Maryland highways can be downright dangerous, especially if you travel them frequently, as in a daily commute to and from work. It is not uncommon to share the road with distracted or drunk drivers, or those who may be falling asleep at the wheel. If a collision occurs, it’s not only critical to seek medical assistance in the immediate aftermath of the incident but to closely monitor your condition for the following weeks in case new symptoms arise, particularly those that suggest that you may have suffered a brain injury.
Brain injury symptoms often experience a delay. Aside from a headache, which you may have anyway after being involved in a collision, there are several symptoms that are great cause for concern, even if they occur many hours or days after a car accident. If you experience these symptoms, it is prudent to seek immediate medical attention.
Tinnitus (or ringing in the ear) is a post-collision symptom of brain injury
As you enter recovery following a car accident, you might notice symptoms that weren’t present just a few moments after the collision occurred. One such symptom is tinnitus, which is more commonly known as ringing in the ear. If you develop tinnitus after a car accident, it is a good idea to return to the hospital or notify your primary care physician, making sure that he or she knows about the collision. Tinnitus is often a sign that a brain injury has occurred.
A change in your senses of smell and taste suggest possible brain injury
If you suffer a concussion or other brain injury as a result of a motor vehicle collision, you might experience changes in your ability to smell or taste things. You might lose all sense of taste and smell, all of one or the other, or have a limited but distorted sense of either or both. The bottom line is that any change in these senses after a car accident suggests that you may have suffered a brain injury.
A continual or intermittent feeling of motion sickness
Have you ever experienced motion sickness while riding in a car or on an amusement park ride? If so, then you are familiar with the unsteady, queasy feeling that arises when this condition occurs. If you have recently been in a car accident and experience feelings of motion sickness, you may have an underlying, more serious health concern, such as a brain injury.
After reporting this or other delayed symptoms to a physician, he or she can run tests to rule out or confirm a brain injury. If another driver’s negligence has caused you to suffer injuries, you can seek financial recovery to help cover medical expenses and other costs associated with the incident.
