As you walked across the building where you work in Minnesota, your shoe hit a slick spot, and you fell backward, hitting your head. After the stars cleared, you were glad that no one was around to see you fall. At Fellman Law Office, we often advise workers on the importance of reporting workplace accidents right away and seeking medical attention, even when the injury does not seem serious at first.
According to the Mayfield Brain & Spine Clinic, even though you did not fully lose consciousness, you still could have damaged your brain. The blow may have made your brain to bounce against your skull in at least one location. This type of event often causes a minor traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion, and these typically heal on their own. One danger of concussions is that they put you at risk for subsequent TBIs, and a second blow to the head is much more likely to cause brain damage than the first.
Even though you do not seem to have any symptoms beyond a bump on your head and a headache, you could have sustained an injury that actually will not cause dangerous conditions until later. If one of the blood vessels that carries oxygen to your brain begins to bleed, your body’s natural response is to create a blood clot to stop the bleeding so that the wound can heal. However, the blood, the resulting clot and the swelling create pressure inside your skull. This can lead to a lack of oxygen to the brain, or the clot could travel, causing a stroke. Bruised brain tissues can also create swelling, pressure and damage in the days and weeks after the initial TBI, leading to a high risk of permanent brain damage.
More information about on-the-job accidents is available on our webpage.
