If you suffer a blow or jolt to the head because of another person’s carelessness (“negligence”), such as in a car accident, you may suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is not necessary for your head to be struck by or against an object to suffer a TBI. If your head is violently jerked back and forth or side to side in a car accident, amusement ride, or other cause, the brain will move back and forth and hit the inside of the skull, potentially causing bleeding in the brain. This is the same mechanism that causes brain damage to infants in “shaken baby syndrome.”

Traumatic brain injuries are classified as mild, moderate, and severe, depending on the amount of damage done. Some of the common signs and symptoms of TBI are:

• Headaches or neck pain that will not go away
• Persistent dizziness, loss of balance, or light-headedness
• Difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions
• Slowness in thinking, speaking, acting, or reading
• Mental, psychological, or physical fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Mood changes, such as feeling sad or depressed or angry for no reason\

If you experience any of these symptoms, especially after a blow to the head or being violently shaken, you should go to the emergency room immediately. You may have bleeding in the brain that needs immediate medical attention to prevent more serious injury or even death.  A CT Scan or MRI will show the bleeding.

If you or a loved one has suffered a blow to the head or have been violently shaken and suffer any of the above symptoms or other symptoms, it is imperative that you seek medical attention immediately. When the TBI was caused by another person or company, you should contact an experienced personal injury lawyer immediately so he or she can start working on the case right away to obtain all the monetary compensation you are entitled to.