Ideally, you would never have to worry about the consequences of a motor vehicle collision. If you are a safe driver, you may think your risk is relatively low. Sadly, a lot of the risk on the roads comes from other drivers and their poor decision-making. No matter how carefully you drive or how safe your vehicle is, all it takes is one person texting or driving while drunk to leave you in a terrible position.

There are several different kinds of injuries that people can suffer in crashes, ranging from broken bones to spinal cord injuries. One of the most serious is often one that gets overlooked in the immediate aftermath of a crash. Traumatic brain injuries can affect everything from your memory to your motor skills, making them one of the most worrying kinds of injury.

Sometimes, brain injuries take time to develop

Some car crashes are so severe that a person’s brain injury is evident immediately. In these cases, a person may lose consciousness or have severe symptoms before emergency responders even arrived at the crash site. In these cases, trauma care is usually necessary, along with rehabilitative medicine. Other people may also suffer traumatic brain injuries without initially realizing it.

People who strike their heads on part of the vehicle, those who get thrown from the vehicle and anyone shaken roughly in a crash could suffer a brain injury. It is common for symptoms to take days or weeks to develop. As swelling and bleeding on the brain continues, this can increase pressure inside the skull and create new or worsening symptoms.

Earlier diagnosis and intervention may prevent some of those symptoms. That is why it is important for anyone who may have injured their brain to seek medical evaluation after a crash.

A brain injury could mean the end of your career or independence

Brain injuries can cause a host of symptoms. These include:

• memory loss
• issues with balance
• problems with motor control
• sensory symptoms, like blurry vision or ringing ears
• changes in personality
• cognitive issues

The exact symptoms will vary depending on the location of the injury, as well as how bad it is. Some people may be able to return to work when swelling decreases over time. Other people may have severe injuries that prevent them from returning to work.

In certain cases, it is possible that a person with a TBI can no longer care for themselves. Everything from food preparation and eating to dressing or showering could be too difficult with balance or motor problems. Those who suffer a brain injury as a result of a crash caused by another driver should look into their rights to pursue compensation for their losses.