Head Injuries And Your Claim
You hit your head in the accident and want that taken seriously in your claim.
A head injury from a road accident can range widely. It can be a brief concussion, or something more serious involving the brain. Each is documented and valued differently.
What matters for a claim is not how the knock looked at the scene. It is what a doctor records afterward, including any loss of awareness, headaches, or change in memory or concentration.
Kumar was riding home in Ipoh when a car pulled out of a side road without looking. He was thrown from the motorcycle and briefly dazed. He told paramedics he felt fine.
It was only over the following week that he noticed something was wrong. He kept losing his train of thought at work, and went back to see a doctor.
Why even a brief head knock deserves a proper check
A few seconds of confusion or memory gap is worth reporting. This applies even if it clears quickly and you feel able to walk away.
Some concussion symptoms build up over the following days. Headaches, dizziness or trouble concentrating do not always show straight away. A doctor’s early note that a head injury occurred becomes the anchor for everything that follows.
When a scan is and is not needed
Many concussions are assessed on symptoms and a clinical examination. Imaging is not always needed.
A scan becomes more likely with loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, or worsening symptoms. Trust your doctor’s judgement here. The medical record, either way, is what a claim relies on.
From mild concussion to a lasting injury
Most head injuries after a road accident are mild. They settle within weeks. A smaller number involve longer-lasting effects on memory, concentration or mood.
Those need a specialist review, not just a general practitioner’s note. Making a concussion claim and a traumatic brain injury claim set out what the evidence looks like at these different levels.
What this means for compensation
Where ongoing care, therapy or monitoring is needed, that future cost forms its own part of the claim. It is assessed on your specialist’s evidence, not guesswork.[1] Claiming future medical costs explains how that part works.
No figure can be promised before that evidence exists. The effect of a head injury varies enormously from one person to another.
If your symptoms have not fully settled, the most useful next step is a follow-up review. Do not wait to see if it passes on its own. From there, a road accident claim explains how this fits into the wider process.
Common questions
I was only dazed for a few seconds. Is that worth mentioning?
Yes. A brief loss of awareness after hitting your head is worth telling a doctor about even if you feel fine afterwards, because some effects of a concussion, such as headaches or poor concentration, appear over the following days rather than immediately.
Do I need a brain scan for a head injury claim?
Not always. Many concussions are diagnosed on symptoms and examination rather than imaging. A scan is more likely where there was loss of consciousness, ongoing vomiting, or symptoms that are getting worse, and your doctor will decide what is needed.
What if my headaches and memory problems continue for months?
Ongoing symptoms after a head injury should be reviewed again, not assumed to be permanent or ignored. A specialist review that records how long symptoms have lasted supports both your treatment and a fair assessment of the injury in your claim.
Does a mild head injury still count for compensation?
Usually yes, if someone else caused the accident. A mild concussion still involves real symptoms, missed time and sometimes ongoing care, and a documented recovery, however short, forms a genuine part of the claim.
Sources
- Civil Law Act 1956, s.28A (Attorney General's Chambers) (accessed 2026-09-22)