If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Woodland Hills, you may have suffered a head injury and not even known about it because not all head injuries involve an obvious open wound. If you think you’ve been injured after an auto accident, it is important to seek medical attention. Additionally, you may want to consider contacting a personal injury attorney, as you may be entitled to compensation. Consider doing so promptly, as statutes of limitations for personal injury claims apply. Generally speaking, in California, you have two years from when your auto accident occurred to sue the responsible parties, although there are exceptions that shorten the timeline.
Head injuries are generally grouped into three categories. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, confusion, restlessness, and memory loss.
Examples of Head Injuries
Head injuries may include:
- Concussions: A temporary state of altered consciousness, without a loss of consciousness, that usually resolves itself within weeks.
- Post-Concussion Syndrome: A concussion with symptoms lasting three or more months.
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Loss of consciousness for 30 minutes or more; may include amnesia.
When seeking medical attention after being involved in a car accident, your doctor will conduct an evaluation. The evaluation will likely include specialized questionnaires to help determine whether you have had a head injury. Your doctor will also likely perform tests such as studying your ability to respond to light and to pain; checking reflexes and eye movements; and evaluating coordination. You may want to bring a trusted friend or family member to the appointment to help you remember everything the doctor said about your diagnosis and treatment.
Your Doctor and Financial Recovery
A victim in a car accident can seek damages for a specific medical condition if the treating physician, or another physician, provides a medical opinion that the accident caused the medical condition. Therefore, if you believe you suffered a head or neck injury, but your doctor does not, or if you think the accident caused your head injury, but your doctor does not, you may not be able to claim damages for the injury. It is often helpful to obtain a second opinion.
Financial Recovery After an Accident
What kind of compensation can you recover after being injured in an auto accident? A Woodland Hills auto attorney may be able to help you recover compensation for lost wages if you are unable to work while you heal, as well as damages for long-term care, past and future bills for medical treatment, and pain and suffering.
To claim damages for pain and suffering, your doctor will need to explain, for example, that you have suffered a concussion as a result of the accident, and that your symptoms have come from the head injury. You will also need to show what the symptoms are, how long they have lasted, how disabling they are, and how they have affected your life. A skilled attorney can walk you through this process.
For more information on how to obtain financial recovery after being injured in an auto accident, contact Woodland Hills personal injury lawyer Barry P. Goldberg today.
