Traumatic brain injury types: Open and closed injuries

If you suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of a car accident, you may want to learn a few things about these serious injuries. It’s important that you understand that you may have a long road ahead of you to recover and heal. For one, you’ll want to know what kind of TBI you have. Secondly, you need to learn what symptoms are the norm for serious injuries like yours.

There are two primary categories of traumatic brain injuries — open traumatic and closed TBIs.

Open traumatic brain injuries

An open TBI is exactly what it sounds like. Your skull was fractured, jeopardizing the sanctity of the brain cavity. In some cases, these types of injuries happen after the head is punctured during a gunshot wound. Open TBIs also occur during falls or other serious accidents when the victim’s head strikes a hard surface.

Closed traumatic brain injuries

Just because an opening or fracture doesn’t occur in a closed TBI, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less dangerous. Closed TBIs can result in blood clots and dangerous swelling of the brain inside the cranium with no way for the pressure to release. If this isn’t diagnosed and treated quickly, the initial injury can quickly turn into a fatality.

Another issue that is unique to closed TBIs is the difficulty of correctly diagnosing them. Emergency room doctors might not realize that patients have closed TBIs because they initially don’t show any obvious signs of distress.

The symptoms of TBIs

Symptoms of TBIs can be many and varied depending on the individual and the severity of the wound. When trying to diagnose a patient with a TBI, doctors look for the following symptoms and signs:

• Unusual tiredness
• Severe headaches that won’t go away
• Confusion and memory problems
• Dizziness and nausea
• Numbness and weakness in one part of the body

Did you suffer a TBI in a serious accident?

If you suffered a TBI in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you might want to investigate all of the facts and details leading up to the incident. In some cases, the driver who hit you or even a property owner might be financially liable for your injuries. As your learn more about how Utah personal injury laws could apply to your situation, you will be able to determine whether or not it is advisable to pursue a claim with the help of a Salt Lake City personal injury attorney over your injuries.