3 Types of Brain Injuries Sustained in Motorcycle Accidents

Helmets reduce the odds of sustaining mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injuries in a motorcycle accident, but the brain can be affected even when all the proper precautions are taken. If you've been involved in a crash while riding your bike, you may be able to seek compensation for medical expenses and lost earnings from the responsible party. Here's a closer look at types of brain injuries caused by crashes.

 How Do Motorcycle Accidents Injure the Brain?

1. Concussion
If the head, neck, or torso is struck in a motorcycle accident, the force can cause the brain to jerk back and forth against the walls of the skull. Symptoms of a concussion can be immediate or delayed. Confusion, headache, and dizziness are common. A person might also experience balance problems, ringing in the ears, nausea, and blurred vision.
These issues might go away quickly or persist for weeks or longer. A doctor will order CT scans to view the damaged areas and recommend bed rest to let the brain recover. Rehabilitation therapies might also be necessary to regain different brain functions.

2. Diffuse Axonal Injuries
When a vehicle traveling at high speed hits a motorcycle or vice versa, the rider's head can be thrust forward and backward quickly. The aggressive acceleration and deceleration of the brain can lead to a diffuse axonal injury. This means the axons—or the neurons' output fibers in nerve tissue—have developed tears.
People with mild diffuse axonal injuries can experience drowsiness, headaches, and altered sleep. In moderate and severe cases, loss of consciousness can occur for six hours or more. A doctor might administer steroids to reduce brain swelling and prescribe therapies to restore speech, motor skills, and other impaired functions. The prognosis might be a vegetative state for severe injuries. 

3. Penetration Injury

A break in the skull can cause a penetrative injury. When the protective bone is fractured, debris from the wreck and other objects can penetrate brain tissue. If thrown from the motorcycle at high speeds, this type of injury happens when the head makes impact with a sharp object.
For this type of trauma, a medical team would likely perform surgery to remove the object before determining the treatment plan. This will vary based on the part of the brain that's injured but often involves physical and occupational therapy.

 
Although you take steps to remain safe on the road, you can't predict the actions of other motorists. If someone else's negligence caused your motorcycle accident, contact Starks Byron. Our Kennesaw, GA-based attorney fights to get Cobb County clients desirable settlement amounts to cover losses. Visit the accident attorney online to see what types of cases she takes on, read reviews on Facebook, and call (404) 905-3261 for a consultation.