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Memory loss after a car accident

On Behalf of | Mar 14, 2023 | Brain Injury Claims, Car Accidents

Car accident victims in Texas and around the country often suffer concussions or other traumatic brain injuries. They find it difficult to concentrate and maintain their balance, and some of them could have problems remembering recent events. Memory loss caused by injury is called neurological amnesia, and it affects short rather than long-term memories. A car accident victim who develops neurological amnesia would likely remember the presidents from their childhood, but they may not be able to tell you who occupies the Oval Office today.

Short-term memory loss

Confusion and difficulty processing and remembering new information are usually the first cognitive symptoms of a brain injury that was caused by a car accident. Amnesia cannot be cured, but the injuries that cause it can be treated. These cognitive symptoms tend to appear during the early stages of recovery, and they rarely last very long. However, when car accident injuries are severe and the brain is badly damaged, amnesia can be permanent.

Dissociative amnesia

A rarer type of memory loss that is sometimes caused by car accidents is called dissociative amnesia. People develop dissociative amnesia when they are under a great deal of stress or experience traumatic events, and it is caused by a defense mechanism in the brain that blocks painful memories. This is the kind of amnesia often depicted in films and television shows.

Visit an emergency room

Memory loss following a car accident can be caused by a brain injury or a defensive neurological response to overwhelming stress. The symptoms of car-accident-related amnesia rarely persist for long, but memory loss can be permanent if the brain is badly damaged. Brain injuries do not always present symptoms right away and can become more serious if they are not treated promptly, which is why it is always a good idea to visit an emergency room after being involved in a car accident that caused a blow to the head.