Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

The Chicago Tribune recently turned a spotlight on the current debate in the state of Illinois regarding the prevalence of brain injuries—typically concussions—that affect many young area athletes.

The issue has received widespread attention lately following many high-profile examples of the consequences of repeated brain injuries. One doctor explained an important issue in the debate, goal, noting that “The key to concussions is early diagnosis. If you run right back to your sport or a lot of physical activity or your normal life, like schoolwork and stuff, that’s like a big second stress on the brain.”

Unfortunately, many athletes feel pressure from a variety of sources to return to a game as soon as possible after suffering one of these injuries. The failure to receive proper rest places burden on the injury and harms the recovery.

Blog readers are aware that the Illinois General Assembly is considering new regulations that would seek to limit the prevalence of these injuries. The bill proposes various education and awareness efforts to place the issue higher on the priority list for athletes, coaches, and parents. This legislation coincides with some helmet manufacturers efforts to improve safety. Many of the companies have come under pressure for inadequate designs that have knowingly led to far more brain injuries than should occur with proper helmet creation. Some Illinois brain injury lawsuits have been filed against those manufacturers for problems which often heave deadly consequences.

Continue reading " Illinois Brain Injuries Continue to Affect Student Athletes " »

March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. As the month comes to an end, the Miami Herald published an article from a local high school student-athlete who had suffered a sports related brain injury.

The 16 year old sophomore suffered a concussion after a head to head collision with a fellow soccer player. This was not the sophomore’s first brain injury. The sophomore reported having three concussions in four years; all of which occurred while playing high school soccer.

Each year, nearly 140,000 high school athletes suffer a sports-related concussion. Several states are looking to pass laws to help prevent sport related brain injuries in high school student athletes. In Illinois, pending legislation is looking to provide education and awareness for athletes, coaches, and parents. Although student-athletes need parental consent before competing, few Illinois schools have policies informing student-athletes and parents of the nature and risk of head injuries.

Other states are trying to introduce similar bills. Some states even want a policy requiring players who sustain a suspected head injury to be immediately suspended from play until they receive clearance from a qualified medical professional. In Illinois, steps are being taken in Springfield to improve safety regulations for helmet manufacturers. To learn more about Illinois brain injuries, follow the link.

In the article, the sophomore regrets not seeking medical treatment sooner for his brain injuries. The sophomore complained of constant headaches that interfered with his academics. He also suffered from depression after doctors told him he would never be able to play soccer again. Although the student-athlete’s symptoms have improved and he has been able to return to soccer, he has to wear a rugby helmet during games.

According to the article, more than 40 percent of high school athletes return to play before they are fully recovered because schools, coaches, parents and players are not adequately educated on head injuries. In fact, brain injuries have been called the “silent epidemic” because few people are aware that they represent a serious health problem in the United States. Click on the link to read the full article about head injuries.

Continue reading " Illinois celebrates National Brain Injury Awareness Month " »

A brain injury lawyer has recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bret Michaels, former member of the rock group Poison. Michaels was struck in the face at the Tony Awards in June of 2009 when a piece of the set fell and knocked him over. According to the examiner.com, Michaels suffered a brain hemorrhage months after this incident. Michaels is seeking an unspecified amount of damages at this time.

The lawsuit alleges that the brain injury Michaels suffered as a result of the falling set subsequently led to his brain hemorrhage. A brain hemorrhage, or cerebral hemorrhage, is a type of stroke that occurs when an artery in the brain bursts and causes localized bleeding in the surrounding tissues.

Our Chicago brain injury attorneys have handled similar lawsuits in the past and are familiar with the causes associated with such an injury. Bleeding in the brain may result from a multitude of factors such as high blood pressure, aneurysms, blood vessel abnormalities, blood disorders, liver disease, and head tumors. For individuals under the age of 50, the most common cause of bleeding in the brain is head trauma. This type of bleeding destroys brain cells.

There are numerous symptoms associated with cerebral hemorrhages. Sudden sever headaches, weakness in the arms of legs, changes in vision, loss of balance, loss of motor skills and difficulty swallowing are all signs of this life threatening condition.

Continue reading " Bret Michaels files brain injury lawsuit following incident at Tony Awards " »

The Madison-St. Clair Record reported last week on a medical malpractice lawsuit that was filed on behalf of a woman who died following questionable treatment by several doctors at two hospitals—St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and Belleville Family Medical Associates.

According to the details of the wrongful death lawsuit, the victim arrived at St. Francis in February of 2009 with severe neck pain. The victim had a history of diabetes and renal failure, but the doctor who saw her discharged her shortly after her arrival. Several days later the victim was back at the hospital after calling an ambulance with a string of problems including full body pain, abnormal vital signs, hyperventilation, and an inability to take fluids. She was also quickly discharged after this second visit.

The same day that she was discharged the woman visited her primary care physician at Belleville—however, she merely prescribed her pain medicine and sent her away. The next day the victim had received no improvement and went back to the hospital. It was only then that doctors discovered that she was suffering from pneumonia. The condition interfered with her oxygen flow—providing insufficient oxygen to her brain. She soon suffered an anoxic brain injury, sending her into a vegetative state.

The woman was placed on hospice care and died shortly after.

The grieving husband eventually filed this brain injury lawsuit against the negligent medical professionals who failed to take appropriate action after the repeated attempts by the women to explain her serious symptoms. Specifically, the suit cites the facility’s failure to notice the significance of the symptoms, run appropriate tests, and adequately diagnose her condition.

