You Don't Need to Hit Your Head to Suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury
Coup-contrecoup injuries, rotational forces, whiplash — the brain can be damaged inside the skull even without direct head impact.
By Attorney Dan D'Angelo
Trial Lawyer · Brain Injury Advocate · Avid Cyclist
Did you know that you don't have to hit your head to sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? It's true!
A TBI can happen when an external force is applied to the body that is strong enough to make the brain move inside the skull. Imagine your brain as a rubber ball inside a box. The brain can move inside the human skull because it is suspended in fluid. The brain can move forwards, backwards, side to side, rotate and twist. This movement of the brain inside the skull can cause injury to the brain tissue. A classic example of this is known as a coup contrecoup injury and occurs when the brain moves and strikes the inside of the skull and rebounds off the inside of the skull and hits the opposite side of the skull.
Rotational forces can also cause the brain to torque and twist inside the skull and the shear strain forces on the brain can stretch and tear the brain's elongated nerve fibers. The inside of the skull isn't smooth — it has hard ridges. If the brain moves or rotates across these hard ridges, tearing of brain tissue can occur. Bicycle helmets are now designed with safety features to help decrease these rotational forces on the brain. MIPS is one kind of technology designed to help reduce rotational forces in a bicycle crash. Another newer technology is called The Release Layer System, designed to roll and release shell panels on the outside of the helmet to reduce the forces on the brain.
A shaken baby or whiplash from a car crash where the head snaps forward and backward are examples of external forces on the body that can generate enough force to move the brain inside the skull and cause trauma without a direct impact to the head.
Even if you didn't hit your head or get hit in the head by an object, but enough force is applied to the body and head, the brain can move inside the skull in a way that can cause a brain injury. This is why it is important to seek medical attention after a traumatic event or incident like a car crash, a bicycle crash, or fall even if you didn't strike your head.
Have a question about your case?
Attorney Dan D'Angelo offers free consultations for brain injury and cycling accident victims throughout Colorado.
About the Author
Attorney Dan D'Angelo
Trial Lawyer · Brain Injury Advocate · Avid Cyclist
Attorney Dan D'Angelo founded D'Angelo Law Office, P.C. in 2009 and Bike Brain Law to focus exclusively on traumatic brain injury and cycling injury cases in Colorado. An avid cyclist himself, Dan combines deep TBI science knowledge with hands-on cycling experience to build winning cases against insurance companies and corporations that put profits over safety.
- Practicing Colorado personal injury attorney since 2009
- Focused practice in TBI and bicycle injury litigation
- Multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for injury victims
- Avid road and commuter cyclist
