6 Ways To Tell If Your Teen Has A Concussion After An Accident

Seth Smiley here from the Smiley Law Firm. In today’s edition of the Parents of Teen Drivers Facebook Group, we discuss a serious subject, which is “6 ways to tell if your teen has a concussion after an accident.”

The teen driving statistics make for sad reading, and the level of teens having accidents behind the wheel is still far too high!

There are various things that you should look for if your teenager comes home and says that they have been in an accident.

I have had a case at my law practice where a teen driver got into an accident, he was buckled in but still hit his head on the dashboard.

All seemed fine at the scene, but later at home, some worrying symptoms started, such as blurred vision, and headaches. The parents took him to get checked out and have a concussion protocol. It turned out he did have a concussion.

You must know the signs. It is not always an outward injury like a broken arm that is the problem.

Here are 6 ways to tell if your teen has a concussion after an accident:

• Headaches

It would be best if you watched for headaches even days after the accident; it sometimes takes a while for symptoms to appear.

• Blurred or double vision

If there is any abnormality in your teen’s vision, you should send them to a doctor.

• Dizziness

If standing up too quickly causes dizziness, or they feel dizzy in any way, it can be a symptom.

• Confusion

It may be harder to spot in a teenager, but confusion is a big sign of a concussion.

• Slurred speech

Assuming they are not under the influence of alcohol or worse, slurred speech is a symptom of concussion.

• Nausea

Nausea and vomiting are big telltale signs for concussion. If your teen suffers from this after an accident, get them medical attention.

Many factors can cause accidents, it’s not always because of not following teen driving laws.

The best we can do is make sure our teens are prepared and maybe look into organizing an advanced teen driving course.

If you have any thoughts on this subject, please comment below.

Thank you.