Irvine Teen Sustains Fatal Traumatic Brain Injury in Orange County, California Car Accident

14-year-old Ashton Sweet has been declared dead. The teenager sustained a traumatic brain injury on Sunday when a drunk driver hit the car she was riding during an Irvine car crash. She is being kept on life support so her organs can be considered on donation.

Sweet and three of her friends were being driven home from a party when they were struck by a Toyota pickup truck. The driver of the truck, 26-year-old Austin Farley, is also from Irvine. He was brought into custody on suspicion of felony drunk driving and held on $1 million bail.

Brain Injury from Car Accidents
Traffic crashes are a leading cause of brain injuries. The head may strike the windshield, the window, or the roof during a rollover. Also, when sudden deceleration or acceleration movement occurs, the brain also may experience trauma and brain bleeding, twisting, tearing, or bruising may occur.

While some brain injuries are immediately detectable, the symptoms for some types of TBIs may not appear right away, which is why it is important that you see a doctor immediately. Possible signs of a brain injury include:

• Loss of consciousness
• Feeling dazed or confused or disoriented
• Headaches
• Concentration or memory problems
• Vomiting
• Vision problems
• Nausea
• Mood changes
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Problems sleeping
• The need to sleep more often
• Slurred speech
• Numbness or weakness to the extremities
• Convulsions
• Fluids coming from the ears or nose
• Pupil dilation
• Seizures