traumatic brain injuries | Robert Edens Law Office

Talk And Die Syndrome Overview

Talk and Die Syndrome can occur when a car accident victim has head trauma but does not get immediate medical attention. The person may feel fine and acts normally, but the untreated head injury may lead to brain damage and sometimes death.

While some may consider Talk and Die Syndrome an Internet myth, the condition is real but relatively uncommon. However, the condition stresses how serious many head injuries can be even if you feel fine after the incident. Unfortunately, the life-threatening effects of some traumatic brain injuries (TBI), closed head injuries, and concussions may not be evident to you right away. No matter how minor you think the trauma to your head was, it should be taken seriously.

Who Was Natasha Richardson?

One of the most famous examples of Talk and Die Syndrome was actress Natasha Richardson, who died from a head injury in 2009. The actress was skiing on a slight slope with her child when she fell and struck her head. After the accident, she spoke to others, laughed, and did not get medical attention. A few hours later, she went to the hospital because she had a headache. There, she lapsed into a coma and died. The autopsy showed that she had an epidural hematoma.

An epidural hematoma can happen from blunt force trauma, such as a slip and fall or a car accident. It causes bleeding in the brain that may not produce symptoms immediately. Instead, blood may slowly accumulate in the narrow space between the skull and brain, eventually leading to neuroglial damage and sometimes death.

The impact that Ms. Richardson experienced on the ski slope was less than what many people have in minor car accidents. So, remember that even a ‘minor’ car accident can cause serious injuries, including to the brain.

Always Get Medical Attention After An Accident

Talk and Die Syndrome, while rare, illustrates the importance of seeing a doctor after a car accident. Even if you believe you are uninjured, you could have a severe injury you initially overlooked. Going to the doctor to be reviewed can be the difference between a full recovery and dying from a preventable injury.

Call Our Cook County Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Were you or a loved one hurt in an accident with untreated head trauma? If so, talk and die syndrome could leave you with severe cognitive deficits. However, if someone’s negligence caused the accident, our personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert T. Edens, P.C. can help. Contact our Cook County personal injury lawyers today at (847) 395-2200.

A hard hit to the head usually causes a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and its symptoms can have debilitating effects. The injury can be quite complex. Besides physical changes, your brain may also undergo chemical changes to compensate for the injury. In mild TBIs, these symptoms are short and do not do much damage to the brain. However, serious TBIs can have long-lasting effects that can manifest in the future without warning.

Common Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injuries

TBIs are classified as per the mechanism and the severity of the injury. Naturally, symptoms vary as per the condition you are in:

Mild TBI

Individuals who get mild TBIs are usually awake, and their eyes are open. Some of the symptoms they can suffer from include memory loss, disorientation, headaches, and brief fainting spells.

Moderate TBI

People who are diagnosed with moderate TBI can feel lethargic, and their eyes are responsive to stimulation. They may also lose consciousness for 20 minutes or 6 hours, depending on the severity of their injuries. Brain swelling and internal brain bleeds are usually the cause of lethargy.

Severe TBI

Individuals diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury lose consciousness, and their eyes do not respond to stimulation. They may remain under for more than six hours.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Besides the severity of the injury, symptoms can differ as to the type of TBI you have. Some of the common ones include:

Concussion

A concussion is a mild head injury that can make you faint. However, it rarely causes permanent brain damage.

Contusions

Contusions are bruises that can manifest in specific areas of the brain and are caused by impacts to the head, such as blunt force trauma. These types of injuries are also called contrecoup or coup injuries. The brain is injured directly right under the area of impact in coup injuries. In contrecoup injuries, the injuries lie on the opposite side of impact. If left untreated, these can lead to disabilities or prove fatal.

Traumatic subarachnoid Hemorrhage (tSAH)

A traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH) is a brain bleed that occurs around the brain. This area is typically filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions the brain against impact. However, in the case of a tSAH, small arteries tear in the brain, and blood starts to spread over the surface. This can lead to widespread effects if the condition is undiagnosed.

Hematoma

A hematoma is a blood clot that can form when a blood vessel ruptures because of blunt force trauma or any impact on the head. The punctured vessels release blood which starts to thicken and clot. A hematoma can be tiny, but it can grow larger and compress the brain as a result. The symptoms can differ as per the location of the clot, which may need to be removed via surgery depending on its size. The bloodstream usually absorbs smaller ones.

Contact the Law Offices of Robert Edens for a Consultation

Have you suffered from a traumatic brain injury because of someone’s negligence? If you answered yes, you should contact Antioch traumatic brain injury lawyers from the Law Offices of Robert T. Edens right away and file a lawsuit against them. We can ensure you get the compensation you deserve

Tag: traumatic brain injuries

What Is Talk And Die Syndrome?