Are intracranial hematomas as dangerous as concussions?

Head injuries arise in many situations, from a car accident to a sporting mishap to a slip-and-fall. Most of these injuries are relatively minor and resolve on their own, but some can endanger your life.

How can you know if your head injury is minor enough to heal without medical care? Unless you have medical training, you probably do not know when to seek treatment for head injuries.

Both concussions and brain bleeding (hematoma) can impact your life in the long term if left unaddressed. Intracranial hematomas can even lead to death.

Why are brain hematomas so dangerous?

When the brain bleeds, the blood pools in the narrow space between the brain tissue and the skull. With nowhere else to go, the blood will continue pooling, putting enormous pressure on the brain and threatening the patient’s life.

Unfortunately, the symptoms of an intracranial hematoma can be delayed significantly, not appearing for weeks or months after the accident. Many victims seem fine immediately after the incident, often refusing medical care because they don’t realize they are injured.

By the time their symptoms manifest, patients are experiencing a medical emergency and need immediate attention.

Always get a medical opinion

It might feel silly to go to the hospital for a little bump on the head, but doing so gives you immediate access to life-saving diagnostic measures. A delayed diagnosis means that your brain injury could continue to worsen.

That is not the only reason to get checked out after a head injury, although assessing your condition is the most important reason. Emergency department and doctor office visits produce medical records, which you need to get the most out of your California claim for compensation.