A few years ago I was involved in a car accident. I was driving my favorite old BMW that I had just sunk quite a bit of money into fixing up. As I was driving home one night after work, I came to an intersection where the light was blinking yellow. It was very late and the lights in that area usually blink yellow for traffic one way and red for traffic from the other direction. The lady, who was from out of town, stopped at the red light and when the car in front of her took off, she assumed that the light had turned green. I slammed into her doing about 40 miles an hour.
Luckily, neither her or her three-year-old daughter suffered any injuries. I, on the other hand, wasn’t wearing my seat belt and slammed my head right into the windshield. My head didn’t go all the way through the glass, but it did leave a nice round indentation. I also hurt my knee. but at the time my main hurt was emotional. staring at my crumpled BMW. I still attribute that car with saving my life. A lessor car may not have been so accommodating.
The first question that the paramedics asked me was whether I had lost consciousness. I told them that I didn’t think so. They offered to take me to the hospital, but I refused. Now I realize that maybe I should have taken them up on their offer.
Everything turned out all right for me, but sometimes even a minor bump on the head can turn serious real quick. It seems like every time you turn around you read about some celebrity dying from a head injury. First there was John Kennedy Jr. and then Sonny Bono, and now just last week Liam Neeson’s wife, Broadway actress Natasha Richardson was killed in a minor ski accident resulting from head trauma. Another case that comes quickly to mind is that of actor Gary Busey, who suffered brain damage from not wearing a helmet when he fell off of his motorcycle.
According to CNN, (www.cnn.com), and Dr. Carmelo Graffagnino, Director of Duke University’s Medical Center’s Neurosciences Critical Care Unit, it’s very common for someone to appear perfectly normal right after a head trauma, but then deteriorate rapidly shortly thereafter.
These injuries are referred to as epidermal hemorrhage. Blood collects and gets trapped between the skull and the hard layer of skin between the bone and the brain known as the dura matter. Eventually this accumulation of blood exerts pressure on the brain and can cause the patient to go into a coma and, if the pressure is not relieved, die. Source: Mayo Clinic Staff, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/intracranial-hematoma/DS00330)
According to Dr. Graffagnino, the best way to prevent serious head trauma is to wear a helmet when riding a bike or motorcycle or participating in sports. And since problems can take hours or even days to develop. you should watch closely for any signs such as severe headache or double vision that may signal trouble and seek medical attention immediately.
Sources: Dr. Carmelo Graffagnino, Duke University’s Medical Center’s Neurosciences
CNN, www.cnn.com
Mayo Clinic staff, http:/www.mayoclinic.com/health/intracranial-hematoma/DS00330)
