have difficulty committing new information to memory or there is a sudden change in your mood and sleep habits, visit your doctor to get checked for a TBI.

2. TBIs are common.

If you think that head injuries occur only in serious auto accidents, you couldn't be more wrong. Statistics show that over half of the TBIs reported are the direct result of the patient's involvement in an auto accident.

Understanding that TBIs and auto accidents share a close connection will help you remain more vigilant when monitoring yourself for a TBI in the days following your truck accident. The symptoms of a TBI are more easily spotted when you know you are at risk after you have been in a truck accident and you make the conscious decision to monitor your behavior.

3. TBI cases can be difficult to litigate.

Being involved in a truck accident can result in physical, emotional, and financial damages. Suffering a TBI could entitle you to receive financial compensation for your injuries, but litigating personal injury cases involving a TBI can be challenging because these injuries are often referred to as invisible injuries.

It's important that you seek the help of an attorney with experience working on TBI cases. An experienced lawyer will be able to utilize cutting-edge technology and information (like the pupillometer or medical records) to help prove that you have a TBI.

Understanding that TBIs are difficult to diagnose, commonly occur as a result of auto accidents, and can be difficult to litigate will help you more successfully navigate your own TBI if you are involved in a truck accident in the future.

For more information about what to do after you've been in a truck accident, talk with professional lawyers, such as those at Snyder & Wenner, P.C..