In some cases, people who suffer traumatic injuries will have no memory of the event itself. For instance, maybe you were injured in a car accident. The last thing you remember is driving safely and then waking up in the hospital.
This can certainly be disconcerting, and it can be challenging as you try to determine how and why you were injured. But why do you not have those memories in the first place?
Your body is focused on survival
One potential reason is simply that your body kicks into fight-or-flight mode during a traumatic event. It focuses all of its energy on survival. This means that it has to pull mental resources away from other processes. For many people, the brain will stop making short-term memories in order to focus on life-saving measures, such as creating an adrenaline rush, elevating your breathing and the like.
You suffered a traumatic brain injury
Additionally, memory loss is one of the most common signs of a traumatic brain injury. Even if you don’t have outward symptoms, it could be a closed head injury. When the part of the brain that creates memories is damaged, you may either lose those memories or struggle to create them in the first place. Sometimes, a brain injury can be so bad that the ability to create memories is lost far into the future.
What options do you have?
If you have been through such a serious accident, you may be facing high medical bills, lost wages and many other costs. Make sure you know exactly what legal options you have to seek compensation.