Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: The Invisible Epidemic in Georgia Accidents

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A concussion from a crash can be hard to see for reasons the federal health agencies themselves describe: symptoms can begin hours, days, or weeks later, they resemble other health problems, and the injured person, the family, and the treating provider can overlook them. CDC treats mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion as one category, and MedlinePlus notes that “[s]ometimes people call a concussion a ‘mild’ brain injury.” In a Georgia claim, those same features become questions of proof: whether the crash caused the symptoms, and who is qualified to say so.

What a Concussion Is

MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine’s consumer health service, describes a concussion as “a type of brain injury” that “involves a short loss of normal brain function.” MedlinePlus explains that it happens when a hit to the head or body makes the head and brain move rapidly back and forth, and that this movement “can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull,” creating chemical changes in the brain, and that “[s]ometimes it can also stretch and damage” brain cells. MedlinePlus lists “car accidents” among the causes and adds that “while concussions may not be life-threatening, they can still be serious.”

CDC describes a TBI as “an injury that affects how the brain works,” caused by a “[b]ump, blow, or jolt to the head” or a penetrating injury, and names three main types: “Mild TBI or concussion,” moderate TBI, and severe TBI. It lists motor vehicle crashes among the common ways a person gets a TBI.

Why It Can Go Unseen

Symptoms can arrive late. MedlinePlus states that concussion symptoms “may not start right away; they may start days or weeks after the injury.” CDC states that “[s]ome mild TBI and concussion symptoms may appear right away, while others may not appear for hours or days after the injury,” and that symptoms “may change during recovery.”

Symptoms look like other problems. CDC groups the symptoms into four kinds: physical (for example, headaches, dizziness or balance problems, being bothered by light or noise, vision problems), thinking and remembering (attention or concentration problems, feeling slowed down, memory problems), social or emotional (anxiety, irritability, sadness), and sleep (sleeping more or less than usual, trouble falling asleep). It warns that “[s]ymptoms may be difficult to sort out as they are similar to other health problems.”

The injured person may not report them. CDC states that after a mild TBI or concussion, “[a] person may not recognize or admit that they are having problems,” may not understand how the symptoms affect daily activities, and that “[p]roblems may be overlooked by the person with a mild TBI or concussion, their family members, or their healthcare provider.”

Diagnosis rests on an examination. MedlinePlus describes the diagnosis as a physical exam and questions about the injury, and “most likely” a neurological exam of vision, balance, coordination, and reflexes, with an evaluation of memory and thinking. “In some cases,” a CT scan or MRI is done, and it “can check for bleeding or inflammation in the brain, as well as a skull fracture.”

How Common and How Serious

CDC calls TBI “a major cause of death and disability” and reports “over 69,000 TBI-related deaths in the United States in 2021,” which it describes as “about 190 TBI-related deaths every day.” Those figures cover TBI of every severity. For mild TBI in particular, CDC’s facts page still cites its 2003 report to Congress, titled “Report to Congress on mild traumatic brain injury in the United States: Steps to prevent a serious public health problem.” For the mild end of the range, CDC states that a person with a mild TBI or concussion “may experience short-term symptoms and feel better within a couple of weeks or months,” and that “most people with a mild TBI or concussion feel better within a couple of weeks.” MedlinePlus states that “[m]ost people recover fully after a concussion, but it can take some time.”

CDC also lists danger signs that call for emergency care, noting that “[i]n rare cases, a dangerous blood clot that crowds the brain against the skull can develop.” Among them are a headache that gets worse and does not go away, repeated vomiting, slurred speech, one pupil larger than the other, and loss of consciousness.

Proving That the Crash Caused It

Georgia law does not require an expert for every causation question. In Cowart v. Widener, 287 Ga. 622 (2010), the Supreme Court of Georgia wrote that “expert evidence typically is not required to prove causation in a simple negligence case,” but that it is required where truly specialized medical knowledge, rather than knowledge within common understanding and experience, is needed to link the defendant’s conduct to the injury. The Court gave examples on each side: a stabbing that leads to death needs no expert to explain the link, while whether exposure to mold caused respiratory ailments does.

When an expert testifies, OCGA 24-7-702(b) requires that the expert’s knowledge help the jury, that the testimony rest on sufficient facts or data and on reliable principles and methods, and that the expert apply those methods reliably to the facts of the case. On how firmly the opinion must be stated, the Supreme Court held in Zwiren v. Thompson, 276 Ga. 498 (2003), a medical malpractice case, that an expert’s opinion on proximate causation must be stated in terms stronger than medical possibility, as a reasonable medical probability or reasonable medical certainty.

For example, imagine a driver who is rear-ended, feels shaken but otherwise fine at the scene, and over the following days develops headaches, trouble concentrating, and changes in sleep. That pattern matches what CDC and MedlinePlus describe: symptoms that appear late, fall into several categories, and resemble other health problems. It also frames the legal question under Cowart: whether the link between the crash and those symptoms is within common understanding and experience, or needs specialized medical knowledge from a witness who meets OCGA 24-7-702(b).

What the Claim Can Include

For purposes of OCGA 9-10-184, noneconomic damages include physical or emotional pain, anxiety, distress, suffering, physical impairment, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, and economic damages include past and future medical expenses, costs of therapy, and loss of earning capacity (OCGA 9-10-184(a)(1), (2)). Special damages must be proved to be recovered (OCGA 51-12-2(b)).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a scan show a concussion?
MedlinePlus describes diagnosis by physical and neurological examination and questions about the injury, and says that in some cases a CT scan or MRI is done to check “for bleeding or inflammation in the brain, as well as a skull fracture.”

Can symptoms come back after they seem to improve?
MedlinePlus states that in the beginning, physical activity or activities needing a lot of concentration “may cause concussion symptoms (such as headache or tiredness) to come back or get worse,” and that normal activities resume slowly once a health care provider says it is ok.

Are older adults at particular risk after a crash?
CDC states that “TBIs may be missed or misdiagnosed in older adults because symptoms of TBI overlap with other medical conditions that are more common among older adults, such as dementia,” lists a car crash among the events after which providers should check an older adult for TBI, and notes that blood thinners “may increase the risk for bleeding in the brain following a TBI.”

How can a brain injury affect a child?
CDC states that an injury of any severity to the developing brain may disrupt a child’s development and limit the child’s ability to participate in school and other activities, like sports.

  • MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), “Concussion”
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Symptoms of Mild TBI and Concussion” (Sept. 15, 2025); “Facts About TBI” (Aug. 4, 2025); Report to Congress on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Steps to Prevent a Serious Public Health Problem (2003) (as cited on “Facts About TBI”)
  • Cowart v. Widener, 287 Ga. 622 (2010); Zwiren v. Thompson, 276 Ga. 498 (2003); OCGA 24-7-702(b)
  • OCGA 9-10-184(a)(1), (2); OCGA 51-12-2(b)

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about mild traumatic brain injury and Georgia injury claims. It is not medical advice or legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. A person with symptoms after a crash should seek medical care, and anyone with a potential claim should consult a licensed Georgia attorney promptly about the particular situation.

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