Portland Personal Injury: Dealing with Concussion After an Accident

One of the most distressing injuries a person can receive is a concussion. You hear a lot about it in sports, particularly football, but when it happens as the result of a bicycle accident or a car crash, it’s not nearly so glamorous. However, it is equally devastating, worrying and potentially dangerous. At its root, it’s a brain injury, and if something like this has happened to you in Oregon, it’s critical that you get proper medical advice, and then contact an experienced Portland brain injury attorney.

An brain injury attorney will understand the treatment needed for the injury and will be able to help you understand the long-term costs associated with a serious brain injury. Even a concussion can cause significant health issues later, and you want to be sure you receive compensation not just for now, but for later treatments as well. The brain injury attorneys at DuBois Law Group can help you through this hard time.

What causes concussion?

A concussion is caused by a blow to the head that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. The brain will actually collide with the skull from the inside, making the injury difficult to detect as far as outward signs go. Signs and symptoms of a concussion may not show up for hours, or in some cases even days, but if you or someone you know has been in a traffic accident, bicycle accident or even been injured as a pedestrian, you need to be aware of the multiple symptoms that can indicate a concussion has taken place.

Your Portland brain injury attorney will be able to advise you on how best to deal with what has happened to you if you experience any one or more of the following symptoms after an accident:
• Appearing dazed, stunned or confused
• Loss of consciousness, no matter how briefly • Difficulty thinking clearly
• Difficulty remembering what happened before or after the accident
• Difficulty remembering scheduled tasks
• Sudden and unexplained irritability
• Sleeping more or less than usual, or extreme difficulty falling asleep
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of balance
• Extreme tiredness or grogginess
• Higher sensitivity than normal to light or noise
• Numbness or tingling in limbs or extremities
• Feeling pressure inside the head or severe headaches
• More emotional than normal, very sad, crying for no reason, irritable, nervous

If you see these signs in anyone who has been in an accident, however slight it may have originally seemed, chances are they’ve suffered a concussion. A Portland brain injury attorney will explain what options are available to the injured person if someone else’s negligence caused the concussion.

How do you treat concussion?

Since they can’t be seen, it’s hard to know when a concussion is getting better. Time and rest are critical. Tasks that involve strenuous physical activity should be completely avoided until the doctor says otherwise. In addition, activities that involve intense concentration, the use of computers or video games should also be avoided, as these can exasperate concussion symptoms.

Only after all symptoms have abated, and a qualified medical person has made a thorough examination, should someone who has suffered a concussion resume “normal” activities. Even then, doctors advise taking things very slowly. While this may be frustrating, it’s part of the healing process for anyone who has suffered a concussion.

Can a concussion get worse?

Absolutely. Depending on the severity of the concussion, symptoms can flare up for some time after the accident. This can be extremely dangerous, even life threatening. If you see any of the following symptoms occur in someone who has been in an accident, seek emergency medical attention at once:
• The pupil of one eye is suddenly larger than the other
• Drowsiness or an inability to be wakened
• Headache that gets worse and will not go away
• Numbness or sudden increase in weakness of limbs
• Slurred speech
• A sudden inability to recognize normally familiar people or places
• Convulsions, seizures or any loss of consciousness, no matter how brief

Do not delay. Get the person suffering these symptoms to a medical center or emergency room immediately. When they’ve had the necessary treatment, and you need legal advice, contact our Portland brain injury attorneys, who will help you determine a course of action.