[JeremyG22334455]

The other night while we were driving home at about 65 miles per hour, we had to stop almost immediately due to an elk standing in the road. Starting the next day, I've had concussion symptoms (headache/dizziness/fatigue/sleepiness/mental fatigue/brain fog/difficulty concentrating/feeling out of it). I did not hit my head, but I did sort of brace it/try to hold it in place while we stopped. Is it possible to get a concussion just from slamming on the brakes at 65 miles per hour?

[Jomar]

Have you had a concussion in the past?

From past posts asking a similar question, it would be extremely rare to get a concussion that way.
As I understand it , there is just not enough force (G forces) when the head does not hit something.

If you had a past concussion and still had some symptoms from it, possibly might trigger a bit of a relapse..
Or if you had any past neck/shoulder issues, it could cause a flare up of that.

[Mark in Idaho]

I'm with Jo*Mar. There are not enough G forces. The maximum G force from an emergency stop is about 0.9 G. That is about the same as sitting on your bed and falling back with your head landing on your pillow.

You may get some neck strain from the whiplash.

Or you may have had a poor night sleep. The anxiety of such a near collision could easily disrupt normal sleep and cause all of your symptoms. Many of us who struggle with insomnia have days full of those symptoms.

Glad you did not collide with the elk. I've lived and driven in elk and moose country for decades. It can be scary to see that dark shadow so suddenly.

btw, The safest way to drive in such situations is to brake hard and stop straight. Trying to dodge the animal causes frequent roll-overs and excursions off the road and down the embankment.

With elk or moose, there is a risk of the animal crashing through the windshield so ducking to the center of the car can be important.

But, the more important concept is to not out drive your headlights, especially in elk or moose country.

Here is an interest page of charts and explanations about braking.

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[Almost]

jo*mar, I did not hit my head and have pcs. I am 2 years and 4 months out, I was in a car crash oncoming car hit front drivers side and spun around and hit rear of car before going in the ditch.

I wish you could not get a concussion without hitting your head, my life would be much different!

[Jomar]

A violent car accident with multiple impacts is quite different from a hard braking stop with no collision.
It sounds like you got impacted in many ways.
Did you get whiplash & soft tissue injuries also?

[JeremyG22334455]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

I'm with Jo*Mar. There are not enough G forces. The maximum G force from an emergency stop is about 0.9 G. That is about the same as sitting on your bed and falling back with your head landing on your pillow.

You may get some neck strain from the whiplash.

Or you may have had a poor night sleep. The anxiety of such a near collision could easily disrupt normal sleep and cause all of your symptoms. Many of us who struggle with insomnia have days full of those symptoms.

Is that 0.9G actually the amount of force against your head though? If so, why does it seem like such an extreme jolt to brake suddenly? It just seems like it would have to be at least several Gs of force. Also, my 40 pound dog flew off the back seat, could 0.9G do that?

[Almost]

Originally Posted by Jo*mar

A violent car accident with multiple impacts is quite different from a hard braking stop with no collision.
It sounds like you got impacted in many ways.
Did you get whiplash & soft tissue injuries also?

Yes, I did. The most difficult thing is the brain injury...