Most of us have experienced or know of someone who has gotten a concussion. This brain injury is common and usually can be recovered from with rest and care. However, when a concussed person doesn’t get evaluated or focus on healing from their injury, then they could risk causing permanent brain damage.
When you’ve suffered a concussion from someone else’s negligence, then you could use the help of a brain injury lawyer who can defend your rights. With the help of an attorney from Buckingham & Vega Law Firm in Albuquerque, you can recover the compensation that you deserve for your injuries and any other damages that you might have suffered.
Causes of Permanent Brain Damage from a Concussion
While most concussions can heal, there are some risk factors that could cause a person to suffer from permanent brain damage after a concussion. When patients don’t take their concussion seriously, no matter how mild it is, they could put themselves at risk for brain damage. Here are some of the ways that a person could be at risk for causing permanent damage to their brains after a concussion, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS):
- Neglecting to seek care
- Ignoring symptoms and signs of a brain injury
- Failing to follow the care plan
- Suffering from another concussion without fully healing from the first
When brain tissue is damaged and does not have time to properly heal, brain cells can suffer from more damage, which could make the healing process even longer and harder. Since regular concussions alter brain function, permanent damage could lead to even further altered brain function and losses of some abilities, depending on the injury.
Let’s take a look at the different types of brain damage that can become permanent after a concussion.
What Does Permanent Brain Damage Look Like After a Concussion?
As discussed above, concussions can lead to brain damage that lasts for the rest of your life when they’re not treated properly. Two syndromes form concussions that could lead to lasting damage are post-concussive syndrome and second impact syndrome. While post-concussive syndrome likely won’t persist for the rest of the patient’s life, they could experience lasting symptoms of a concussion for many months after the event.
Second impact syndrome is more severe than post-concussive syndrome and happens when a concussed person suffers from another concussion before their first is healed. The second impact creates more swelling inside the skull. It adds rapidly increasing pressure and congestion of the vessels, which can cause serious damage to the brain. When a person suffers from a second successive concussion, they often are left with permanent damage, and the impact can even prove fatal.
This is why it’s important to seek medical help if you suspect you might have a concussion—the brain is the most vital organ and a second injury could be deadly. Here are some of the symptoms that you could experience from a concussion that could become permanent if not treated properly:
- Chronic headaches
- Seizures
- Memory loss
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Loss of motor function
- Problems sleeping
- Speech problems
Concussions can happen at any time. Although you might think you’re past the days of concussion risk once you’ve stopped playing contact sports, the reality is that they could strike anywhere. Car accidents, slip and falls, and even playing a pickup game of basketball with your friends can easily lead to you hitting your head and suffering from a mild to severe concussion.
When that happens, you’ll want to seek medical attention immediately and take your treatment plan seriously. That way you can heal as best as possible and return to your normal life. Brain injuries are serious, and it’s important to treat them as such.
One of Our Lawyers Can Represent You
When your brain injury was caused by someone else’s negligence in Albuquerque, you might be interested in recovering financially from all the costs that you incurred from your accident. With the help of a brain injury lawyer from Buckingham & Vega Law Firm, you’ll be able to get the compensation you deserve for the accident you didn’t cause.
We’ll investigate what happened and use your medical bills, lost wages, and other costs to calculate how much you’re owed in damages. You don’t have to go through this alone. Reach out to our office today so we can discuss your legal options and get started as soon as possible on your claim.