After a car accident, many victims walk away thinking they’re fine. No visible injuries, no bleeding, no broken bones. But in the hours, days, or even weeks that follow, symptoms start creeping in: headaches, confusion, memory issues, mood swings, sensitivity to light.
These are red flags for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are often overlooked types of injuries in car crashes.
Unlike broken bones or visible bruises, brain injuries are often invisible, delayed, and disputed by insurance companies. If you believe you’ve suffered TBI after an accident, here’s how to prove it and why hiring the right attorney can make all the difference.
What Makes Brain Injuries Hard to Prove?
Many brain injuries, especially concussions and mild TBIs, don’t show up on CT scans or MRIs. That makes it easier for insurance companies to dismiss or downplay them completely. Even when symptoms are obvious to the victim, they’re often misattributed to stress, fatigue, or unrelated health issues.
Also, symptoms may not appear immediately. This delay can hurt your claim unless it’s properly documented and tied to the accident by a medical professional.
Common Symptoms of a Brain Injury After a Car Accident
Even a low-speed collision can jolt the brain against the skull, resulting in neurological damage. Common TBI symptoms include:
- Persistent or worsening headaches
- Dizziness or balance issues
- Blurred or double vision
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Slowed thinking or speech
- Irritability, anxiety, or depression
- Sleep disturbances
These symptoms may start subtly and worsen over time, making early evaluation critical.
Because brain injuries often develop gradually, accident victims may not notice the seriousness of their condition right away. A mild headache, brief dizziness, or momentary confusion may seem harmless at first, but these subtle signs can quickly intensify or point to deeper neurological damage. Ignoring them or assuming they will resolve on their own can put your long-term health at risk.
Taking early action is critical not only for your recovery but also for your legal protection. Medical documentation from the very beginning helps establish a clear link between your accident and the symptoms you experience. Without timely evaluation, insurers or defense attorneys may argue that your condition was unrelated to the crash, making it harder to secure the compensation you deserve.
Step 1: Seek Medical Attention Immediately
The first and most important step is to get medical care as soon as possible. Even if you didn’t lose consciousness, go to an ER or urgent care center right after the crash and explain all your symptoms clearly, even if they seem mild or unrelated.
Early medical records can help establish a direct connection between your symptoms and the accident, something insurers and defense attorneys look for when evaluating claims.
Step 2: Follow Up with a Specialist
Primary care providers and ER doctors can miss brain injuries, especially if they’re focused on visible trauma. After your initial visit, it’s important to follow up with:
- Neurologists
- Neuropsychologists
- Concussion specialists
These professionals can conduct more detailed evaluations, including balance testing, cognitive assessments, and symptom tracking over time.
Step 3: Use Objective Testing When Possible
While brain injuries are often subjective, there are tools that help make your case more concrete:
- ImPACT Testing: A computerized neurocognitive test used by sports medicine and brain injury specialists.
- Neuropsychological Evaluations: In-depth assessments of memory, problem-solving, processing speed, and emotional regulation.
- Symptom Journals: Daily logs of how the injury affects your daily life, work, sleep, and relationships.
These records can serve as evidence in court or during settlement negotiations.
Why Insurance Companies Fight TBI Claims
Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts, and brain injuries give them plenty of room to argue:
- “There’s no imaging showing damage.”
- “The symptoms are inconsistent or subjective.”
- “You didn’t report the injury right away.”
- “You had anxiety or sleep problems before the crash.”
They also know that traumatic brain injuries often don’t show up clearly on CT scans or MRIs, making it easier to cast doubt on your condition. Because symptoms like memory loss, mood swings, or concentration problems are harder to “prove,” insurers frequently downplay them or blame them on unrelated stress.
In addition, insurance companies may use your medical history against you, pointing to prior headaches, fatigue, or mental health issues as alternative explanations. They may also argue that if you continued working or didn’t immediately seek treatment, your injury must not be serious.
The result is that even when your symptoms are real and life-altering, the insurer may try to stall your claim, pressure you into accepting a lowball settlement, or deny the claim entirely. This is why having strong medical documentation and experienced legal representation is so important in TBI cases.
How a California Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
At The Law Offices of Ramtin Sadighim, we’ve helped hundreds of accident victims in California prove and recover from traumatic brain injuries. Here’s what our personal injury attorneys do:
- Connect you with trusted medical experts
- Collect and organize medical records and expert opinions
- Handle all communication with insurance companies
- Push back on claims that your injury is minor or pre-existing
- Fight for full compensation, including future care, lost wages, and pain and suffering
We also protect you from tactics like independent medical exams (IMEs) designed to discredit your symptoms.
Don’t Let a Hidden Injury Derail Your Life
Brain injuries aren’t always visible, but they can be life-changing. If you’re experiencing symptoms after a car accident, even if the crash seemed minor, you may be entitled to compensation for medical costs, lost income, and the long-term impact on your daily life.
But time matters. The sooner you speak with an experienced auto accident attorney, the stronger your case will be.
Speak with a California Brain Injury Lawyer Today
Living with the effects of a traumatic brain injury can be overwhelming physically, emotionally, and financially. You may be dealing with constant pain, memory or concentration issues, mood changes, or an inability to return to work. At the same time, insurance companies may be delaying, denying, or minimizing your claim, adding more stress to an already difficult recovery. You don’t have to face this alone.
At the Law Offices of Ramtin Sadighim, we understand how high the stakes are in TBI cases. Our team is dedicated to protecting the rights of car accident victims across California, and we know how to challenge the tactics insurers use to undervalue brain injury claims. From gathering medical evidence to consulting with specialists and building a strong case for trial, if necessary, we’re prepared to fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
Your health and future should come first, not the insurance company’s bottom line. That’s why we offer free, no-obligation consultations to anyone injured in a car accident. When you call us, you’ll speak directly with an experienced personal injury attorney who will listen to your story, explain your legal options, and outline the next steps.
Don’t wait until symptoms get worse or insurers close the door on your claim. Call the Law Offices of Ramtin Sadighim today at 888.999.8744 or fill out our secure online form to schedule your free case evaluation. Let us put our experience and dedication to work for you.
To learn more, visit www.CaliAccidentAttorney.com.
Individualized care is our specialty at the Law Offices of Ramtin Sadighim. As an experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorney, Mr. Sadighim understands that every client, case, and circumstance needs a different approach for the best results.
