The rising occurrences of concussions, especially in this part of the world, are a source of concern for medical experts and members of the public. They are a common type of injury. Its severity is better seen when details are given or shown via a demonstrative exhibit like concussion animation.
This injury causes a temporary loss of brain functioning due to the stretching and bruising of nerves and blood vessels. While a concussion may not permanently harm the brain in one occurrence, it can change the entire brain structure if it occurs several times. It is usually referred to as mild and is not life-threatening. However, its effects could be severe, lasting for days, weeks, or longer. We’ll explain this strange injury better in the coming headings.
What is a Concussion?
A concussion, also known as Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI), is an injury resulting from a mild blow to the head, either accompanied by loss of consciousness or not, usually leading to symptoms of short-term loss of mental functions.
According to the CDC, “a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move back and forth rapidly. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells”.
Symptoms arising from a concussion are usually self-diagnosable. They may include headache/pressure in the head, blurry vision and lack of coordination, lack of concentration, slurred speech, bothered by light or noise, feelings of sluggishness or grogginess, loss of consciousness for more than one minute, ringing in the ears, et cetera.
Anyone can suffer from a concussion, whether a child, an adult, or an older person, and the most common symptom of this injury is a headache. Within 14 to 21 days, you can begin to see most symptoms resolve, but every person recovers differently and requires mental and physical rest to return to normal activities gradually.
The effects of a concussion, called persistent post-concussive symptoms or post-concussion syndrome, come about when the symptoms persist longer than the expected recovery period from the initial injury, which is a few weeks to months.
In most people, symptoms may occur within the first 7 to 10 days and gradually stop within three months. However, they can persist for a year or more sometimes. This period is when it is referred to as persistent post-concussive symptoms. The symptoms include most of the common symptoms, with a few added ones, such as anxiety, insomnia, irritability, loss of memory, and a decrease in taste or smell. Headaches post-concussion may vary and feel like migraines or tension-type headaches usually associated with neck injuries.
Causes of Concussion
It has already been established that blows or jolts cause concussions to the head. This blow or jolt could be caused by the following:
▪︎Falls
▪︎Vehicle accidents (or bike accidents in children)
▪︎Sports injuries (any sports that involve contact with the head)
▪︎Physical abuse
▪︎Explosives
Vehicle accidents cause most cases of concussion in adults. This example is seen in the case of Damron v. Laidlaw Settlement, a school bus driven by a private contractor failed to yield to oncoming traffic, hence hitting the plaintiff and causing him severe injuries, including a brain injury (AKA a concussion), among many others.
Likewise, in the case of Garcia v. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, an elderly passenger on a bus got thrown around the interior of the said bus and suffered a subdural hematoma resulting in severe brain damage after the driver ran into a parked car transportation carrier.
Using Concussion Animation/Graphics In Court
Most times, MTBI requires long-term treatment and intense medical care, which, when left to the victim and their family alone to cater to, may be financially cumbersome to bear. This cost is why it is essential to file a lawsuit on injuries accrued against persons or authorities who are responsible for your injuries. With law graphics, you can make it easy for the attornies to do their job and enable them to bring home the win.
When it comes to concussions or brain injuries, to get a law settlement or a court judgment, you, through the legal practitioner, must prove that you suffered personal harm and that the actions of the persons responsible were the cause of your injuries. There is no better way to prove these factors than using a concussion animation to illustrate what a concussion looks like.
With a concussion animation, the legal practitioner can convince the presiding judge, jurors, and other court members by highlighting nuances, the events leading up to the injury, and how the defendant caused the injury. By only oral presentation, the chances of driving home the point are slim to none as it is an already known fact that total comprehension cannot be accomplished through just that means.
Demonstrative exhibits like concussion graphics and videos will allow everyone in the court to see how the brain works and how it was affected by accident or whatever caused the injury. With an expert witness, even the anatomical aspect of the brain and how the injury affected it will be illustrated.
In this case of concussion, where the brain moves around the inside of the skull, thereby stretching and damaging the brain cells, these movements would be revealed plainly and clearly, as well as how they gradually damage the brain cells and cause temporary damage to the brain. Explaining all these without concussion animation may seem futile and hinder understanding.
In conclusion, law graphics play the role of an illustrator to make all details clear and help the legal practitioner to bag a win in the end. Hence, when it comes to a case of concussion, using an animation created by an experienced legal animation company during trial can be pretty influential. At Fox-AE, our success stories show how powerful litigation animation can be in court, and it’s no different is a concussion case.
