What Should I Do if I Experience Migraines after a Car Accident?

Migraines are severe, throbbing headaches that usually occur on one side of the head. They are different from regular headaches you might get from time to time. Migraines are more intense and often require you to find a quiet and dark place to ride out the pain.

Although you may experience regular headaches, if you suddenly experience a headache, especially a migraine, shortly after a car accident, it could be cause for concern. You should immediately see your doctor and then speak with a lawyer about your options to get compensation from the negligent driver.

Post-Traumatic Headaches

A post-traumatic headache is an intense headache that often appears hours or days after a car accident. Migraines can be a post-traumatic headache. They are debilitating; painful; and may come and go for months, years, or the rest of your life.

Symptoms to watch for include:

• Dull pain
• Aches in the head
• Tightness and pressure around the forehead or the back of the head
• Tenderness on the scalp
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Sensitivity to light and sound

To be clear, you may experience all, some, or none of the symptoms listed above and still have a post-traumatic headache. Any indication that you have a headache after a car accident should lead you to the doctor.

Why You Should Not Ignore Post-Traumatic Headaches

Whether you notice a headache minutes, days, or even weeks after a car accident, do not ignore what your body is telling you. Your headache, even if minor and dull, could be a sign of a more serious injury, such as a traumatic brain injury. Hoping it will go away only prolongs your suffering.

When you see a doctor about your headache, you should discuss the accident and make sure they understand your headache began after the collision. This could give your doctor additional insight about what could be going on. Timing is crucial, so the more information you provide to your doctor and the sooner they take action, the more likely you are to be able to make a full and complete recovery.

Seeing your doctor also helps to collect and retain evidence of your injury. Whatever your injury turns out to be, your doctor’s medical records will document when you began experiencing the headache, how it affected your life, and what ultimately was the diagnosis. If your car accident was caused by someone else, your doctor’s notes could be crucial evidence to prove the other driver’s negligence.

Post-Traumatic Headache Treatments

Treating headaches can be challenging. If you are at home and suddenly have a headache, you may take a couple of over-the-counter painkillers in an attempt to take the headache away. If your headache gets worse or continues, you may have to try additional medications. And if none of that works, you may face additional and more invasive medical treatment.

There are medical procedures to treat painful and debilitating headaches. These include injections that dull nerves near the pain. Your doctor may try trigger point injections as well.

Therapy is always an option. This could include support groups as well as traditional therapy sessions in which you attempt to cope with the pain and debilitating nature of your constant headache.

Finally, you may even try alternative medicine. This could include:

• Acupuncture
• Meditation
• Massage
• Chiropractic care
• Herbs and vitamins

Depending on how severe your headache is, how debilitating it is, and how long it lasts, you may need to try multiple treatment methods. Most headaches go away on their own after a short period. But headaches caused by a car accident can last days, weeks, and even years. If you have recently been in a car accident and experience a headache more than half the time, you should see your doctor and discuss your treatment options. If a headache occurs for more than 15 days out of the month for three consecutive months, it is considered a chronic headache, which may lead to additional recovery options for you.

Proving Negligence

Negligence is a legal concept alleging that someone else failed to take proper care. In a car accident, negligence may be proved by showing another driver:

• Owed you a duty of care to drive safely
• Breached that duty of care by driving in an unsafe manner
• Caused an accident in which you suffered injuries because of their unsafe driving

Although proving these elements of negligence may be obvious to you since you were involved in the car accident, you will need to have sufficient evidence to prove not only that the other driver caused the accident, but also that you have suffered injuries and damages as a result. That is why your doctor’s medical notes about your headache and any additional injuries are vital.

Seeking Compensation

A lawsuit may be the furthest thing from your mind after a car accident, especially one where you are dealing with ongoing and potentially debilitating headaches. However, it could be the source of compensation that helps you worry less about the financial difficulties you may face having to pay for the medical tests and expenses to help you recover.

Together with your legal team, you may be able to collect compensation for:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Lost income
• Lost earning potential
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of life enjoyment 
• Present and future medical expenses
• Rehabilitation costs

Many people in car accidents consider their economic costs as the only money they can recover. Economic costs are the medical bills for which you can verify the exact amount. The same is true of lost income for time spent out of work because you are recovering from your injuries or spending time in the hospital. 

However, you can also attempt to recover non-economic damages. Those are the ones without a bill or exact number to go with them. These would include your pain and suffering. The best way to record these damages is in your own words. From the day of your accident until you recover, write in a personal injury journal. Keep detailed notes about your pain levels, the medication you had to take, what you could do, and what your injuries prevented you from doing. Taking all this together helps paint a clear picture of the impact your car accident injuries have had on your life.

Do Not Wait to Take Action

If you experience a headache after a car accident, you should not wait it out and hope it goes away. The longer you wait to see a doctor, the more serious your condition can become and the more difficult it can be to get back to your regular life.

You also need to act fast on filing a personal injury claim for damages against the negligent driver. Called a statute of limitations, Maryland limits the amount of time you have after the car accident to file a lawsuit. The longer you wait, the more likely it becomes that any witnesses to your car accident will forget what they saw, and other evidence will go missing. If you miss this important filing deadline, you could lose your chance to collect maximum compensation and avoid paying out of your own pocket for your medical bills and other financial losses related to your car accident. To ensure you meet this tight deadline, speak with a lawyer right away.

Baltimore Car Accident Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Help Clients Recover from Their Injuries

If you suddenly experience headaches after a car accident, especially long-lasting or painful ones, talk to your doctor immediately. To help you get the medical attention you need and to help you pay those costs, reach out to the Baltimore car accident lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton. We will investigate the cause of the accident and fight to obtain the compensation for which you are entitled. Call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

Our offices are conveniently located in Baltimore, Glen Burnie, and Prince George’s County, where we represent clients throughout Maryland, including those in Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Queen Anne’s County, Maryland’s Western Counties, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore, as well as the communities of Catonsville, Essex, Halethorpe, Middle River, Rosedale, Gwynn Oak, Brooklandville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Parkville, Nottingham, Windsor Mill, Lutherville, Timonium, Sparrows Point, Ridgewood, and Elkridge.