Continue reading " Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed After Illinois-Area Brain Injury " »

As we have often discussed on this blog, each day children are born with the often debilitating muscle disorder known as cerebral palsy. Sadly, many of those infants could have avoided acquiring the birth injury if only the medical professionals involved in their delivery would have acted consistent with recognized medical standards.

Cerebral palsy is a muscle disorder—affecting muscle tone, posture, and movement. Signs of the problem appear very early on in an infant’s life. There remain varieties of possible causes, but several of those causes original during childbirth itself. Far too often medical practitioners use inadequate procedures, causing a child to develop cerebral palsy.

That appears to be the case in a new brain injury lawsuit that was recently reported on in the St. Petersburg Times. A family is suing the Bayfront Medical Center after their infant was born blind and with cerebral palsy. According to the suit, the doctors used a device known as a vacuum extractor to essentially pull the young child out of the mother’s womb. The use of the device caused the young boy hemorrhage—leading to the brain injury and resulting medical disabilities. The family is claiming that the child should have instead been born through a Cesarean section, which would have prevented the injury.

The vacuum extractor is a device first used in the 1950s. Its use has decreased over the years, as many feel it presents unnecessary risk of complications. Its use is particularly dangerous to use the device on pre-term infants (as was the case in this suit). The nurses at the hospital were aware of this extra risk, but they failed to do anything to stop the vacuum being used.

Continue reading " Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit Filed After Child Born with Cerebral Palsy " »

The Illinois General Assembly is considering legislation aimed at a problem often under the radar screen—sport-acquired concussions. The all-too-common brain injuries are dangerous for any number of reasons, including the fact that they often strike our community’s youth.

According to the Kane County Chronicle, a hearing was recently held regarding proposed legislation that would create uniform head-injury policies throughout the Illinois High School Association. In addition the bill proposes education efforts aimed at raising awareness of the concussion problem with student-athletes, coaches, and parents.

Of course, football remains the most dangerous sport for brain injuries. The head-to-head contact frequently sends young players to the hospital with a variety of brain concerns. Besides one-time brain problems, the repeated contact also has slow, long-term health effects for many young athletes. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a disorder that is caused by repeated brain injuries—it involves the buildup of proteins at the center of the brain.

This legislation coincides with some helmet manufacturers efforts to improve safety. Many of the companies have come under pressure for inadequate designs that have knowingly led to far more brain injuries than should occur with proper helmet creation. Some Illinois brain injury lawsuits have been filed against those manufacturers for problems which often heave deadly consequences.

Continue reading " Illinois Brain Injury Legislation Under Consideration " »

Cerebral palsy remains a disorder that most only learn about after it strikes in their family. Once it becomes a personal reality the victims often scramble to discover more information about cerebral palsy and understand how it strikes. As with most medical issues, the Mayo Clinic provides a succinct, worthwhile initial foray into the character and cause of cerebral palsy.

What It Is
Cerebral palsy is a muscle disorder—affecting muscle tone, posture, and movement. Signs of the problem appear very early on in an infant’s life. Those symptoms most notably include limb rigidity, exaggerated reflexes, posture problems, involuntary movements, and trouble walking. Besides the physical problems, cerebral palsy suffers also experience intellectual problems, have vision and hearing issues, and seizures.

The disabilities associated with cerebral palsy affect each victim to different degrees. For some, the problems are only associated with one limb or one side of the body. For others the entire body is affected. The specific symptoms do not become worse over time. However, if not properly treated, the muscle issues can lead to complications, creating the appearance of an aggravation of the problem.

Causes
Most generally, cerebral palsy is caused by abnormalities or sudden problems in brain development. This typically occurs while the child is still in the womb or immediately before birth. Experts have identified a variety of causes that may lead to the disorder. These include: random gene mutations in the brain, maternal infection while pregnant, disruption in blood supply to a fetus, brain asphyxia during delivery leading to lack of oxygen, and traumatic head injury shortly after birth.

Several of those possible causes occur during childbirth, making it vital that medical professionals ensure that all proper steps are taken at that time to limit complications. Far too often, those medical practitioners fail to take action that they should, causing a child to develop cerebral palsy.

Continue reading " Cerebral Palsy Primer: What It Is & When It Arises " »

According to the Seattle Times, the county paid a $4.5 million brain injury settlement to a woman who suffered brain injuries after a city bus struck her. This settlement came only two weeks before the scheduled trial.

The victim was crossing the street when a Metro bus mirror hit her. The county admitted its negligence in the matter. According to the woman’s personal injury attorney, the woman was crossing in a crosswalk and the bus driver did not adequately watch for pedestrians.

As a result of the accident, the woman suffered personal injuries, including a brain injury and a shattered arm. It is unlikely that the woman will regain her prior mental capabilities, and therefore, she lost her job as a staff attorney. The settlement will go towards paying for her medical care expenses and lost wages.

In 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), 4,092 pedestrians were killed in United States in traffic crashes. Additionally, roughly, 59,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes. On average, a pedestrian was fatally injured every two hours and injured every nine minutes in these accidents.

Pedestrian accidents, such as the one described above, are often the result of another’s reckless or negligent actions. An attorney can help a victim assess whether a party’s negligence caused the accident and subsequent injuries. For example, according to the NHTSA, drivers are required to yield to pedestrians in marked crossing areas, and even unmarked crosswalks in most circumstances.

Continue reading " Pedestrian accident results in $4.5 million settlement for a woman who suffered brain injuries " »