Can a Car Accident Cause a Brain Stem Injury?

When a person is involved in a car accident, they may experience a variety of different injuries, such as cuts, bruises, broken and fractured bones, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and more. However, one of the most serious types of injuries that car accident victims can experience is a brain stem injury. While these injuries are not frequently talked about, it is important to know that they can severely alter your life.

What is the brain stem?

The brain stem is the base of the brain and looks like a stalk. It is responsible for connecting your brain to your spinal cord. The brain stem is a vital part of the body; it contains ten nerves that help you carry out many of your everyday bodily functions. Some of the functions that these nerves help you manage and control include:

• Breathing
• Heart rate
• Moving
• Reacting to your senses
• Balancing
• Hearing
• Swallowing
• Making facial movements
• Digestion
• Body temperature

The brain stem consists of three different parts: the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. While the brain stem is only one small element of your brain, it has a very important role in your overall daily life and routine.

How can a Phoenix car crash cause a brain stem injury?

The human body endures a lot during a car accident. For example, many people suffer jolts, bumps and blows to their head and body. They may also experience rapid impact as the vehicle decelerates or comes to a sudden stop. As a result, the entire body, including your head and neck, may move back and forth, striking objects.

In addition, many people’s bodies twist, turn, and are placed in unusual, awkward positions. During all this movement, the brain can also twist, turn, and collide with the skull. This causes the tissue, cells, vessels, and nerves to bruise, tear, and even sever. This can cause a traumatic brain injury, which can lead to severe swelling that negatively impacts the brain stem.

In all this, a car crash victim could experience a direct blow or bump to the area right above the spinal cord and right below the brain’s base, right at the stem. This can result in an injury to your brain stem, or brain stem damage could arise due to “the swelling in other areas of the brain as swelling forces the brain stem against the skull.” Whiplash and penetrating injuries can also cause harm to the brain stem. When the brain stem suffers any type of injury, the individual’s bodily functions are immediately impacted.

What are the symptoms of a brain stem injury?

There are many different symptoms that may indicate that you have a brain stem injury, such as:

• Feeling dizzy
• Nausea and vomiting
• Trouble sleeping or insomnia
• Inability to balance
• Slurred speech
• Difficulties with eating, drinking, or swallowing
• Coma
• Loss of consciousness
• Fast or slow heart rate
• Trouble breathing
• Inability to move
• Loss of coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Loss of senses
• Memory loss
• Permanent vegetative state

Unfortunately, brain stem injuries and damage frequently cause fatalities. However, a person who survives will likely become permanently disabled, resulting in paralysis, locked-in syndrome, chronic respiratory issues, cognitive impairments, and a permanent vegetative state.

How is a brain stem injury diagnosed and treated?

A doctor usually diagnoses brain stem injuries by conducting a physical examination and ordering imaging, such as CT and MRI scans. If it is determined that you or a loved one has a brain stem injury, the doctor may recommend medications, surgeries, and therapies to help manage your symptoms. Brain stem injuries are very difficult to repair or cure. Therefore, many people who are diagnosed with this type of injury usually live with permanent and debilitating disabilities.

Brain stem injuries from Phoenix car accidents can be traumatic and devastating. When a person is diagnosed with any type of brain stem damage, their life will most likely never be the same. If you or a loved one suffered a brain stem injury in a car crash, you need a car accident lawyer who knows and understands the effects of these injuries and what legal rights may be available to you. Call the office of Plattner Verderame, P.C., or complete our contact form to start discussing your case and learning about your legal options today. We offer free consultations at our Phoenix or Tempe offices.