Did you know that you could suffer from a traumatic brain injury even if you never hit your head? When you’re involved in a crash, it’s possible for your brain to be injured by hitting the inside of the skull or spinning in the skull even though your head may not have hit anything.
What kind of brain injury is most likely without hitting your head? The most likely is a coup-contrecoup injury.
Understanding a coup-contrecoup injury
A coup-contrecoup injury is a type of brain injury that occurs when the brain suffers a blow and counterblow. For example, if your head whips forward in a crash, the brain may first hit the back of the skull and then, as your head returns to a normal position, hit the front of the skull.
The injury is more likely to occur on the opposite side of where your head was struck or stopped moving initially. If the force is great enough, a rebound could occur and lead to secondary injuries.
Coup-contrecoup injuries aren’t the only thing to worry about
It’s also possible for the brain to spin within the skull. If the skull twists faster than the brain can keep up, then it’s possible for significant damage to occur. This kind of brain injury is called a diffuse-axonal injury, or DAI.
Diffuse-axonal injuries are serious because they injury such a large area of the brain. They can also lead to significant swelling and bleeding that require emergency treatment.
What should you do if you suffer a brain injury in a car crash?
A brain injury can have a significant effect on your life, so it’s important to seek out the medical care that you need as soon as you can. It’s appropriate for anyone who has been involved in an auto accident to go to the hospital and have an examination, so a medical provider can determine if they’ve suffered a brain injury or other serious wounds.
Once you get the medical care you need, you can look into seeking the compensation that you deserve from the at-fault driver who caused your collision.
