Every time you drive or ride in a car, you have some risk of sustaining a serious injury in an automobile collision. If you want to pursue compensation for your injuries and property damage, you likely need to remember how the crash unfolded. Unfortunately, because of a variety of factors, you may not be able to recall what happened.
Your brain and body have some mechanisms for dealing with stressful situations. While extra adrenaline may help keep you safe, it may also make remembering your accident difficult. Even worse, if you sustain a brain injury, you may never remember your collision. If you are in a car crash, here are three types of memory loss you may experience:
Post-traumatic amnesia
As its name suggests, post-traumatic amnesia happens when someone is unable to remember the events immediately after a traumatic event. If you have this type of memory loss, you may also feel a general sense of confusion. Fortunately, you may be able to regain your memory over time or with the help of a qualified therapist.
Anterograde amnesia
The most common type of memory loss following a jarring event, anterograde amnesia, makes it difficult for individuals to form memories after a car crash. Unlike with post-traumatic amnesia, where memories exist, those who develop anterograde amnesia may have no memories to remember. As such, even with therapy and time, if you have anterograde amnesia, you may never remember your collision.
Retrograde amnesia
Finally, retrograde amnesia occurs when individuals are unable to remember the events leading up to a traumatic situation. Generally, to develop retrograde amnesia, individuals must sustain some type of traumatic brain injury.
Memory loss can be both dangerous and scary. If you do not remember your car accident, you likely must act both quickly and diligently to ensure your brain recovers completely. Instead of ignoring the signs of memory loss, focus on yourself and your overall well-being.