Head and brain injuries are a serious threat to motorcycle riders. It is true that wearing a helmet can reduce the odds of a significant injury, but many riders are injured or even killed with their helmets on.
One thing you need to know is that closed-head injuries can still be incredibly serious. They may not come with any penetration and outward signs of trauma, like significant bleeding, but this does not mean a person has not suffered internal injuries.
So, what happens during a closed injury?
In many cases, there are multiple impacts for the brain itself. The first is the initial impact, such as a helmeted forehead striking a car after the rider is ejected during the crash.
The helmet may stop outward trauma, but the impact is not at all over for the brain itself. The secondary impact occurs as the person’s brain hits the inside of the skull. This happens due to the fast deceleration of an accident.
This secondary impact often causes traumatic brain injuries. The brain can be bruised and it could start bleeding. Nerve fibers may get torn. If there is bleeding, this can put significant pressure on the brain, with blood building up between the brain and the skull itself. After all, the skull was not breached in this impact, so the blood is trapped in that space. This pressure can lead to seizures, brain damage and even death.
Have you suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle crash? If so, you need to know if you have a right to financial compensation from the other driver. Brain injuries can change your life, and the costs may never end.
Source: Mayfield Clinic, “Traumatic brain injury,” Norberto Andaluz, accessed April 16, 2018