Symptoms of a skull fracture may include:

• Headache
• Scalp swelling
• Scalp contusion
• Skin wound to the scalp:
• Scalp abrasion
• Scalp laceration
• Scalp puncture wound
• Deformed skull:
• A depressed area, or indentation in the skull
• Nausea
• Vomiting

A fracture to the base of the brain, called a basilar skull fracture, may cause different symptoms.

Symptoms of a basilar skull fracture include:

• Blood behind the eardrum
• Bruising behind the ear (Battle sign)
• Bruising around both eyes
• Clear fluid leaking from the nose