Most of the vehicles on the road today have airbags. Indeed, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the federal government has required driver-side airbags on new vehicles since 1999. This makes sense, as airbags considerably reduce a person’s chances of suffering a serious injury in a motor vehicle accident.
Even if your car, truck or SUV has airbags, you may fracture your skull during a car accident. This can happen when your head collides with hard components inside your vehicle or even a deployed airbag. If you have a skull fracture, you may wonder whether you are likely ever to recover.
What is a skull fracture?
Most adults have 22 bones in their skulls. A skull fracture happens when one of these bones breaks, often due to trauma. If you have a skull fracture, you also may have a traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion, hematoma or hemorrhage.
What is your prognosis?
Skull fractures are medical emergencies that require prompt and competent care. When you arrive at the hospital, you can expect doctors to use a variety of diagnostic tools to determine the extent of your injury. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for skull fractures to require immediate surgery.
Your prognosis, though, likely depends on both the severity of your injury and your overall health. To improve your chances of making a full recovery, you should follow your doctor’s instructions. You also should complete any therapy sessions your doctor recommends.
Ultimately, because recovering from a skull fracture can be a long and expensive process, it may make sense to pursue financial compensation from all drivers who caused or contributed to your accident.
