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West Virginia Traumatic Brain Injuries (Part A)

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If you are involved in an accident in West Virginia, it is possible for your body to sustain various types of injuries. But one of the most dangerous areas on your body to suffer damage is your head. That's because head injuries have the potential to become traumatic brain injuries.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A jolt, bump, or blow to the head can cause a traumatic brain injury. There are 4 basic types of traumatic brain injuries.

Concussion - where the brain gets jarred, often causing the patient to become dizzy or lose consciousness.
Brain contusion - where the brain gets bruised, resulting in some bleeding and swelling in the cranial area.
Skull fracture - where the skull bone actually cracks, which sometimes allows bone fragments to lacerate the brain and cause swelling.
Hematoma - where bleeding collects in the brain and forms a bump when it clots, which could potentially occur weeks after the original head injury.

Medical personnel can diagnose traumatic brain injuries by looking for symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, unconsciousness, seizures, or respiratory problems. If a doctor suspects a traumatic brain injury, they will often order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and/or a computerized tomography (CT) scan. These imaging techniques will help physicians identify and isolate the brain injury so that the proper treatment can be recommended.

Generally speaking, traumatic brain injuries fall into one of 3 categories of severity: mild, moderate, and severe.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries

Approximately 3 out of every 4 traumatic brain injuries are classified as mild. Patients may require acute medical treatment but will often be sent home without hospitalization after treatment. Symptoms include: