A concussion can follow a car crash even when there is no obvious cut, bruise, or loss of consciousness. Symptoms also do not look the same in every person. Some appear immediately. Others become noticeable hours or days later, especially after the adrenaline and confusion of the crash have worn off.
No online checklist can diagnose a concussion. The useful question is whether you have new physical, thinking, emotional, or sleep problems after a blow or jolt to the head or body. If you do, tell a medical provider when the crash happened and how the symptoms have changed.
Danger signs that call for emergency care
The CDC advises immediate emergency care for danger signs after a possible concussion. Call 911 or go to an emergency department if a person has:
- a headache that gets worse and does not go away;
- repeated vomiting;
- a seizure or convulsions;
- weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination;
- slurred speech or unusual behavior;
- increasing confusion, agitation, or inability to recognize people or places;
- one pupil larger than the other;
- loss of consciousness, extreme drowsiness, or difficulty waking.
These symptoms can signal something more serious than a routine recovery problem. Do not wait for several signs to appear before getting help.
Symptoms people commonly notice after a crash
The CDC groups mild traumatic brain injury and concussion symptoms into physical, thinking, emotional, and sleep changes. A person may have only a few of them, and the pattern may change over time.
Physical changes
- headache or pressure in the head;
- dizziness or balance problems;
- nausea or vomiting early after the injury;
- blurred or double vision;
- sensitivity to light or noise;
- fatigue or unusually low energy;
- ringing in the ears or another change in hearing.
Ringing in the ears is often called tinnitus. Harvard Health explains that tinnitus has many possible causes. Its appearance after a crash is worth reporting, but it does not prove a concussion by itself.
Thinking and memory changes
- feeling slowed down, foggy, or groggy;
- difficulty concentrating;
- trouble remembering events before or after the crash;
- repeating questions;
- taking longer than usual to answer;
- difficulty following a conversation, task, or set of instructions.
A person with a concussion may not recognize these changes. Family members, coworkers, or friends sometimes notice repeated questions, slowed responses, or unusual forgetfulness first. Their observations can help a medical provider understand what changed.
Mood and behavior changes
- irritability or anger that is out of character;
- anxiety or nervousness;
- sadness;
- feeling more emotional than usual;
- unusual behavior or a sense that something is simply wrong.
Emotional symptoms can overlap with the stress of the crash, pain, poor sleep, medication effects, and other medical problems. That overlap is a reason for evaluation, not a reason to assume one diagnosis.
Sleep changes
- sleeping more than usual;
- sleeping less than usual;
- difficulty falling asleep;
- daytime fatigue or an altered sleep schedule.
Write down when the sleep change began and whether pain, medication, or anxiety also changed. A short daily record is often more accurate than trying to reconstruct several weeks from memory.
Symptoms do not identify the injury by themselves
Headache, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, concentration problems, and sleep changes can arise from more than one condition. Numbness or tingling may reflect a neck or nerve injury rather than a concussion. Cervical radiculopathy, for example, can produce pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or hand.
Do not try to diagnose the problem by counting symptoms. A medical provider can consider the crash mechanism, examination findings, prior history, medication, imaging when appropriate, and how the symptoms develop over time.
What to tell the medical provider
- whether your head struck anything or your body was jolted;
- whether you lost consciousness or have a gap in memory;
- which symptoms started first and when;
- whether symptoms are improving, worsening, or changing;
- any prior concussion, migraine, seizure, vision, hearing, neck, or mental-health history;
- what you can no longer do normally at work, school, home, or while driving;
- all medications and any alcohol or substance use around the time of the crash.
Accurate history matters more than dramatic language. Prior conditions do not make new symptoms irrelevant. They help the provider compare your baseline with what changed after the collision.
Protect the medical and crash record
Keep discharge instructions, appointment summaries, work or school restrictions, and referrals. Save photographs, the police report number, witness information, and insurance communications. If a family member observed confusion or unusual behavior, ask that person to write down what they saw while the memory is fresh.
Be cautious with a recorded insurance statement before the medical picture is clear. Saying that you are “fine” on the first day can be used later even though the CDC recognizes that symptoms may appear hours or days after the injury.
Related Louisiana guidance
Our Baton Rouge car accident page explains the broader claim process. The guide to reporting a crash to an insurer discusses notice issues, and our article on brain injuries after a car wreck addresses injuries beyond a simple symptom list.
When legal advice may help
Legal help may be useful when symptoms interfere with work or school, the drivers dispute fault, important video or vehicle evidence is disappearing, the insurer challenges causation, or a release arrives before the medical evaluation is complete. The legal case should follow the medical evidence, not pressure a patient to claim a diagnosis that has not been made.
For a free review of a Louisiana crash claim, call (225) 500-5000 or use the case review form below.