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Why Do I Have a Headache After Car Accident?

headache after car accident michigan

After a vehicle accident, uncomfortable and debilitating continuous headaches can impact your everyday activities. This type of post-traumatic headache normally goes away within a few months. However, severe headache after car accident is a startling aftereffect for many crash victims. They’re often a sign of another injury, such as a traumatic brain injury, concussion, or post-concussion syndrome. It’s important to seek medical attention and document your injuries as soon as possible.

Often legitimate claims by crash victims experiencing chronic, incapacitating headaches are denied by insurance companies. If you are hurt in a car accident and are now suffering from headaches, the experienced Michigan auto accidents attorneys at Lipton Law are here to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

Headache After Car Accident

You may feel just fine after a car wreck. You assume you are all right due to the adrenaline rushing through your body. Indications or symptoms of pain or injury, including headaches, caused by the accident can appear hours or even days later. It’s important to take stock after a any catastrophic injury, including those from car accidents.

Sometimes a headache is just a headache. However, headache after car accident is a common symptom and can indicate a more serious health condition. Tension headaches are prevalent after an automobile accident due to muscle stiffness, tension, or anxiety. More acute, severe pain can indicate a more serious condition, such as migraines. Other forms of headaches that result from an automobile collision include vascular headaches, nerve dysfunction headaches, persistent facial headaches, musculoskeletal headaches, or cluster headaches.

Common Causes of Headaches After a Car Accident

After a car accident, it’s pretty common to suffer from chronic headaches. Headache after car accident often accompanies head or neck injury. The injury can be a direct hit to the head or a sudden jolt or shaking of the head from the collision’s forces.

Trauma caused by the victim striking their head on the steering wheel, the dashboard, a window, or any solid, unmoving item is a common cause. Other common causes include:

  • Nerves in the spine and at the base of the skull are pinched.
  • Muscle injuries in the neck and upper back (including tears, strains, and spasms).
  • Spinal and/or skull fractures.
  • Herniations or bulges in the spine’s discs.

Headache That Won’t Go Away

Headaches may cause discomfort for several hours, and the intensity can vary from moderate to severe. Most headaches are treated with rest and over-the-counter pain medicines. However, headaches that last longer than a day afflict some sufferers. 

After a car accident, a chronic headache – especially if the person has been hit in the head – can indicate traumatic brain injury, concussion, or closed-head injury.

How Long Should a Headache Last?

After a car collision, headache pain persists anywhere from 30 minutes to a week. The pain may come and go at times, while it may be continuous at others. In general, “chronic” head pain occurs 15 or more days each month for at least three months. “Episodic” headaches happen less than 15 times per month.

What To Do If You Have a Constant Headache After a Car Accident?

If you are suffering headache after car accident, you should pursue these measures to make sure you get the medical care and legal damages to which you are entitled:

  • See your doctor right away: When it comes to correctly evaluating and documenting any headache following a car accident, time is of the essence. The sooner a person’s doctor is aware that the headaches are occurring, the sooner treatment begins to help the healing process. Your physician also rules in or out other possible serious head injuries like a traumatic brain injury. Since this injury frequently indicates brain damage, documenting it early is helpful if an insurance company later refuses to pay for needed medical care due to the diagnosis coming weeks or months later.
  • Don’t be a tough guy or gal: You may believe the headaches will get better, but they signal something more serious if not addressed.
  • Consult a Michigan car accident attorney: You need a personal injury lawyer who specializes in helping people suffering headaches after a car accident. They can help you figure out how much your case is worth, how to prove pain and suffering, and make sure you get the treatment and care you need to recover as quickly as possible. 
  • Tell your auto insurance company: Include your headaches in your No-Fault benefits application. This is also known as your “written notice of injury,” and must be given to your auto insurance provider within one year of the accident. 
  • Do not sign anything:  Do not sign any settlements, releases, or waivers provided to you by your auto insurance company, the at-fault driver’s vehicle insurer, or any other insurance companies or persons until you speak with an experienced attorney.

Crash Migraine

Migraine headache after car accident commonly occurs after a collision. Light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, sensitivity to certain smells and movement, memory loss and confusion, dizziness and balance problems, and ringing in the ears are some of the symptoms.

Can Whiplash Cause Headaches?

The forceful whipping of a driver’s or passenger’s head and neck in a wreck can induce a post-traumatic headache. This is why one of the most typical symptoms of a “whiplash” injury is headaches. Whiplash is most commonly caused by a rear-end collision. It may also cause sore muscles, reduced range of motion, neck and surrounding muscle discomfort.

Headache after car accident can also be a sign of a concussion or a traumatic brain injury. A concussion is a type of brain injury that occurs when the brain is violently shaken. A headache is only one of the signs of a concussion. A traumatic brain injury is defined as a concussion. Confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, memory problems, or balance and connection concerns are some of the other symptoms. Of note, headaches can still be regarded as a disabling and painful injury on their own.

Why You Shouldn’t Ignore

Don’t disregard a headache after car accident, regardless of whether it began after the crash or days later. That’s because it could be an indication of another undiagnosed injury such as a traumatic brain injury, concussion, or closed-head injury. Avoiding treatment could lead to a catastrophic injury.

Even if he or she expects the illness to go away, a person suffering from post-traumatic headaches needs medical help right away. Timing is crucial in ensuring that a person receives the best treatment and heals quickly. Early diagnosis and treatment also reduce the likelihood of long-term disability.

Getting immediate medical assistance helps establish that the headaches began in close proximity to a trauma. As an accident victim, this can protect your legal rights to continue treatment and have your medical care and treatment paid for by an insurance company. Early documentation also assists you and your attorney in seeking full and reasonable legal compensation for all medical losses.

Need Help? Call the Southfield Car Accident Attorneys at Lipton Law

Every accident, crash victim, and case is unique. However, a headache after car accident can be a long-term, debilitating consequence deserving of hefty legal compensation.

You may be eligible for Michigan No-Fault benefits for all your collision-related injuries, including a persistent headache after car accident. You may even be eligible for short-term disability insurance Michigan benefits. Depending on the severity of your injuries, your No-Fault insurance coverage may include compensation for medical care and mileage, lost income for time away from work, respite care, and maybe even attendant care.

If you experience headaches as a result of a car accident and have questions about your legal rights and the compensation you may be entitled to, call and consult with an experienced Michigan car accident attorney at 248-629-2747. Lipton Law is here to assist you.