Many Florida car accidents and truck accidents result in brain injuries. This is because the force of a collision can push a passenger’s head against a solid object (such as a dashboard) or can cause the head to shake so violently that this causes a brain injury. Due to the greater force of truck accidents, these collisions are far more likely to cause serious or even fatal injuries.
To understand Florida brain injuries caused by truck accidents, it is important to understand the brain. The brain is protected by the scalp, which is made of connective tissues, skin, hair, and muscle. It is 5-7 mm thick. Below this is the skull, which provides even more protection for the brain. The skull is actually made up of eight bones and is between 4-7 mm thick in various places. The skull allows nerves and arteries to enter and leave the brain and at the base of the spine is the brain stem as well as the start of the spinal cord. Many Florida spinal cord injuries caused by trucking accidents are in fact caused by injury to this part of the head.
Inside the skull, the brain is even more protected by membranes. There are in fact three layers of these membranes. The meninges support the nerves and blood vessels carrying oxygen and other necessities to the brain. They also separate the bone of the skull from the brain. The meninges further help protect the brain because they are lubricated by a nutrient-rich cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is also found in the spaces within the brain.
Although the brain is obviously well protected, it simply cannot protect itself from the force and impact of a Florida trucking accident. When a head injury occurs as a result of a traffic accident, two types of brain injuries can take place: focal or diffuse injuries. Focal injuries are localized injuries, such as bruising on one or two areas of the brain. Diffuse injuries affect the entire brain or a large amount of the brain. Concussions and swelling of the brain due to brain trauma are examples of diffuse brain injuries. About three quarters of brain injuries caused by traffic accidents are diffuse injuries.
Concussions after a Florida trucking accident are quite common and can range from very mild cases requiring almost no treatment to very severe concussions that include skull fracture as well as bruising of the brain. If a patient does not regain consciousness within the first 24 hours, the prognosis is generally poor. In one out of five such patients, a good recovery can still occur and fatalities can affect up to 7% of such cases.
In cases where a Florida truck accident results in burn injuries to the face, multiple skull fractures, penetration of the skull by a foreign object, or cerebral contusion, the diagnosis and prognosis can be even more grim. Many patients with these complications face severe nervous tissue damage. The fatality rate is high and patients who recover may not be able to recover all their mobility, memory, or speech functions. Some patients who recover may require care for the rest of their lives.