A Truck Accident Can Cause a Child Brain Injury

A serious trucking accident can lead to almost every injury imaginable, including traumatic brain injury. In a semi accident that involves child passengers, the young victims often suffer life changing head injuries, although the symptoms may take years to develop. If you or your child has been injured in a Kentucky truck accident, you need to understand the repercussions of a child brain injury.

An estimated 100,000 children are admitted to hospitals each year due to brain injuries. When a child sustains a head injury it is a whole different situation than an adult brain injury. Since some of the brain functions do not develop until later on during a child’s growth, it can take years to recognize the impact of the head trauma. For example, the frontal lobe functions do not develop right away and if this area of the brain is damaged, it may not be identified until the child is older. The frontal lobe controls social skills, making it even more challenging to assess the brain damage from the trucking accident.

Medical professionals also have a harder time evaluated the extent of brain damage the child has sustained. When an adult is injured, doctors can review academic records, employment history and other information to determine how bad the damage is, but with a child, this information is not available.

Experts believe that children are more susceptible to permanent brain damage, as some research has shown that their skulls are only an eighth as strong as adults’. Children may therefore be more prone to deformation and skull fractures.

If your child has suffered a head injury caused by a truck accident, you may be able to hold the trucker, trucking company or manufacturer responsible. Contact an experienced Louisville truck accident attorney at Gray and White Law today at (502) 637-6000 or (800) 637-6033.