Symptoms of a Brain Injury After a Motorcycle Crash

Unfortunately, motorcyclists are more susceptible to severe head and brain injuries than others when a crash occurs. Brain injuries can lead to significant short- and long-term symptoms for victims. Here, we want to review some of the most common symptoms that you need to look out for right away as well as possible long-term symptoms caused by motorcycle crash brain injuries.

The Short- and Long-Term Brain Injury Symptoms

The symptoms of a brain injury cannot all be explained without acknowledging that the severity of the brain injury plays a major role in a patient’s long-term outcome. For example, a concussion is considered a mild TBI, though individuals who sustain concussions typically make a full recovery within a week or so. The signs and symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury often include headaches, vomiting or nausea, mild issues with speech, some dizziness, loss of balance, and fatigue or drowsiness. There may also be some sensitivity to light or sound.

However, motorcycle accidents often result in much more severe traumatic brain injuries. A moderate to severe traumatic brain injury is more than just a concussion. These types of injuries are often caused by swelling of the brain or blood collecting in between the brain and the skull.

Some of the physical symptoms of a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury include:

• Loss of consciousness that can range from several minutes to several hours
• Possibility of a long-term coma
• Convulsions or seizures
• Dilation of pupils
• Clear fluid draining from ears or nose
• Continued nausea or vomiting
• Inability to wake up
• Numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes
• Loss of coordination

In addition to these physical symptoms of a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, individuals must also be cautious about cognitive or mental signs and symptoms. Often, traumatic brain injury victims are not able to recognize these signs and symptoms in themselves, and friends and family members need to be on the lookout for any profound confusion, slurred speech, agitation or combativeness, or any other type of unusual behavior.

Unfortunately, sometimes traumatic brain injury damage cannot be reversed. Individuals who sustain these severe motorcycle accident injuries may suffer from permanent physical or cognitive impairment. This all depends on the severity of the initial injury as well as the level of treatment and individual receives.

Recovering Compensation for a Motorcycle TBI

If a motorcyclist sustains a traumatic brain injury caused by the negligent actions of another driver on the roadway, they should be able to recover compensation for their losses. Typically, competition is available for emergency medical bills, ongoing medical treatment, lost income if a person is unable to work, property damage expenses, and pain and suffering damages.

Recovering compensation in these circumstances is only possible after proving the other party’s liability. This can be challenging. All motorcycle accident victims in Illinois should work with a skilled attorney who can examine every aspect of their case. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will gather evidence from the scene of the incident as well as additional types of evidence that can help determine what happened and present this information to the insurance carriers or to a personal injury jury.