Not all brain injuries result in signs or symptoms immediately after the traumatic event. It can take weeks for some symptoms to appear in many cases. The symptoms also vary depending on how severe the head injury was.
A minor head injury may or may not result in a loss of consciousness. The victim may suffer from a headache, confusion, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sleepiness and more. He or she may have concentration problems, experience mood swings or have sensitivity to sound or light. These symptoms may occur when someone suffers a bump on the head. In the workplace, such an incident may not even be reported. If it isn’t, then it is possible that workers’ compensation could deny a later claim.
Moderate and severe head injury can also have symptoms that appear days later. This can include persistent headaches, clear fluid draining from the nose or ears, loss of coordination, convulsions, repeated episodes of vomiting, confusion and coma, just to name a few. In these cases, it is likely that the incident that lead to a moderate brain injury will be reported to an employer and the employee will seek medical treatment. These claims are generally approved for workers’ compensation benefits.
You only have a certain amount of time to file for workers’ compensation benefits. Those suffering from a head injury can require significant time to heal. In the meantime, if you feel that you need assistance with filing for benefits or with an appeal, an experienced attorney can help.
Source: Mayo Clinic, “Traumatic brain injury,” accessed May 06, 2016
