Concussions, Closed Head Injuries, and Traumatic Brain Injuries: Real Life vs Hollywood Myths

Matthew Pearn | April 28, 2026

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There is a huge difference between the real-life recovery from a head injury and how Hollywood movie makers depict these events. When a movie character gets into a car accident or takes a blow to the head, the script follows a predictable path: the hero is knocked unconscious, they wake up, dust themselves off, and leap back into action for the next scene—usually just in time for the high-speed chase.

Real life isn’t so simple. Concussions, closed-head injuries, and mild traumatic brain injuries don’t play out like they do in the movies. Most people face a long recovery. Even if you feel fine in the moments after your accident, here’s what you need to know after getting hurt by someone else’s carelessness.

At Whitehead, Miles & Allen LLP, we’ve seen many real-world accidents and know that Hollywood’s version of a brain injury is a dangerous myth. In real life, a concussion or traumatic brain injury isn’t a “shake it off” moment; it’s a serious medical event. If you’ve been in an accident recently, it’s vital to separate movie fiction from medical facts. Knowing the truth can decrease your recovery time and help you to protect your legal rights.

Three Movies Myths About Concussions

Myth 1: You have to “lose consciousness” for it to be a brain injury.

It’s a cliché in movies that so long as the character doesn’t black out, the hero is fine. In reality, less than 10% of concussions involve a loss of consciousness. You can be perfectly alert and even walk away from a car crash, but still have a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Don’t let the fact that you managed to stay awake convince you that you do need to see a doctor.

Myth 2: The Doctor knows best, and a CT scan has the final word on your health.

Hollywood loves to tell the story that medical technology and a quick scan can lead to a concrete diagnosis. The reality is that an MRI or a CT scan are tools that doctors can use, but the most important thing you can do is to share all the details of your injury.

Even when you see the doctor, you need to clearly explain how you were injured and the symptoms you are experiencing. A busy emergency room physician or family practitioner can easily miss key details when they try to chart your problems and confirm your diagnosis.

Doctors in a busy E.R. will take a short history and sometimes fail to chart symptoms that are clear signs of a concussion, such as prolonged headache, inability to focus, irritability or mood change, blurry vision, memory gaps, and word-finding problems. If you aren’t clear in explaining your challenges, they may give a reassuring nod and say, “Everything looks normal, you’re good to go.”

Doctors will sometimes order imaging too, and even an MRI or CT pictrure can fail to tell the whole story of your injury. The reality of concussions and TBIs is that these are functional injuries, not structural ones. While a scan can show physical damage to a brain, it cannot show whether a brain is struggling to process information, regulate emotions, or manage sleep. A “normal” scan does not necessarily equate a “normal” brain.

So, don’t forget to share all the challenges you are experiencing when you talk with a doctor. Make sure they write down what is happening and have them confirm these are symptoms of a concussion or TBI. If they aren’t sending you for imaging, have them confirm whether they are prescribing you ‘off work’ or to a specialist to treat your concussion / TBI.

Myth 3: The injury has healed when the headaches stop.

Twenty minutes with an ice pack isn’t going to cut it. Concussions often have a delayed onset. During her February 2026 presentation at the CBA NB MidWinter conference, the neuropsychologist Dr Sarah Pakzad of the Université de Moncton recently emphasised that Secondary Injury—characterised by inflammation and metabolic dysfunction—can develop in concussion patients hours or even days after the impact. That critical observation window is 48 to 72 hours, not minutes, after the injury.

What is a Concussion?

Concussions often occur when a person is injured in an automobile accident, off-road vehicle accident, or slip-and-fall accident. Recognising the signs of a concussion isn’t quite as simple as identifying any other scrape or cut. Concussions and TBIs are injuries that impact the way your brain operates, and symptoms of these injuries may not appear immediately. Some symptoms may not manifest for hours or even days after the initial impact. 

Under the DSM-5—the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition—which is published by the American Psychiatric Association and considered the authoritative guide used by clinicians to diagnose and classify mental disorders—a concussion is classified as a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In this case, the term “mild” can be deceptive. While the word ‘mild’ sits at one end of the brain injury spectrum (with the other being severe disability), the functional impairment of a ‘mild’ TBI can be life-altering.

The Real World Symptoms

Partly due to the misleading idea of being ‘knocked out’ from films and television, less than 10% of concussions involve a loss of consciousness. You do not need to be knocked unconscious to suffer a brain injury that can have a long-term impact on your ability to work, study, or maintain a household.

