Don’t Discount the Potential Seriousness of a Florida Head Injury

Do you remember the story of Natasha Richardson? She was an actress who fell during a beginner ski lesson. Reportedly, she was talking and joking after her fall at the Canadian resort, but not long after she returned to her room she started complaining of head pain. Natasha was taken to a local hospital, then to a bigger medical center in Montreal. She eventually died.

This story is both tragic and unnerving. It illustrates the potential seriousness of a head injury that may appear minor at first. Doctors refer to this condition as the “talk and die” syndrome, but the medical term is epidural hemorrhage.

Dr. Carmelo Graffagnino, director of Duke University Medical Center’s Neurosciences Critical Care Unit, told CNN, that when a patient sustains a brain injury he or she “can appear so deceivingly normal at first. But they actually have a brain bleed and as the pressure builds up, they’ll experience classic symptoms of traumatic brain injury.”

There are many events that can lead to such a brain injury, such as a St. Petersburg car accident or a Florida slip and fall. What may appear to be a minor bump on the head, could actually be a skull fracture.

Accident victims are frequently unaware that they have fractured their skull. When this happens, it is typically a fracture right above the ear, in the temporal bone. Graffagnino says that “there is an artery that runs above the skull and can get torn and begin to bleed above the lining of the brain.” Pressure is put on the brain, making it swell. As the swelling progresses, the blood flow to the brain is reduced.

It is imperative that any time you or a family member sustains a head injury, even if it seems minor, that you seek medical attention. Medical experts state that immediate treatment is essential to help minimize brain damage.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of William K. Saron at (727) 345-4566 or (866) 836-4947 for more information.