Concussions and Motorcycle Accidents

Concussions have become a hot topic lately. There is a reason why and it is because concussions can have permanent effect on accident victims. There is a reason that the NFL paid former players who suffered concussions 1 BILLION dollars. The Center for Disease Control now actually calls concussions traumatic brain injuries.

What is a Concussion?

Concussions are generally classified as mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI). MTBI are typically caused by a blow to the head or a whiplash injury.[1] A whiplash injury can cause MTBI because the impact of a car accident will cause the brain to actually bounce back and forth off the sides of the skull. Car and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of concussions followed by slip and fall accidents. The Glasgow Scale, is a test commonly used by physicians to gauge the severity of a closed head injury. A Glasgow score of 13-15 indicates a MTBI. The lower the score, the more severe the brain injury.

A concussion does require blunt force trauma, however, it is usually caused by an direct impact in a motorcycle accident. While wearing a helmet can save your life and prevent skull fractures, but concussions are still a very common injury seen after motorcycle accidents.

Symptoms of Concussions

The symptoms of a concussion can manifest themselves instantly or may take days before manifesting in the accident victim. Some of the more common symptoms of concussions include:

1. Loss of consciousness;
2. Blurry vision;
3. Headaches;
4. Nausea;
5. Fatigue or drowsiness;
6. Difficulty sleeping;
7. Dizziness;
8. Loss of coordination;
9. Confusion;
10. Memory loss;

Many times concussions will be missed in an emergency room situations because the goal of emergency room care is to treat the most severe injuries.

Long Term Effects of Concussions

Recent studies have shown that almost 25% of all people who have suffered a concussion have some long term effects. These long term effects can include newly manifested anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Mild traumatic brain injuries have also been shown to cause depression.

ANXIETY COSTS – On average people who suffer from anxiety issues will spend $650.00 per year on medication. People suffering from depression are significantly more likely to struggle at work and in school. They are also more likely to have unsuccessful marriages and abuse drugs or alcohol.

DEPRESSION COSTS – On average people who suffer from depression will spend $750.00 per year in medication. They are 7 times more likely to abuse drugs and be unemployed. Sufferers of depression are 30 times more likely to commit suicide.

Contact an Experienced Motorcycle Accident Attorney at Jones Law Group

If you have been involved in motorcycle accident, you should immediately call Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Pete, FL 33707