As more Ontarians take to the roads, the risk of accidents increases. While few motorcycle riders or passengers may want to spend their rides thinking about what could happen if they were involved in an accident, all those who ride motorcycles should nonetheless take precautions to stay safe on the road at all times. 

In this blog by Michael Connolly, he explores the relationship between head injuries and motorcycle accidents, what the common symptoms of brain injuries are, as well as the importance of seeking immediate medical care and consulting a personal injury lawyer in Ontario. 

Symptoms of Brain Injuries After a Motorcycle Accident

Whenever there is trauma to the head, the effects can cause chemical changes and disruptions in how the brain functions. A concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is unfortunately a  common type of head injury that may be experienced in a motorcycle accident.The implications of a concussion vary and may range from minor to severe. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are also seen in those injured in motorcycle accidents. The effects of a TBI depend on the severity of the impact and the section of the brain affected. 

It is important you seek medical attention immediately after a motorcycle accident so that properly qualified medical assessors may assess you, diagnose you, and arrange for proper treatment.  Some common symptoms of head injuries to look out for include:

• Headaches and migraines, which may be the result of the initial impact or the brain’s reaction to the trauma;
• Dizziness, including balance issues, vertigo, and fainting;
• Nausea and vomiting from feelings of dizziness;
• Memory loss and severe disorientation about time and location; and,
• Difficulties sleeping, staying asleep, or insomnia.

Get Immediate Medical Care

If you believe you have sustained a head injury in a motorcycle accident, do not wait for any of these symptoms to appear. Seek medical evaluation immediately. If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident and you begin to experience any of the above symptoms, , seek medical treatment immediately. There are two important reasons that medical attention is crucial:

• Your best chance of recovery starts with receiving a proper diagnosis and obtaining access to the proper treatment. As your recovery processes, additional treatment providers or specialists may also be brought on board at different stages of treatment. 
• Failing to follow treatment recommendations may impact your legal rights against the at-fault motorist.

Wearing a Helmet: A Chore or a Virtue?

The WHO identifies not wearing  a helmet, seat belt, or safety devices for children as one of the major causes for injuries following motorcycle accidents(WHO 2018). In a controlled study, Effect of wearing a helmet on the occurrence of head injuries in motorcycle riders in Benin: a case-control study by Hounkpe Dos Santos, B., Glele Ahanhanzo, Y., Kpozehouen, A. et al. , results showed that subjects who did not wear helmets were at greater risk of head injuries than those who wore helmets (AOR = 3.8 (95% CI = 2.5–5.7)). 

A motorcycle helmet prevents this by absorbing all the shock caused by the impact, which, in turn, may prevent you from suffering serious head injuries that can sometimes even be fatal.

Multi-directional Impact Protection System

A helmet works by absorbing most of the impact energy in a crash and minimizing blunt force trauma to your skull. However, a helmet is limited in its ability to prevent the brain from moving inside the skull. The brain floats in cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull but rapid acceleration or deceleration can cause the brain to strike the inside of the skull and cause injury, even without direct impact.

Today, Mips can be found in helmets made by 150 partner brands. This is why you can see people donning Mips-equipped gear for activities like cycling, hockey, snow sports, motorsports, horseback riding, rock climbing, and even in construction. 

Mips is an insert liner and not a helmet itself. Instead, inserts are injection molded to fit perfectly inside existing helmet models. Between the careful fitting and lightweight design (20-45 grams), users can't even feel the addition of the plastic lining.

You should choose a helmet you like, that fits well, from a good and reputable manufacturer. Better yet, choose a Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS) technology that is designed to better compensate for the rotational injury of a crash or fall. It will be better at dissipating the rotational forces of an impact better than the non-MIPS version of that same helmet. 

Brain Injuries Resulting From Motorcycle Accidents

• Concussion – A form of mild head injury that may result in a brief loss of consciousness depending on the severity of impact. It may not cause permanent injury or damage to the brain.
• Contusion (or Coup or Contrecoup Injury) – Refers to the bruise to the brain caused by a substantial impact on the head. The coup injury causes bruising directly under the impact area, while the bruising in the contrecoup injury occurs on the side opposite the impact.
• Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) – This type of TBI causes the nerve cells to shear and stretch at a cellular level. The shifting of the brain back and forth inside the skull results in the tearing and damaging of the nerve axons. Axons connect a single nerve cell to a network of brain nerve cells. Severe and extensive injury to the axon can interfere with the brain’s normal transmission of information, causing drastic changes in a person’s sleeping pattern. 
• Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (tSAH) – This form of TBI causes the surrounding space of the brain to bleed. The small tears in the arteries can trigger the blood to spread over the brain’s surface, resulting in widespread effects. 
• Hematoma – It refers to the blood clot formed due to a ruptured blood vessel. When the blood breaks away from the bloodstream, it thickens and clots. The symptoms of a hematoma depend on the location of the clot. Epidural hematoma refers to the clot forming between the brain’s dura lining and the skull. Subdural hematoma refers to the clot that develops between the brain and the dura. Intracerebral hematoma refers to the blood clot that forms deep within the tissue of the brain. The removal of large clots may require surgery. 

Consult with a Motorcycle Accident Injury Lawyer Right Away. 

Motorcycle accidents require skilled and experienced personal injury lawyers. Those injured in motorcycle accidents often suffer from polytraumatic, serious, and catastrophic injuries, including brain injuries, internal injuries, concussions, and orthopaedic and bone fractures typically requiring surgery. Many motorcycle accidents involve fatalities. 

Boland Romaine LLP has built its reputation on maximizing compensation for motorcyclists and, when necessary, fighting at trial. Read more about our trial experience here.

For example, we conducted a jury trial for Ron Cockburn, a 59-year-old motorcycle enthusiast and product manager at No Frills. Ron had to make the terrible choice of bailing from his motorcycle when he was cut off by a van in an offset intersection.

As a result of his motorcycle accident, Ron suffered multiple fractures to his sacrum, pubic ramus, and ac liable for the motorcycle accident, and awarded Ron $420,000 for his pain and suffering acetabulum. These injuries resulted in permanent nerve damage in his right leg which prevented him from continuing to work in his pre-accident employment. The jury found the van driver 90%.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a motorcycle accident, call Boland Romaine LLP today at 1-844-837-6583 to arrange a free consultation with one of our experienced Motorcycle accident lawyers. We believe that your future is worth fighting for.