Head injuries from driving on the road

Head or brain injuries are probably the most serious and life-changing, along with back or spinal damage. The effects of a blow to the head can range from relatively mild concussion, blurred vision and dizziness, through memory loss, altered personality and cognitive impairment, to loss of speech, vision or movement and severe brain damage.

In the more extreme cases of head and brain trauma, the victim is unlikely to be able to work again while becoming dependant on others and having to pay for additional, on-going nursing care, rehabilitation, disability aids or specialist transportation. In these circumstances the settlement will be for significant sums of money in order to compensate the claimant for the rest of their life.

On the roads

One of the most common causes of head injuries, potentially leading to brain damage, is an accident on the road. Pedestrians are sometimes the most vulnerable to reckless drivers as they cannot move out of harm’s way fast and they have no protection. A speeding driver, perhaps on the wrong side of the road, can take a pedestrian unaware within seconds and a collision at any speed will knock someone over. If the car is exceeding the town speed limit, it is likely to send the person flying into the air, over the vehicle and landing on their back or head causing severe injuries, if not death.

However the damage is not likely to be much less if the collision is with a cyclist, and even if they are wearing a helmet they can sustain significant brain injury from being thrown forcibly from their bike. When two cars crash the drivers and passengers are more protected, but the whiplash action can still cause serious damage to the brain, even if they appear to emerge unscathed from cuts and bruises.

Medical negligence

There are other, less obvious ways you might be affected by brain injuries while in hospital. A simple misdiagnosis or failure to spot something on an x-ray can lead to serious consequences if a tumour, haemorrhage, epilepsy, stroke or meningitis is later discovered.

You might rely on oxygen, either while undergoing surgery or as part of your treatment, and if the supply is faulty for any reason you can suffer severe brain damage. Equally, an overdose of medication could cause the brain to swell temporarily which could have a have lasting impact. If midwives or doctors delivering a baby don’t notice that there is a problem, asphyxiation during birth can result in cerebral palsy.