Brain injuries of any kind can change your life forever. When they happen in a motor vehicle collision, it’s confusing and you are left with many questions. When doctors hit you with terms like coup and contrecoup, pronounced “coo” and “contracoo”, it just leaves you with more questions, unless you are already very familiar with brain injury lingo. Coup and contrecoup both mean bruising of the brain, technically referred to as “contusions”. This bruising can cause bleeding in the brain, swelling and cell death, so it can be very serious.
Coup, Contrecoup or Both?
Coup means the injury is on the side of the brain where the initial impact occurred. That could be a blow to the head, or the brain striking the inside of the skull due to extreme forces to the body, such as those which can occur in a car accident, sports accident or construction accident.
Contrecoup is sometimes called anticoup because “contre” is French for “anti”. It means the injury is on the opposite side of the brain from the initial impact. How does that happen? It happens when there is enough force to sling the brain back away from the initial site of impact, into the inside of the skull on the other side of the head. This is sometimes referred to as whiplash.
If there is bruising on both sides, it’s called coup-contrecoup.
If you or someone you love has suffered serious brain injury in a New York accident, you may be able to recover substantial compensation. The Law Firm of Panzavecchia & Associates, PLLC is here to help. Please call us at 888-LAW-2204 or contact us online today.