If another vehicle hits you while you’re traveling in Oklahoma, not only is it critical to your health and safety to obtain medical attention right away, it is equally important closely monitor your condition in the days and weeks that follow the accident. Many serious injuries involve delayed symptoms. In fact, there are several symptoms that can occur hours or days after a collision that suggest that you have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
If you experience any of these issues after having recently been involved in a motor vehicle collision, it is best to seek immediate medical attention and to make sure the physician attending to your care is aware that you have been in a car accident. He or she can then run certain tests to check whether you have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
You don’t always lose consciousness with a brain injury
The force of impact in a collision can cause you to hit your head inside a vehicle, be ejected from a vehicle or be violently thrust forward and back, especially if you’re hit from behind. Any of these instances can result in a brain injury and may cause you to lose consciousness. However, the following list shows five additional symptoms of brain injury that might not arise until hours or days later:
- Feeling depressed
- Trouble sleeping
- Confusion, incoherent thoughts, speech, etc.
- Uncontrollable emotions
- Headache and/or vomiting
You might experience one, several or all of these symptoms if you have suffered a brain injury after a collision. While it is normal to feel pain and discomfort after being hit by a moving vehicle and also understandable to feel upset or have trouble sleeping because you keep thinking about the accident, such issues can also suggest a more serious underlying problem, such as a severe brain injury.
Getting the treatment you need to achieve as full a recovery as possible
If a doctor diagnoses you with a traumatic brain injury, it is likely that you will need a lot of time to recover. If your injury is severe, you might have lasting implications or disabilities in connection with your condition. In a worst-case scenario, you might be unable to return to work or might need daily assistance to function.
It often requires repeated medical visits with a neurologist and other medical team members, as well as physical or occupational therapists, at-home nursing care and more to help a brain injury patient navigate recovery. In Oklahoma, a recovering accident victim is able to seek compensation for damages against the person responsible for his or her injuries. Many people use such compensation to offset medical expenses and other financial strains that may be associated with a motor vehicle collision.
