Blunt Force Head Trauma - Common Causes And The Effects It Can Cause

Blunt Force Trauma Injuries can be Catastrophic

When we hear the term blunt force head trauma we may immediately think of violent crimes like assault. This is because the term is frequently used in the news when the exact cause of injury is not yet known. “The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries resulting from blunt force head trauma,” would typify a line from the morning news. The truth is that blunt force head trauma can be caused by any blow to the head which does not penetrate the skull.

What is Blunt Force Trauma?

Blunt trauma is physical injury caused by a non penetrating impact via a blunt object or surface. The opposite of blunt force trauma would be penetrating trauma which is when the injury breaks the surface of whichever organ is injured. Blunt force trauma can range from the simple hammer smashing a finger while driving nails to a driver’s head being injured by impacting something in a car accident.

Causes of Blunt Force Head Injury

The most common cause of blunt force head trauma is motor vehicle accidents. This is followed by sports injuries, physical assaults and falls, according to the National Institutes of Health. Wearing protective headgear in sports and seat belts while driving can significantly reduce the cases of blunt force head injury. Wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle or bicycle can also greatly reduce the chance of head injury. Another common cause of blunt force trauma can be a fall while walking and the head makes impact with the ground or the edge of an object, like a table or a step on a set of stairs.

The Types of Blunt Force Trauma Injury

Blunt force head trauma can produce two different types of injury, which are concussion and contusion. A concussion is caused by the shaking of the brain, while contusion results in a direct injury to the brain. In severe case the injury can also occur to the side of the brain opposite of the impact. This injury is known as contrecoup.

Contrecoup occurs when the head is in motion and suddenly strikes a stationary object as in a head to head collision in football or a head to dashboard impact in a car crash. Loss of consciousness may occur from blunt force head trauma which may lead to additional brain damage according to braininjury.com. The effects of traumatic brain injuries may have a dramatic effect on normal brain function. These severe effects are often irreversible.

The Effects of Blunt Force Head Trauma Injuries

When a person suffers a blunt force head trauma, symptoms may develop immediately or manifest slowly within a few hours, days or even weeks. In the case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the symptoms may take ten years or more to become apparent.

Symptoms of traumatic brain injury include:

• Convulsion

• Partial paralysis involving one or more limbs

• Loss of consciousness

• Personality changes and irritability

• Confusion

• Drops in blood pressure

• Diminished coordination

• Slurred speech

• Blurred vision

• Severe headache

• Vomiting

The long term effects caused by traumatic brain injury may include speech and language problems, chronic headaches, changes or loss of vision, taste or smell and coma. The damage can be worsened by internal bleeding of the brain.

Care for the Victim of a Suspected Blunt Force Trauma Injury

If you find a person who you suspect is suffering from a blunt force head trauma, do not move them unless they are directly in harm’s way. Do not shake them in order to regain their consciousness or revive them from a daze. The timing in these cases is critical and a delay of minutes, in receiving proper medical treatment, can greatly affect the outcome. Get medical help immediately. Even if the victim insists they are fine; they may not be acting rationally due to shock.

Possible Damages From a Blunt Force Head Trauma Injury

Should someone sustain a blunt force trauma injury to the head, then they may be able to receive compensation for various damages caused by the injury. It goes much farther than the price of a medical bill. A head injury has serious ramifications and since the damages are considered greater then the settlements are much larger as well to compensate for this.

The most obvious thing that someone liable for a blunt force trauma head injury provides compensation for is medical bills. This doesn’t mean just the bills for initial treatment but for ongoing care and treatment that usually accompanies such a serious injury for a lifetime. This includes medication, physical therapy, checkups, tests, etc.

Also, there are lost wages. A blunt force trauma head injury can knock someone out of work; sometimes permanently. If someone is out of work for only a short time then the lost wages are calculated based off of the hourly wage and the hours the victim usually works. If someone is made unable to work then the situation is a bit more complicated.

Intense pain and suffering accompanies a blunt force head trauma injury. Luckily, victims can receive monetary compensation for this based on the nature of the injury, its intensity, time knocked out of commission, etc.. There is no exact mathematical formula to calculate pain and suffering damages and therefore they can vary widely depending on the case.

The Brain Injury Attorney

A victim of a blunt force head injury should seek the advice of an experienced brain injury attorney as soon as possible. The injury may be the result of negligence or malice, in the case of an assault. The attorney can determine who is responsible. It may be another driver, the owner of property, the manufacturer of a defective product or many others. The cost of a traumatic head injury over a lifetime can be astronomical when future medical costs, loss of long term income, rehabilitation and other expenses are considered. The experienced brain injury attorney knows the true value of your case and will not settle for less.

Contact The Law Office Of Dimitrios Kourouklis, Ph.D.

The brain injury attorneys at the Law Office of Dimitrios Kourouklis, Ph.D. have the resources available to front the cost of your case for as long as it takes to recover the damages you deserve for past, present and future, medical bills, lost income, rehabilitation, career retraining (if you are capable of working) as well as pain and suffering. Reach out to the Law Office of Dimitrios Kourouklis, Ph.D. today for a free consultation. There is no cost to you until you receive what is coming to you. Call 929-400-7608 or fill out the contact form on our website today.