Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Head Injuries, Concussions and Children
When children fall and bump their head, most of the time they suffer from an external head injury, commonly called a scalp injury and not an internal head injury.Scalp injuries often bleed tremendously and look terribly frightening although they are far less threatening than an internal head injury.Internal injuries are much more devastating as the skull is the protection for the extremely fragile brain.
There can be a lot of bleeding with a scalp wound and most of the time the accompanying bump (goose egg) will reduce in size over the course of a few days to a week.If your child has suffered an external (scalp) injury here are some key things to look for and what to do about them:
- Call the doctor if your child is an infant; or has lost consciousness, even momentarily; or if a child of any age has any of these symptoms:
- won’t stop crying
- complains of head and neck pain
- becomes difficult to console
- isn’t walking normally
- If the injury occurred near bedtime or naptime, check in frequently. If, at any time, color and/or breathing appear abnormal, or if you aren’t comfortable with your child’s appearance (trust your instincts), arouse your child partially by sitting him or her up. Your child should fuss a bit and attempt to resettle. If he or she doesn’t protest, try to awaken your child fully. If your child can’t be awakened or shows any signs of internal injury (see below), call the doctor or an ambulance.
An internal head injury can be serious and possibly life-threatening. When ever there is a serious blow to the head (from a car accident, sports injury, and shaken baby syndrome for example) it can shake the brain and result in a concussion or other internal head injury.
If your child sustains an injury to the head, watch for these signs of a possible concussion:
- “seeing stars” and feeling dazed, dizzy, or lightheaded
- memory loss, such as trouble remembering what happened right before and after the injury
- nausea or vomiting
- headaches
- blurred vision and sensitivity to light
- slurred speech or saying things that don’t make sense
- difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions
- difficulty with coordination or balance (such as being unable to catch a ball or other easy tasks)
- feeling anxious or irritable for no apparent reason
- feeling overly tired
If you suspect a concussion, seek immediate medical attention.If your child has suffered serious injury, we can examine your case for potential liability. Please contact our office; we are experts in handling cases involving child injuries.
