Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorneys > Blog > Personal Injury > Are You Suffering from a Mild TBI?

Are You Suffering from a Mild TBI?

Some of the injuries sustained in car accidents are immediately obvious to victims. It is, for instance, hard to miss a severely broken bone or a serious laceration. Other injuries, however, are not so easily identified. Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) for example, are often overlooked for days or even weeks after an accident, but can still have serious long-term consequences for victims, who may find it more difficult to obtain compensation for their injuries because of the delay in diagnosis. If you are suffering from the symptoms of a mild TBI and were recently involved in an accident, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our TBI legal team today for advice on what to do next.

What are the Symptoms of a Mild TBI?

Although mild TBIs have a variety of causes, they are usually the result of the head coming into contact with another object during a forceful impact and can be classified as either severe, moderate, or mild, with the latter term being used to define head injuries that result in a loss of consciousness, confusion, or disorientation for fewer than 30 minutes. Mild TBIs can go by a number of different names, including:

Concussions;
Minor brain injuries;
Minor head injuries; and
Minor head trauma.

Regardless of the name, this kind of injury can have painful consequences and is actually the most prevalent type of head injury. Unfortunately, mild TBS don’t always show up on MRI and CAT scans, although victims could still be suffering from the following symptoms:

Headache;
Difficulty thinking;
Fatigue;
Nausea;
Sensitivity to light and sound;
Problems with memory;
Dizziness or difficulty balancing;
Difficulty focusing; and
Mood swings and irritability.

Although referred to as “mild”, these types of head injuries can have devastating effects on victims and their families, especially if the injury goes undiagnosed and untreated.

Why are Many Mild TBIs not Diagnosed?

The symptoms of mild TBIs don’t always manifest at the time of injury. In fact, it could take days or even weeks after an accident before an injured party begins suffering symptoms. Furthermore, these symptoms are often subtle and so are easily missed by the injured party and even doctors. While the victim of a TBI may look normal, he or she is not always feeling or thinking normally. For this reason, family and friends of accident victims are strongly encouraged to keep an eye out for changes in behavior, as these individuals are often more sensitive to these kinds of changes than the actual victim. It is also important for accident victims to see a doctor as soon as possible after an accident, even if they aren’t immediately suffering from any symptoms. While a doctor may not see signs of a mild TBI at this early stage, it is still a good idea to seek medical attention. Once symptoms do begin to show up, it is critical to consult with a doctor, as he or she can begin treatment and also make a record of symptoms and diagnosis, which can be critical to a later personal injury claim.