Brain Injury

Ensure Your Best Possible Recovery ~

It can certainly be a life-altering event, and the first thing you should know about spinal cord injury is that it does not always present symptoms immediately after sustaining damage. If you suffer a head, neck, or back injury, even if you feel that it’s minor, get the opinion of a qualified health care professional immediately. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you should know what steps to take to ensure that you’ll receive the best medical care and rehabilitation efforts.

All brain injuries and injuries to the spinal cord are potentially dangerous. They can cause excruciating pain, take away your freedom of movement, speech, or hearing, and can even result in death. If you suffer an injury to the spinal cord due to an accident, on the job or elsewhere, you’ll not only need excellent medical attention but also the counsel of a skilled personal injury attorney. More often than not, there will be an intimidating maze of legalities that must be dealt with before you can get on with treatment and recovery.

Things to Keep in Mind

After you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, take the following steps to ensure that you won’t be left without help and without the means to ensure your best possible recovery.

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Know What to Do Next ~

In the United States, someone suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every 15 seconds. A TBI is the most frequent cause of disability or death among children and adolescents, according to the Brain Injury Association. Approximately five million head injuries occur every year, and most result from what appears to be only a bump or bruise to the head, but is actually quite a bit more serious.

What Are the Symptoms?

Any head trauma has the possibility of also causing injury to the brain. A head injury can be suspicious for brain damage if the following symptoms are present: unconsciousness, headache, convulsions, dazed expression, drowsiness, vomiting, memory loss or amnesia concerning the injury, as well as unequal pupil size. In addition, more obvious symptoms can include a bloody nose or bleeding from the ear without any noticeable fractures or cuts. Following a head injury, it is important to keep close tabs on any changes and be prepared for questions such as, “When did this change begin?” Try to recall specifics surrounding your fall or accident and when your first noticed impairment. For example, if you’re feeling anxious or disoriented, what do you think may have brought this on?

Brain Injury Checklist

Take a look below at these common changes, including personality, neurological, intellectual and psychological impairments following a head injury.

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Learning Disabilities, Developmental Issues, and Brain Injury

Consumers have long been aware of the dangers of lead in toys and household items. Laws restricting lead use in items manufactured for children have lowered parental concern about safety issues. Even cheap children’s jewelry and toys are thought to be safer in recent years, but in many instances, lead has been replaced by cadmium in these products.

Cadmium is a toxic metal that holds the number seven slot in hazardous materials ranked by the United States Center for Disease Control. Tests show many of the toys manufactured in China over the past several years contain dangerous levels of cadmium, but Chinese factories may not be alone in their use of the metal. Personal injury attorneys in California, and around the country, are beginning to take note of this issue as strong evidence points to some of these products as causing developmental issues, learning disabilities and brain injury in children.

Associated Press Investigations in Product Liability

In 2010, the Associated Press conducted tests on a variety of jewelry and toys. Over one hundred items were purchased from retailers throughout California, Texas, Ohio and New York. Testing indicated that many of the items contained unsafe levels of cadmium. Cadmium levels as high as 80 to 90 percent appeared in a variety of bracelets and other jewelry for girls. The AP findings sparked a number of recalls based on elevated levels of cadmium.

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A 19-year-old man driving a Mini Cooper ran a red light, clipped one car and violently struck the side of a minivan at the intersection of Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway near Novato, California. Sadly, all four members of the family in the minivan were killed instantly. Police believe the man was driving between 70 and 90 miles per hour. According to the article from the San Jose Mercury, there is no evidence that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

The three occupants of the first car hit were taken to a hospital in Novato for their injuries. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene to aid the 19-year-old and the victims. The perpetrator suffered life-threatening and severe brain injuries before ultimately dying at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital the following day. The four deceased were identified as a 45-year-old man, a woman, 42, and their two children ages eight and five.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 42,643 people are killed in auto accidents each year. In California, there are 4,215 (almost 10% of the national average) fatalities from traffic accidents. Furthermore, speeding caused over one third of these fatal accidents. Traumatic brain injuries also affect one million Americans each year.

Head trauma and brain injury affects victims and their families beyond the reaches of the accident. If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone else’s negligent and reckless driving, contact a skilled San Fernando Valley brain injury lawyer who can answer questions about your claim. At the Mandell Law Firm, we may be able to help you and your family recover compensation for your injuries and any related damages. Our knowledgeable attorneys have dedicated many years to helping our clients obtain the maximum monetary compensation for damages and injuries. Call our offices today at (818) 886-6600 for a free consultation.

Source:http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_13889126?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com