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Serious brain injury may arise from minor accidents

On Behalf of | Jan 11, 2016 | Brain Injury |

People in West Virginia who suffer even small bumps on the head should beware of symptoms such as headaches over a long period of time, weakness in their legs and arms or difficulty thinking. While most of these bumps are harmless, in a few cases, they can lead to a dangerous brain injury called a subdural hematoma.

A subdural hematoma occurs when the brain is jostled in the skull resulting in a bleed. Blood pools and presses on the brain. However, even a subdural hematoma is not always dangerous. They often heal without a person even knowing they had one. Older people may be particularly vulnerable to subdural hematomas because it is believed that older brains have a tendency to shrink. As they pull away from the protective dura, veins are exposed.

One older patient who did not realize he had sustained a subdural hematoma was actually a doctor. Because he hurt his back at the same time that he stood up in an attic and bumped his head, he forgot about the head bump. Weeks later, difficulty walking and carrying plates as well as trouble thinking sent him to his neurologist. Emergency surgery saved him. Another man survived his subdural hematoma after a surgeon suctioned around 8 ounces of blood from his brain. His only symptoms after a minor head bump were headaches and trouble driving.

Brain injuries of this type can happen in many different circumstances. In some cases, they might happen because of another person’s negligence. For example, a careless driver may be distracted and might wander over the center line. This could lead to an accident that causes a head injury. In another case, a business might have wet floors that it does not warn customers about. If another party is at fault in an accident that results in a brain injury, the victim may want to pursue compensation with the assistance of an attorney.