What are signs of traumatic brain injuries?

Brain damage and trauma can manifest in different ways after a crash. No matter how a victim feels, they should seek medical attention quickly. This is the only way to ensure that no permanent damage happened.

But you should also keep an eye out for traumatic brain injuries. Known as TBIs, these injuries can have a serious and immediate impact on your overall health.

Physical signs

Mayo Clinic takes a look at potential signs of brain injury. TBIs in particular tend to have stronger, more prominent effects that are more immediately obvious. This is particularly true of physical effects. For example, many victims experience disordered states of consciousness. This means they may pass out, black out or even fall into a coma. They may also have unevenly dilated pupils, or leak clear fluid from the nose and ears.

Mental and behavioral red flags

Keep an eye out for agitation, aggression and confusion, too. TBIs will also have a mental and behavioral impact on victims. In many cases, they forget what happened leading up to the accident. Their short term memory may malfunction, leading to panic and confusion. They could violently reject any attempt at getting them to seek medical help.

Finally, pay attention to what a victim complains about. In many cases, physical signs are not observable to other parties. A victim may experience excruciating headaches that worsen over time. They could also deal with numbness in their extremities, along with sensory disorders such as tinnitus. Any of these signs might indicate a TBI and you should act quickly to get the victim the medical attention they need.