If you or a loved one are hurt in a crash, be sure a concussion check happens
This is a guest post by Tim Hickey, a member of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets.
When the text message popped up on my phone, I was hit with so many emotions.
Shock, fear, and love.
My wife Leah texted that she had been hit by a driver that morning on her way to work on her bicycle, and she wasn’t feeling great.
I immediately went to meet Leah at her work, which happened to be at UCSF hospital because she’s a nurse.
Leah told me that a driver had taken a left turn right in front of her, going about 15 miles an hour. She’d hit the car head-on and banged up her bike, but in the moment with all the adrenaline and shock, she thought she was okay. No one called 911, no ambulance, no police report. Leah had told the driver to be more careful and got their information just in case.
Just in case.
We decided to go to the ER. The doctors examined her briefly and said she had whiplash and a bruised arm. That was it. They sent Leah on her way, and we went home.
But soon it was clear that Leah wasn’t okay. I noticed she was confused. As a person who has had a few concussions, I know the symptoms, but I just didn’t think about the possibility of it being a concussion.
I wish the ER doctors had said, “Check for a concussion.” I wish they did it every time. That’s what I want people to know. That’s why I wrote this.
Because looking back, I think Leah was demonstrating concussion symptoms that we should have been looking for shortly after the crash.
In the days to come, Leah continued to seem discombobulated and not herself. It was scary to see my wife of 12 years like this.
We went to her primary care doctor. After some tests and an MRI, Leah was diagnosed with a concussion. We imagined and hoped that things would start to improve quickly, but that was four years ago. Leah, an incredible nurse, hasn’t been able to return to the job she loves and provides purpose for her, and we continue to pursue treatments to help her heal.
The thing is, sometimes after a crash it’s clear you need medical attention, but when it’s neurological, it can be elusive and not immediately present itself. I think in kid’s football now, if you get hit, they have a series of protocols to check for concussions. I wish they did that in the ER: “They’ve been hit by a car: check for a concussion. Tell the patient to be aware of these symptoms with a checklist.”
My family’s experience has taught us a lot about vulnerability. We are all vulnerable to some degree, and some of us are more vulnerable. I unfortunately now know so much more about what a serious injury in a traffic crash could mean, and how much can change the life of a victim – and the lives of all who love them.
It’s why I joined San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets. It’s why I speak out for leaders to do more to design streets to protect all of us as we go to work, to school, to wherever.
Because we are all vulnerable, and the stakes are so high when streets are unsafe.
Are you someone who has been personally and directly affected by a traffic crash?
Learn more about San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets, a group supported by Walk SF.
Check out and share post-crash checklists in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog.
