A head injury is any trauma that leads to injury of the scalp, skull, or brain. The specific injuries can range from a minor bump on the skull to very serious brain injury causing comas, paralysis and even death. In general terms, head injury is classified as either closed or open (penetrating the skull) head injury. A closed head injury is usually caused by a blow to the head from striking an object (be it an item such as the sidewalk, street, ice, floor, fallen object or a blow by a hit such as a punch or ball in sporting accidents), but the blow did not result in a break of the skull. An open (or penetrating) head injury results from a blow to the head that breaks the skull and entered the brain. This type of injury often occurs from serious car accidents where a person travels at a high rate of high speed and their head comes into contact with the windshield or dash of the car. Other common causes are blunt hits or gunshot to the head.
Brain injuries are very serious. There are several types of brain injuries. Examples are concussions, which is the most common type of traumatic brain injury we see. A concussion results form a shaken brain, often resulting from a fall, such as a trip and fall or slip and fall on ice. We also see a lot of contusions, which is a bruising of the brain.
Head injuries occur often and fortunately, most are minor since the skull provides the brain with significant protection. Experiencing symptoms of minor head injuries are serious nevertheless, but it seems that they often go away on their own. Other symptoms are more serious and long term and sometimes require hospitalization and surgery. Some head injuries are permanent and cause non reversible brain damage and permanent disability, often caused by bleeding in the brain or brain tissue damage. Examples of serious consequences of head injuries are coma, chronic head syndromes, cognitive deficits, paralysis, loss or change in sensations in vision, hearing, taste and smell, speech impairments and seizure disorders.
The most common causes of head injuries we see are car accidents, slip and falls, trip and falls, strikes to the head in an assault, hits during sporting activities and fallen objects.
If you have suffered a head injury due to an accident, please contact us at 613-315-HURT or 613-315-4878 for a free case assessment and free consultation. Our firm takes on cases on a contingency basis and we do not charge any fees unless we win your case. Marc-Nicholas Quinn, founder of the Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer Network, Lawyers of Quinn Thiele Mineault Grodzki LLP.