The Serious Consequences of a Fractured Skull
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Most people understand that the skull protects one of the most important organs in the body, the brain. If the brain isn’t functioning, the patient is considered to be braindead. This is what makes the consequences of a fractured skull resulting from a car accident so important.
Serious Auto Accidents Can Fracture a Person’s Skull
A skull fracture is one of the most serious injuries caused by car accidents. When a car is moving at a high speed, the body is moving with the car. When the car comes to a sudden stop, the momentum of the body will continue to move the person forward; however, the seat belt will prevent the body from impacting the steering wheel or dashboard. Unfortunately, the head is not restrained and runs the risk of impacting the dashboard or steering wheel at high speed. This can lead to a fractured skull, along with numerous other injuries such as facial fractures.
Watch Youtube Video ~ Skull Fracture. In this video you will learn the basics of a skull fracture.
A Fractured Skull can Lead to Serious Medical Consequences
When a patient is at risk of suffering a fractured skull, this constitutes a medical emergency. Immediately, the physician will order a CT scan to assess both the fractures that might be present and the possibility of bleeding in the brain. If the patient has bleeding in the brain, this leads to an increased intracranial pressure. The brain is protected by an enclosed, bony skull. This doesn’t give the brain tissue much room to swell. If the brain swells, the brain tissue can herniate out of the back of the skull, leading to a traumatic brain injury that could result in the patient’s death. For this reason, it is imperative that anyone suffering a severe impact to the head seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The Recovery Process
Someone who has suffered head and brain injuries has a long recovery road ahead of them. If a brain injury has been suffered, it will take some time for the true effects of this brain injury to become apparent. The patient may gain and lose certain functions in the immediate aftermath of the injury and early medical treatment. The rehabilitation after traumatic brain injuries will involve meeting with a variety of therapists, both physical and mental, to determine what kind of functions have been lost and what the potential is for regaining some of these lost functions. It could take months or years for the patient’s new baseline functioning status to be determined. Every case is handled on a case by case basis and it is important for patients and their families to discuss the prognosis with a trained medical professional who specializes in this area.
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Attorney Ed Smith
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. A fractured skull can range in severity from a bone fracture to a traumatic brain injury. Patients suffering traumatic injuries should contact me at (916) 921-6400 for friendly, free advice. My toll-free number is also available at (800) 404-5400.
I am a proud member of the California chapter of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Our membership contains many of the top trial lawyers in the country. Forum members have obtained case verdicts in excess of $1 Million.
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