If you’ve experienced a blow to the head or a violent jarring of the body (ie, you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident or fallen to the ground), look for these common warning signs:

• Physical Symptoms: Persistent headaches, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision and sensitivity to light or noise.
  

• Cognitive Shifts: Experiencing “brain fog” or mental sluggishness, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, or delayed responses to simple questions.
  

• Emotional and Sleep Changes: Unusual irritability, sadness, heightened anxiety or experiencing changes to your sleep schedule.

It is a common mistake to assume that if you ‘feel fine’ an hour after an accident, you’ve dodged the worst of it. The brain can actually be in a state of flux following an injury. The critical window for symptoms to appear is realistically more like 48 to 72 hours.

If you are experiencing worsening headaches, repeated vomiting, slurred speech or weakness in your limbs, seek emergency medical attention immediately. These are signs of a more serious neurological emergency.

Why a Normal Scan Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

A picture may be worth 1000 words, but an MRI or CT scan likely doesn’t tell the whole story of your injury. One of the first diagnostic steps often undertaken to assess a person suffering from a head injury is to complete a CT scan or an MRI scan. Those machine-generated image results will sometimes come back as “normal” even though you know you are having difficulties. Don’t fall into the misconception that no real damage has occurred. As Dr Sarah Pakzad (Université de Moncton Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology) pointed out at the 2026 CBA NB MidWinter conference, the reality of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is far more complex. A properly trained neuropsychologist or other expert is often required to explain the problems you are facing, as an MRI or CT scan will only show certain structural damage and not the full impact of your injury. 

The legal professionals at Whitehead Miles and Allen LLP understand the nuances of concussion and know how to ensure the long-term impacts of an injury are properly compensated.

Determining the Damage: The Glasgow Coma Scale

To help determine the initial severity of an impairment, medical professionals use the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). It is a cornerstone tool for assessing acute brain injury and impaired consciousness by measuring a patient's eye movements, verbal responses, and motor responses. Since its development in 1974, the GCS has been adopted in trauma, critical care, and emergency medicine settings in over 75 countries.

The scale is measured from 1-15, as follows:

• Mild Impairment (13–15): Most concussions fall here. At this level, the patient is generally awake and can follow simple commands, but may appear dazed and slightly confused about the time or place. Invisible symptoms like memory lapses, irritability, and light sensitivity—all of which can have a profound impact on your ability to work.
  

• Moderate Impairment (9–12): Often involves longer hospital stays and more pronounced cognitive shifts. The patient is often lethargic or combative. They may only open their eyes when spoken to or when experiencing physical pain. They may struggle to speak, sit up, and follow multi-step instructions.
  

• Severe Impairment (8 or Less): Typically indicates significant long-term disability. At this level, the patient is unable to follow even basic commands and does not open their eyes; motor responses may be limited to reflexive posturing rather than purposeful movement. Often, even basic, normally autonomous functions like breathing become difficult and require immediate intensive care.

While the Glasgow Coma Scale provides a snapshot of the injury, usually during the initial assessment, the path to recovery can be a long one, with unexpected twists and turns, with peaks and valleys. A patient may start at a 15 (mild) and worsen to a 12 (moderate) as swelling develops. Conversely, something starting at a 10 may make a significant recovery but be left with permanent cognitive blind spots

Preparing Your Legal Case & Documenting Your Injury

When your injury isn’t a broken bone that’s going to show up clearly on an X-ray, working with the legal team at Whitehead, Miles and Allen LLP can help you ensure that your accident is being documented correctly:

• Report Everything, Even the Small Stuff: Brain fog, irritability, light sensitivity and sleep disruptions aren’t just annoyances—these are symptoms of TBI. Take notes. Report these to your family doctor or a walk-in clinic immediately to ensure there are no gaps in your medical records.

• Focus on Functional Consequences: Don’t just list symptoms. Make notes on how your life changed, rather than simply stating that you have a headache; detail the implications of not being able to read for sustained periods, losing your train of thought in meetings, or fluorescent lights causing nausea.

• Document the Accident: If you’re putting in super-heroic levels of effort to get back to work, only to end up with a spike in your symptoms, make a note or diary entry of that. Your attempts at a return to normal life and work, if documented properly, are crucial pieces of evidence of your limitations.

