There are three main types of memory loss you may experience following a car crash.
Post-traumatic amnesia is the state of confusion or memory loss immediately following a traumatic event, such as a car accident.
Anterograde amnesia is the inability to form new memories following the accident. It’s the most common form car crash victims sustain, and most people who suffer from this say they “blacked out.”
Retrograde amnesia is losing the memories you had before an accident occurred. This includes not just the events that lead to the collision but also dates, major life events, or names.
It’s rare for victims to suffer from both anterograde and retrograde amnesia simultaneously—a condition known as transient global amnesia. Regardless of what type of amnesia you suffer after a car crash, you deserve medical and legal help to restore your life to the way it was.