When our brains are shaken rapidly within our skulls, the first place the brain collides with the skull causes a ‘coup injury’. When the brain bounces back off the skull hitting the opposite side, the place where the brain makes contact with the skull for a second time causes a ‘contrecoup injury’.
Common Causes of Contrecoup Injuries
Ideally, our brains would never make contact with our skulls. Unfortunately, however, a number of different things can happen that can cause these types of traumatic brain injuries. Whenever the human head is shaken violently, there is a possibility that the individual will suffer coup and contrecoup injuries. Some common causes of violent shaking include:
- Accidents that occur at construction sites
- Accidents that occur at work
- Falls from high locations
- Slip and fall or trip and falls
- Motor vehicle accidents including car, motorcycle and truck accidents
- Shaken baby syndrome
The list above is not exhaustive because coup and contrecoup injuries can certainly happen in a wide variety other situations. These are just examples of some of the situations we see or hear about most often at The Ernst Law Group.
Filing a Lawsuit for Contrecoup Injuries
If you or a loved one has suffered a coup or contrecoup injury as a result of an accident that was caused in part, or completely, by another person, you may be able to file a claim for your injuries. If you would like to learn more about filing a personal injury claim, contact our office today. We would be happy to answer your questions about closed head injuries and can help you understand whether or not bringing a claim would be appropriate in your situation.
