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Brain or Spinal Cord Injury

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The Brain Can Be Injured From a Motor Vehicle Collision In 3 Different Ways: Are You Or A Loved One A Victim Of...

Brain injuries are quite common. In fact, the Missouri Department of Health reports that approximately two injuries happen every minute in our country. Car accidents are a common cause of brain injury. Three processes that cause brain damage in a motor vehicle accident are bruising/bleeding, tearing, and swelling.

Bruising/Bleeding
In a common accident scenario, two cars may be driving at 55 mph and suddenly collide. Instantaneously, the occupants’ brains go from 55 mph to 0. Soft brain tissue smashes against skull and tearing the tiny blood vessels of the brain. Uncontrolled blood is released into the brain, as with a levee breaking and water gushing uncontrollably through a neighborhood.

Bleeding of the brain is of great concern to physicians. One of the primary concerns is that there is no extra space for blood to be rushing around in. Since the adult skull is very solid and dense, it is not able to increase in size without breaking. So when the blood is not able to push the skull outward, it begins to press inward, and causes the fragile brain cells to die and other parts of the brain to quit working. Therefore, an unmonitored brain injury has the potential to become fatal, especially since many people who have suffered from a head injury feel almost normal directly after the accident occurs. However, after a short span of time, the injured person’s thinking can grow hazier until eventually they fall into a coma. This is one reason why it is so important to get to a hospital emergency room for evaluation after a motor vehicle collision.

Tearing
In an accident, when the brain is thrown around it is at risk for tearing. When torn, the neural connections that allow the brain to operate become severed and can lead to irreversible damage. Since this occurs microscopically, standard tests cannot always detect tiny tears. Two common tests, the CT scan and the MRI are inadequate for detecting tears. In many studies, only 10-15% of CT Scans and MRI’s were able to detect anything unusual at all.

Swelling
To understand the effects of swelling on the brain, imagine if you were hammering a nail and missed and hit your thumb. It would likely become “black and blue” in color due to the blood that is caused to leak underneath the skin. It would also probably start to swell because your body would send healing agents to the bruising site. The difference between your hand and the brain is that your brain is stuck inside your skull and has no extra room to swell. With pressure building up, the brain is squeezed and too much of this can interrupt important parts of the brain that control your involuntary movements, such as breathing or heartbeat.

HELP FOR BRAIN INJURY VICTIMS
There are many support organizations in both Missouri and Kansas for those suffering from a traumatic brain injury. The lawyers at the Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys have experience in pursuing injury claims on behalf of those suffering traumatic brain injuries.

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another, you can find answers to many of your most important and immediate questions on this website. We would also encourage you to contact us at 816-471-5111 to discuss your situation further and see if we can be of help to you.

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