Slip and fall accidents can cause broken bones and painful soft-tissue injuries. While these are serious injuries, hitting your head when you slip and fall could be even worse. A blow to the head could cause a severe brain injury that may result in long-term complications.
Greg Monforton and Partners’ experienced lawyers have compiled a list of head injuries that could occur in a Windsor slip and fall accident. If you or a loved one suffered a head injury in a slip and fall accident, the property owner might be liable. Our Windsor slip and fall lawyers may be able to assist you with seeking compensation for your medical care and other damages.
Call us today to schedule a free legal consultation: (866) 320-4770.
How You Could Hit Your Head During a Slip, Trip or Fall
Slip and fall accidents are unexpected, which is why some people may be unable to protect their faces and heads as they hit the ground. Their heads could hit the ground or an object that is nearby, causing a serious head injury. For example, the victim could crash into:
- Aisles in stores
- Tables at restaurants
- Parking bumpers
- Chairs and other furniture
- Stairs or stairway railings
Some victims could slip and fall backward, hitting their head on pavement, the floor of a retail store or something that is behind them.
Serious injuries may be much more likely if the victim is in a confined space or on a slippery or wet surface.
Concussions
This is one of the most common head injuries that occurs in a personal injury accident. A blow to the head can cause your brain to bounce off your skull, which could result in bruising and bleeding.
Some who suffer concussions lose consciousness for a short time. However, concussions usually happen without the victim losing consciousness. Movement of your brain inside your skull damages brain cells and results in a variety of debilitating symptoms.
Hematomas
These are blood clots that put pressure on your brain. Hematomas form after blood vessels are ruptured, which could happen when you suffer a concussion.
Victims need medical treatment to relieve the pressure, otherwise they could suffer permanent damage to their brain function.
Subdural hematomas happen when blood pools between the surface of your brain and your skull. Extradural hematomas are between the skull and dura matter, which protects the brain.
Skull Fractures
If you hit your head hard enough during a slip and fall your skull could fracture. This often results in damage to the brain, especially if an object pierces your skull and hits your brain.
Diffuse Axonal Injuries
Sometimes a blow to the head could cause your brain to rotate inside your skull, which could shear nerve fibers. This could result in a coma, as multiple parts of your brain could suffer injuries. Unfortunately, damage to your brain might not be visible on CT scans or MRIs.
Lacerations
If you hit your head on something sharp, such as a sharp edge on a store aisle, you could cut your scalp open. This injury commonly happens to young children.
The major concern with this injury is excessive bleeding, as your head bleeds much more profusely than other body parts.
Edemas
Many injuries to the brain can cause swelling, also known as edema. The problem with an edema is that the swelling puts pressure on your brain, which can cause brain damage. Sometimes an edema is a life-threatening injury.
Hemorrhages
Your head has more blood vessels than any other body part, which is why a blow to the head could cause uncontrollable bleeding. There are two types of hemorrhages:
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage – This occurs in the space around the brain.
- Intracerebral hemorrhage – This happens in the brain tissue and is the most dangerous type of hemorrhage. These are also the second most common cause of strokes.
Contusions
A direct blow to the head can cause bruising and bleeding in your brain. You may dismiss a bruise as something minor, but sometimes contusions to the head require surgery. If you do not remove the contusion, it could cause damage to your brain.
Symptoms of a Head/Brain Injury
Even though head injuries are serious, some crash victims might dismiss a blow to the head if they do not lose consciousness or see blood. However, there are numerous other symptoms that may indicate an injury to your head or brain:
- Recurring headaches
- Tinnitus
- Struggling to go to sleep
- Feeling unusually tired
- Struggling to maintain balance
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fluid draining from your nose or ears
- Changes in behavior or personality
- Feeling unusually confused
- Losing memories
- Feeling pressure in your head
- Tingling or numbness in your extremities
- Feeling sensitive to light
- Feeling sensitive to sound
- Blurry vision
- Seizures
You should never take a head injury lightly. Seek treatment right away and report all your symptoms. You should also consider seeking help from an experienced lawyer. Your injury may be a result of the property owner’s negligence.
Call Greg Monforton and Partners After a Slip and Fall Injury
Slip and fall accidents might not sound like a big deal to some people, but falling is dangerous. Victims could hit their heads and suffer a severe brain injury that may affect them for a long time.
If you were injured in slip and fall in Windsor, we are here to help, at no upfront cost to you. Call today to schedule a free legal consultation and learn how we may be able to assist you.
Experienced lawyers. Millions recovered. Call today: (866) 320-4770.