Even if you are feeling fine, it’s important that every step is documented as thoroughly as possible. If you’re not sure where to start, that’s where the team at Whitehead, Miles & Allen LLP come in. We can help you piece together the evidence, and in many cases, take care of the legwork for you when you’re not at your best.

Your Insurance Coverage Checklist

Navigating your insurance coverages can be just as important as your medical treatment, and because we almost never see movie stars worrying about who is paying for their physiotherapy or chiropractic care, we’ve put together a checklist to make sure you aren’t missing out on crucial support:

Part 1: The Auto / Section B Essentials

New Brunswick’s standard automobile insurance coverage includes “Section B” coverage, which provides mandatory no-fault accident benefits to anyone injured in (or by) an insured automobile, but you have to know where to look.

• Locate your “Pink” Insurance Sheet: Automobile insurers typically provide a small pink auto insurance policy sheet (which most of us usually keep in our glove compartment). You’ll need that information to open a claim for coverage.

• The 7-Day Rule: Were you working at the time of the accident? Did your injury prevent you from working for at least 7 days within the first 30 days of the accident? This is a critical threshold for weekly indemnity (wage replacement) benefits.

• Medical Coverage: Even if you weren’t off work for 7 days, you can still qualify for medical expense coverage. The automobile insurer will pay coverage towards medical expenses incurred within the 4 years after the accident, and up to a maximum of $50,000, so long as your own private insurer hasn’t paid in full already.

• Indemnity / Housekeeping Benefits: If you worry you aren’t eligible to claim weekly indemnity (wage replacement) benefits, but you routinely provide household services, you may be eligible for housekeeping benefits instead. It is important to obtain a doctor’s note supporting that you are unable to provide these services, so schedule that appointment and see your doctor within the first 30 days after the loss to get the supporting prescription.

Part 2: Exploring Other Coverage

• Employer Benefits: Do you have Short-Term Disability (STD) or Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage? Check with your HR department

• Sick Leave: Do you have a salary continuance or banked sick days you are required to use?

• WorkSafeNB: If the accident happened while you were on the job, is WorkSafeNB involved?

• Self-Employed: Did you purchase private insurance coverage for yourself? Speak with your private insurance broker to confirm if you bought STD or LTD coverages that may respond and provide you with financial assistance.

• Employment Insurance: You may be eligible for EI sick leave benefits. Speak with a federal agent to investigate coverages.

Part 3: The “Offset” Trap

• The Coordination of Benefits: Is your auto insurer trying to deduct other available benefits from your Section B payments? This “offset” process is complex and can, at times, have an injured person losing out on the support they deserve. If you are concerned, please contact the lawyers at Whitehead Miles and Allen LLP to discuss.

The Path to Recovery

There are public health guides that can be very helpful to assist a person who has a concussion or TBI. Concussions - Trauma NB provides a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation after a concussion and gives someone facing these injuries a sense of the appropriate timelines for returning to normal life. 

Because concussions are functional injuries (affecting how the brain's “wiring" works) rather than structural ones, your recovery requires a structured, step-by-step approach. With that in mind, the Trauma NB guide includes information on these important events:

• Return to Work/Daily Activity: Symptoms often worsen with mental or physical exertion. A personalised, gradual return strategy is essential.

• Return to School: Students may require learning accommodations, as cognitive tasks can trigger significant setbacks. Keep this in mind, and approach guidance counsellors or college or university administrators to ask for assistance.

• Demographic Factors: It is important to note that children and youth often face a longer recovery window than adults, requiring specialised medical and legal attention. Medical professionals should understand this and give specific instructions.

Protecting Your Future

If you or a loved one has suffered a head injury as a result of an automobile collision or off-road vehicle accident, or a slip-and-fall, do not let a "clear" MRI or the fact that you "remained conscious" discourage you from seeking legal advice. Getting complete and proper documentation of your recovery stages—such as missed work days or the need for cognitive accommodations—is just as important as the initial medical report, which hopefully confirms your concussion or TBI.

From navigating the complexities of Section B no-fault automobile insurance benefits and other private insurances to ensuring your medical records properly reflect your functional impairment, we’re here to help. At Whitehead, Miles & Allen LLP, we work with medical professionals to ensure that the "invisible" nature of your concussion is made visible, ensuring your recovery—both medical and financial—is fully supported. 

Don’t rely on Hollywood to tell you how you’re feeling or what is happening. If you’ve been injured, reach out to us to ensure that the full extent of your injury hasn’t been downplayed and your legal claim is fully documented and pursued vigorously.