Types of Head Injury

Head injuries may be very severe and even fatal.  Damage can vary depending on the extent, cause and types of head injury. Mild injuries can include headaches, swellings, cuts and bruising, which usually heal quickly and cause no permanent damage to the victim. Severe injuries are usually accompanied by several symptoms including slurred or difficult speech, confusion, unconsciousness and drowsiness. Brain and head injuries are often interrelated.

Head injuries can include damage to the brain as well as to other sections of the head including skull and scalp. They may be open or closed. In a closed head injury, the skull of the person is not broken. Penetrating head injuries occur when any object breaches the outermost layer that surrounds the brain, piercing the skull. Head injuries may occur over a wider area of the head or may be focal, set in a smaller specific area of the head.

Head injuries may also cause skull fractures which may or may not be related to an injury to the person’s brain. Again, these fractures may be depressed or linear, depending upon the types of head injury. In an intracranial haemorrhage including subdural, extradural, intraparenchymal and subarachnoid, the hematoma in the skull may pressurise the brain which can be treated through craniotomy surgeries. In this kind of surgery, blood is drained off from the brain, reducing the pressure on it.

Head injuries can be situated at the area of the impact or may also occur on the opposite area of the skull because of the contrecoup effect. If the head moves during the impact, the injury can be worsened as in this case, the brain ricochets inside the person’s skulls, leading to additional impacts and further head injuries.

Some other types of head injury may include:

• Skull fracture
• Traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage
• Lacerations to scalp, resulting in skin haemorrhage
• Traumatic subdural hematoma in which bleeding occurs below the dura mater and developing slowly
• Cerebral contusion, bruising in the brain
• Concussion, temporary loss in function because of trauma
• Dementia pugilistica caused due to repetitive head injury
• Severe injuries causing death or coma

Whatever the cause or type of head injury, Excalibur Solicitors can help you claim compensation if the injury was caused by another’s negligence. We act on a no win no fee basis where the victim receives 100% compensation for their injuries.