The Nature of Accident-Induced Brain Injuries

Car accidents can legitimately cause a number of physical injuries, some of which counting as much worse than others. Let us say for example, a car accident can cause minor fractures for some, but a whiplash injury can be more debilitating especially if the neck is strained enough by the force of the accident.

This minor difference can spell out the general effects of the injury to an individual’s well being, including his general comfort, his ability to work, and his ability to do “major life activities.” But all of these are affected when the injury affects a specific part of the body responsible for governing all life functions involved.

The Central Processing Unit of the body is none other than the brain itself. Once damage is done to the brain, the probability of subsequent dysfunctionality is very high, given that specific portions of the brain govern different areas of bodily functions. The usual form of brain injury in a car accident is called the Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI.

Traumatic Brain Injury is a term which is used to define the general effect of any traumatic event to the brain. The traumatic event may include blunt trauma in the head, resulting from a sudden impact or a sudden movement, causing the brain to “slosh” dangerously and collide with the solid tissues of the skull, causing bruising or even bleeding if the situation is serious enough.

Once brain bruising and bleeding ensues, damage will be inevitable. But the extent of the damage is yet to be measured depending on the symptoms of the TBI. Normally if the TBI is really, really bad, then the usual result is either of the following:

* Comatose

* Vegetative State

* Minimally Conscious State

All of these are distinct in such a way that the person is in various stages of “unwakefulness.” Coma is generally the worst of all the three, indicating heavy and widespread damage. Coma patients can then slip into a Vegetative state, where the damage is still almost the same, with a little bit of consciousness-indication like the ability to open eyes. Minimally conscious state has, generally, a better prognosis than the other two.

These injuries, once suspected to be a resultant of another’s negligence, must be investigated by a Los Angeles Brain injury attorney to compensate for the damages inflicted to the poor subject of the brain damage.