If you’ve been involved in a car crash, it may seem normal that you don’t remember exactly what happened in the moments before or immediately afterward. After all, you’re still in shock from the whole thing.
However, if you suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), you could be suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. There are two common types of post-traumatic amnesia. Let’s take a look at those.
Anterograde amnesia
This is the most common type of post-traumatic amnesia that people suffer. It affects memories of the time after the injury occurred. For example, you may have no memory of being pulled out of the car, taken to the hospital in an ambulance or even your first few hours or longer in the hospital.
Retrograde amnesia
With this type of amnesia, a person doesn’t remember the time just prior to the injury. For example, you may remember pulling out of the parking lot, but nothing after that until the crash was over.
It’s also possible to be unable to remember both how the accident happened (what led up to it) as well as some time after it. That can be particularly true if it happened very suddenly – for example, if you didn’t see the other car before it hit you. Whatever the memory gaps, it’s important to get a diagnosis and treatment.
Don’t let your memory loss affect your claim
If you’re suffering from amnesia, you shouldn’t talk to anyone from the at-fault driver’s insurance company, the driver themselves or anyone representing them. Anything you tell them, even if you say you aren’t sure, can be used to prevent you from getting compensation.
It’s wise to seek legal guidance to help ensure that you protect your claim and get the settlement you need to cover your medical care and any other expenses and damages. Amnesia can prevent you from working for some time. Your settlement should reflect any financial losses related to that.
