It’s not a lesson anyone wants to learn, but it’s one that’s important for everyone in Calgary to learn.

Any significant trauma from a traffic accident can lead to serious long-term effects.

Olympic speed skater Denny Morrison might be learning that lesson in the hardest way possible, according to Dr. Michael Hill with the Calgary Stroke Program at Alberta Health Services. Though he has not examined Morrison and cannot draw a specific conclusion in this case, he said the olympian’s recent stroke could have been the result of a motorcycle accident that took place almost a year ago.

“If you get in a car accident or some kind of major trauma, then you can have a little tear in your carotid artery. That’s entirely possible,” said Dr. Hill, referencing the carotid artery dissection found in Morrison in addition to a blood clot, both of which may have contributed to his stroke. “Maybe he injured the artery at that time and in fact the carotid dissection is not new. It’s healed and it’s old and so he’s had an injured artery for 11 months and he just happened to have a stroke now. That’s possible I suppose.”

“Without seeing the imaging and without knowing the details, it would be hard to know that. But, sure, you could have trauma that causes injury. Absolutely.”

Traumatic incidents like motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and car crashes—all of which are far too common in the Greater Calgary Area—can cause miniscule problems that don’t make themselves known right away, but that can have potentially devastating consequences over time. Protecting yourself and your family following a serious trauma can be difficult when the long-term consequences of your injuries are unknown.

How a Calgary Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help After Traumatic Injuries

An effective Calgary personal injury lawyer understands the long-term uncertainties of traumatic incidents and injuries, and is able to use medical testimony and evidence to ensure their clients receive the financial restitution they’re entitled to when someone else’s negligence throws them into a life of unknown medical issues.

Living with the fear of a sudden stroke or the onset of another serious condition is bad enough. The potential disruption to your earning capability and your family’s security compounds makes the problem even worse.

Issues like these are why personal injury cases arising from traumatic accidents are rarely as straightforward as they may appear. There are many considerations, and a great deal of evidence that has to be weighed in order to determine a compensation amount that truly gives you the chance to be “made whole,” inasmuch as is possible, following an injury caused by someone else’s negligence.

Contacting an experienced Calgary personal injury lawyer and working with them to see your case through gives you the best possible chance at an outcome that will take care of you and your family no matter what the long-term consequences of your injuries.

Morrison is, thankfully, already on the road to recovery. If you would like to talk to a personal injury lawyer about getting on that same road yourself, please contact our office today.