Head trauma in young children

As many California parents may know, head injury in the pediatric population may be associated with car crashes, falls and other accidents. The type of head injury relates to the intensity of trauma.

When a child with a head injury goes to the doctor, he or she should be examined for lacerations, swelling or bruises of the cranium. Scalp wounds often bleed profusely and might indicate additional issues such as a fracture. Because of the pediatric patient’s size, scalp wounds are capable of inducing hypotension and leading to shock.

Skull fractures in children are generally linear and are easy to see in an X-ray. When a child suffers a blow to the posterior skull, a basilar fracture may result. Such fractures show multiple symptoms including seizures, loss of consciousness and confusion. The child may exhibit nausea and vomiting. Battle’s sign, a bruised area behind the ear, may be present along with darkening around the eyes. Cerebrospinal fluid may be seen draining from the ears and nose. All of these symptoms are diagnostic of a cranial fracture and usually involve brain trauma.

Concussions are usually diagnosed some time after the trauma. On occasion, younger children might have seizures and other symptoms. The presentation of symptoms may be delayed in younger patients.

When a child suffers head trauma such as might happen from an amusement park injury, it is common for some symptoms to have a certain latency period before they are seen. Since head trauma might lead to serious problems that interfere with the patient’s mental capacity, speaking with an attorney after the accident may be beneficial.

The attorneys may review the circumstances of the accident and determine if it was the result of negligence. The attorney may help the parents file a personal injury suit, if need be, to cover financial loss due to hospital bills and medical care.