Headaches are common after a North Carolina motor vehicle wreck. These headaches can be referred to as post-traumatic headaches and most resolve after a few months. However, a surprising number of crash victims experience chronic headaches for years after their wreck.
It’s not easy to identify the exact cause of post-collision headache. Unlike some conditions, you cannot always pinpoint a headache’s cause with diagnostic tests like MRIs and CT scans. Depending on your situation, your doctor may link your headache to a variety of factors.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
Head pain can have many causes, but you should always be concerned about chronic post motor vehicle headaches. Traumatic brain injury is an umbrella term that covers a variety of different types of head injuries, ranging from the relatively minor to catastrophic. Most of the common head injuries include:
- Concussions: One of the most common types of TBIs, a concussion occurs when your brain sustains microscopic damage to its blood vessels and nerves. While some people recover quickly from a concussion, many live with post-concussion syndrome for months or years.
- Contusions: A crash can cause bruising on the brain at multiple locations, as the brain repeatedly slams against your skull during an impact.
- Intracranial Hematomas: Intracranial hematoma involves ruptured brain vessels that are bleeding into your skull or brain. This bleeding is potentially life-threatening as it can cause pressure on the brain.
- Diffuse Axonal Injuries (DAI): Axons are nerve fibers that communicate messages from the brain. As the brain strikes your skull, the forces can stretch and rip your axons.
Any of these conditions may cause headaches. In fact, 90% of people with mild TBIs, like concussions, experience post-traumatic headaches. Other symptoms of a TBI include vision issues, dizziness, memory loss, mood changes, and disorientation. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you must seek medical care right away.
Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when the neck jerks back or forward abruptly. When whiplash occurs, it damages your neck’s soft tissues and nerves. Whiplash can result in severe lasting pain in the neck, shoulders or back, and cause chronic post-crash headaches.
Common symptoms of whiplash include:
- Feeling stressed, anxious, or jittery.
- Experiencing a feeling of pressure across your forehead, sides, or back of your head.
- Your scalp feels tender.
- You do not experience visual disturbances or light sensitivity (typical signs of a migraine)
Cervicogenic Headache
A cervicogenic headache is referred pain (pain perceived as occurring in a part of the body other than its true source) perceived in the head from a source in the neck. Cervicogenic headaches are often referred to as secondary headaches, which means that it is caused by another illness or physical issue. In the case of cervicogenic headache, the cause is a disorder of the cervical spine and its component bone, disc and/or soft tissue elements.
Compensation for Chronic Post Motor Vehicle Collision Headaches
If you have been injured and suffered chronic post motor vehicle collision, you deserve to be compensated for your pain and suffering. You can recover compensation for medical bills, medication, and overall pain and suffering.
Insurance companies are continually looking for reasons to deny personal injury claims. When headaches don’t resolved quickly and aren’t easily explained, the insurance company may use this as an excuse to deny your compensations.
You will need strong medical evidence that documents your chronic headaches and links them directly to the crash. When you’re experiencing a severe headache, contact your doctor or headache specialist. They may be able to help alleviate your symptoms, run tests, and track your headache’s progression.
However, you’ll also need help from a lawyer who understands the nuances of North Carolina crash-related headaches and has a track record of success with complicated claims.
Representation for Chronic Post Motor Vehicle Collision Headaches
Maginnis Law’s lead personal injury attorney, T. Shawn Howard, has years of experience handling complex North Carolina personal injury claims. Mr. Howard is a million dollar and multi-million-dollar advocate, meaning that he has obtained settlements for his client in excess of $1,000,000 and $2,000,000.
Maginnis Law handles North Carolina personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis – meaning that you pay no attorneys’ fees unless we reach a settlement or obtain a verdict or settlement in your case.
Contact the Raleigh personal injury attorneys of Maginnis Howard at (919) 526-0450 or send a message through our contact page.
