The Parrish Car Accident & Personal Injury Law Firm | July 10, 2026 | Personal Injury
Head trauma can cause fractures that are not only painful but could also put you at risk of suffering a brain injury. There are numerous types of skull breaks, and each one has its own treatment requirements and healing process. Here are the most common types of skull fractures and what you can expect if you suffer one.
Linear Skull Fractures
Linear skull fractures are the most common type of break. They look like a line and are clean fractures. The bone doesn’t shift out of place, so surgical intervention is likely not necessary. These breaks usually occur at the top of the head. You may experience symptoms like vomiting, headaches, and loss of consciousness.
Treating this type of injury will usually require a brief period of hospital observation but no invasive procedures. It can take up to 12 weeks for the bone to heal.
Depressed Skull Fractures
These injuries occur when significant force causes the bone to dip inward toward the brain. They are typically the result of high-energy impact, as can occur in speeding accidents or during assaults involving guns.
Depressed skull fractures can damage the brain, put you at risk of developing infections, and typically involve severe bleeding. People who suffer these injuries tend to experience symptoms like confusion, altered mental state, weakness or numbness, and clear fluid draining from the nose or ears when the dura mater is damaged.
The depth of the injury will dictate the type of treatment it will require. For less severe depressed fractures that involve no brain bleeding, doctors may only need to monitor the healing. For more serious breaks, surgery will be necessary to lift the depressed bone and fix any damage to underlying structures.
Basilar Skull Fractures
Basilar skull fractures involve breaks to the bones at the bottom of the skull, such as those around the eyes, nose, ears, or base of the neck. These injuries are often the result of blunt force trauma, including car and motorcycle accidents.
Common symptoms include “raccoon eyes,” bruising behind the ears, blood pooling behind the eardrum, and changes in vision or hearing.
These breaks can heal on their own without requiring surgery, but it’s essential to monitor for infections. If you experience cerebrospinal fluid leaks, bone displacements, or blood vessel injuries, your doctor will recommend surgical intervention.
Diastatic Skull Fractures
Diastatic skull fractures are most common in infants and children whose suture lines in the skull have not yet fused together. It can happen in adults, too, if the skull suffers trauma over a wide area. It can cause symptoms like swelling, seizures, and neurological issues.
If the fracture occurs in infants, the healing will generally involve only close monitoring to ensure it doesn’t get worse. It can take between two and three months to heal. In adults, it may be necessary to turn to more invasive interventions.
Obtaining Compensation After a Skull Fracture
If another party’s negligence or wrongful conduct resulted in you suffering a skull fracture, you may be able to begin a personal injury claim to recover your losses. A claim can assist you in receiving compensation for the medical expenses you incurred, the wages you lost, and even the physical and emotional suffering you experienced.
These tend to be complex cases, so you should always ensure you have an attorney by your side. They can help you get through this difficult moment.
Contact The Parrish Car Accident & Personal Injury Law Firm To Schedule a Free Consultation With a Manassas Personal Injury Attorney
Whether you suffer a linear, depressed, basilar, or diastatic skull fracture in Virginia, these injuries can require extensive medical care and have lasting effects on your health and daily life. Although some skull fractures heal with observation and time, others may require surgery and ongoing treatment to address complications and support recovery.
If you’ve been injured, contact The Parrish Car Accident & Personal Injury Law Firm today to schedule a free consultation with a Manassas personal injury lawyer. We have two convenient locations in Manassas and Fairfax, Virginia.
The Parrish Car Accident & Personal Injury Law Firm Manassas
9208 Lee Ave, First Floor, Manassas, VA, 20110
(571) 229-1800
Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Manassas
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 38.7523907,-77.5566859
The Parrish Car Accident & Personal Injury Law Firm Fairfax
4000 Legato Rd #1100, Fairfax, VA, 22033
(571) 200-5424
Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Fairfax
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 38.8657713,-77.3652474
