What Are the Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among the most serious and life-altering injuries victims could sustain due to negligence, with many concerning symptoms and complications.

There are physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms of TBIs that doctors assess when diagnosing these injuries and setting victims’ treatment plans. Common signs include clear fluid coming from the nose, dizziness, loss of consciousness, increased irritability, depression, and confusion. A serious impact to the head typically precedes a traumatic brain injury. Because of this, victims should seek the appropriate medical attention. If they do not and their injuries worsen, they could be liable for additional damages. Furthermore, if they should have known about their injuries sooner with the appropriate medical intervention, TBI victims may not get tolling for delayed discovery. Even if you do not show immediate symptoms of a TBI, get medical attention to confirm your injuries.

Call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan for a free review of your case from our Massachusetts brain injury lawyers at (617) 925-6407.

Signs and Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injuries

If you go to the hospital immediately after an accident, which is preferable, you might not have a full list of symptoms to offer doctors to help them diagnose your TBI. Victims who arrive at the hospital unconscious from a head injury will receive the immediate medical attention they need and can discuss potential symptoms with doctors later. Victims who are able can explain any immediate symptoms they have experienced to the doctors evaluating them, and doctors can clarify symptoms you might experience during your physical recovery.

Physical Symptoms

There are many physical symptoms of traumatic brain injuries that doctors might inquire about while assessing you. For example, medical professionals may ask if you have experienced headaches and, if so, how severe they are. Doctors might not be able to diagnose your injuries based on imaging tests alone and might keep you in the hospital for some time for further evaluation, as you might develop additional physical symptoms of a traumatic brain injury, like seizures. Victims who suffer from TBIs and experience these complications might have to take prescription medication to prevent seizures or convulsions.

Clear fluid draining from your nose or ears is an immediate physical indication of a traumatic brain injury. If you experience this after an accident, such as a car crash or serious fall, call 911 so paramedics can take you to the nearest hospital for urgent medical attention.

Cognitive Symptoms

Victims might experience a range of cognitive symptoms indicative of TBIs, such as memory loss, confusion, difficulty processing information, difficulty making decisions, and executive dysfunction. Not all victims recognize these symptoms immediately after an accident, as they might confuse them with the general stress or confusion associated with a traumatic event. Going to the hospital immediately after hitting your head in an accident can let you catch a TBI, potentially before you develop any serious cognitive symptoms.

In addition to these signs, a newfound sensitivity to light or sound could be indicative of a severe head injury, as could other sense and speech issues.

Behavioral Signs

There are also behavioral manifestations of TBIs that can help doctors diagnose injuries and pinpoint their severity. For example, victims might experience changes in sleep patterns, such as challenges falling asleep or waking up. Victims with these injuries might also experience mood changes, feel irritated or frustrated more often, demonstrate other atypical behaviors, and feel anxious or depressed. Assessing behavioral symptoms can aid doctors when treating and diagnosing TBI victims of all kinds, especially children who might be injured during birth and cannot express their other symptoms. Behavioral indicators in children with TBIs include changes to their nursing habits, lack of engagement, and failure to meet certain milestones. Seizures are another common sign of TBIs in young children.

Suing After Discovering Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury

Generally, if a victim’s discovery of an injury differs from an accident’s date, the accrual date for the statute of limitations might get pushed back. That said, because TBIs typically involve a severe impact to the head, victims should get medical attention after accidents, and judges may not grant tolling exceptions for delayed discovery.

Though TBIs do not always have immediate symptoms, they happen because of a head injury. While victims might not feel hurt after hitting their heads, such as on the side of their vehicles during an accident, they should go to the hospital. Suppose they do not, and their injuries worsen, leading to more serious complications from the TBI and more expensive damages. In that case, defendants might argue they aren’t liable for the victims’ extra expenses since they should have sought medical care sooner but failed to.

That is to say, getting a tolling exception for delayed discovery in TBI injury cases can be challenging because of the way these injuries typically happen, which is during a serious accident. Because of that, victims should anticipate having three years from an accident’s date to sue unless another tolling exception applies.

Suing for TBIs due to medical malpractice is sometimes a different story, especially when doctors cause brain injuries during delivery. Patients may not recognize a doctor’s malpractice at the moment, especially if they are giving birth, getting surgery, or receiving some other form of care. Massachusetts’s statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits is also three years, with a seven-year statute of repose, according to Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 260, § 4.

Generally speaking, severe TBIs are identifiable, if not immediately, within the hours or days after victims sustain them. To sue within the statute of limitations, our brain injury lawyers will need evidence verifying your symptoms and TBI diagnosis. Do not delay medical care, as that could jeopardize your case.

Call Our Lawyers About Your TBI Case Today

Call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s Boston brain injury lawyers at (617) 925-6407 for a free case assessment.