Motor vehicle collisions can cause expensive property damage. They can also cause life-altering injuries. Crashes are a leading cause of premature mortality and catastrophic injury. People traveling in motor vehicles can sustain significant injuries when collisions occur.
Some people break bones or incur spinal cord injuries. Others may develop traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). TBIs vary in severity from mild injuries that lead to a full recovery to severe injuries that leave people in a persistent vegetative state. The symptoms of a TBI can include changes in motor function and cognition. Those with TBIs often have both medical expenses and lost wages to recover.
There are several different ways in which motor vehicle collisions can cause injury to the human brain, and the three below are arguably the most common.
1. Violent vehicle motions
When car crashes occur at high speeds, the vehicles may roll, spin or flip. Those violent motions shake the people inside the vehicle.
The brains of people subject to violent vehicle motions may move aggressively inside the skull, causing bleeding or inflammation. Swelling of the brain or bleeding inside the skull can cause worsening symptoms, as the skull prevents any relief from that building pressure.
2. Blunt force trauma
Even a low-speed rear-end collision could theoretically cause a TBI. The person in the front vehicle could hit their forehead on the steering wheel, resulting in a blunt force trauma injury. Anyone who hits their head on part of the vehicle or after getting thrown from a vehicle could sustain a TBI as a result.
3. Penetrating injuries
Pieces of glass and other shrapnel fly at high speeds during a collision. Individuals in the colliding vehicles or even people nearby when a crash occurs can end up struck by debris.
A seemingly small entrance wound on the face or scalp may hide an injury that goes into the skull. Penetrating injuries can cause traumatic injury to the brain itself and can also produce internal swelling or bleeding that generates worsening symptoms.
There are a host of other, less common ways for car crashes to cause brain injuries. For example, explosions and fires can lead to injuries related to oxygen deprivation or percussive force, both of which can injure the human brain.
Those adjusting to life with a brain injury after a car crash often need help pursuing compensation. Identifying the injury and evaluating financial consequences can help people pursue economic justice after a car crash.