Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

Target has announced a product recall to remove roughly 350,000 woven toy chests that are potentially hazardous to children. According to the New York Times, the recall comes after an 18-month-old child suffered a traumatic brain injury after her neck was entrapped by the lid of the chest. When the lid fell on her neck, it cut off oxygen to her brain, which led to severe brain damage.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission website reports that the product poses a strangulation threat among small children who may reach into the chest for toys or other items. The lid is prone to dropping suddenly which can entrap a child's head and neck and cut off oxygen to his or her brain. The CPSC website reports that the recall covers 14 models sold between February 2009 and April of this year. If you own one of these models, the CPSC and Target recommend that you stop using the chest immediately and return it to a Target store for a refund. To learn more about this product recall, click the link.

When defective products cause serious injury to children and adults, it is crucial that consumers are notified and these products are recalled. The CPSC works hard to protect consumers by pulling products from the marketplace. However, sometimes it takes legal action to motivate manufacturers to remove dangerous products from the marketplace or make safer products. Our team of product liability lawyers strive to make sure that negligent manufacturers are held accountable when their products cause people to suffer significant personal injuries or death. If you believe that you or a loved one has been harmed as a result of a defective or dangerous product, we can work with you to hold manufacturers responsible. Contact us online to speak with an experienced Chicago injury lawyer about your potential claim.

Warm weather is just around the corner, and with it, plenty of children wanting to take out their bicycles. But before letting their children go for a ride around the neighborhood, parents should take easy precautions to make sure their children stay safe and do not suffer a serious head injury. The Children’s Safety Network notes that 196 children under the age of 15 die each year as a result of bicycle-related brain injuries, about 8,900 are hospitalized, and 344,000 are treated and released from emergency departments.

Prevention starts with simply wearing a bicycle helmet. Although parents report that 85% of children who own bicycle helmets wear them, only about 15% of children aged 14 and younger wear helmets.

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute also notes that using a bicycle helmet significantly reduces the risk of a serious head injury as well. Wearing a bicycle helmet prevents 52% to 60% of bicycle-related head injury deaths and also prevents 68% to 85% of nonfatal head and scalp injuries. These head injuries can be very severe. Serious head injuries as a result of bicycle accident can include permanent disabilities affecting a child’s ability to work once they become an adult and can also result in life-long medical treatment and expenses.

Sometimes the impact on a child’s life is so severe that a lawsuit might be necessary to recover expenses paid to treat a child’s head or brain injury and save their life, or to recover expenses incurred when a child or adult dies as a result of a bicycle-related accident. The Illinois personal injury attorneysat Levin & Perconti have experience representing those injured in bicycle accidents as a result of the negligence of a vehicle’s driver. For example, our Chicago wrongful death lawyers reached a $2.3 million settlement on behalf of a bicyclist who was killed when a driver crossed the center of the road and hit the bicyclist. Through our experience, we have come to see the devastating affects that bicycle accidents can have on an individual or family. We strongly encourage readers to always wear a properly-fitted helmet when biking. Additionally, we suggest that before you hit the road this Spring, you review Illinois bicycle laws so that you understand how to operate your bicycle safely on Illinois streets, roads and bike trails.

An eighteen month old girl is now in a persistent vegetative state after becoming trapped in a trunk marketed as a toy chest after the lid slammed shut on her. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the girl’s parents filed a products liability lawsuit because the store sold the trunk knowing the trunk was dangerous for children because the trunk’s lid could suddenly collapse. The girl’s head and neck became trapped in the trunk after the lid suddenly fell, causing her to suffer an anoxic brain injury. Anoxic brain injury occurs when there is an absence of oxygen in the brain, such as by prolonged suffocation, and the lack of oxygen causes brain cells to die. This serious brain injury can result in spastic quadriplegia, mental retardation and loss of speaking skills.

The Courthouse News Service explains that Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) statistics show that at least 45 children had already died or suffered serious brain injuries as a result of the trunk lid falling on their heads or necks or trapping children inside. The CPSC is a government agency that has proposed standards to protect children from dangerous products and prevent these brain injury incidents from occurring. If a product marketed for toy storage does not have lid support, the CPSC states that a label should be placed inside the lid warning of the dangers of suffocation.

Lawsuits are an effective way to tell manufacturers and retailers that their unsafe and unreasonably dangerous products will not be tolerated by consumers. Our Chicago personal injury attorneys encourage families to visit the CPSC website for updates on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from serious injury or death. If you have been a victim of brain injury caused by a defective product, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your injury or loss. Fill out our online contact form and one of our experienced lawyers will respond to you soon.

An 11-year-old Canadian girl died recently in a skiing accident. Though she was wearing a helmet, the protective device failed to prevent her from sustaining a serious brain injury. Her death highlight the need for parents to be vigilant about choosing the proper helmet when their children go skiing, biking or play sports such as hockey or football. Helmets should fit properly and parents should fit their growing children every year to ensure an appropriate fit. The article covering the girl’s death calls on the Canadian government to enact standards for all helmets to ensure safety in both children and adults. In the U.S., the CPSC has developed standards for bicycling helmets to prevent personal injuries such as traumatic brain injuries and groups such as the ASTM recommend helmets for skiing. To read the full account of the brain injury death that sparked the discussion of ski helmet standards in Canada, follow the link.

Professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce endured a serious fall while training and now lies with a severe brain injury in critical care. His dreams of competing in the halfpipe seem gone, and his family is keeping vigil. He was working on a version of the “double cork” which is a twisting double back flip when he caught an edge and hit the icy pipe with his forehead. Kevin was knocked unconscious even though he was wearing a helmet. He had to be airlifted to the hospital where doctors told his family that he had sustained “a severe traumatic brain injury.” He needed to be intubated and was kept sedated. Doctors say that he is improving and is slowly regaining consciousness. They believe that he is improving faster than anticipated yet there is still a long recovery that lay ahead. To learn about the initial fall, please check out this link. To read about his updated recovery, please click the link.

A city council has agreed to pay $2.2 million to the family of a 14-year-old girl who was chocked by playground equipment. The 11-year-old girl was found unconscious hanging by the neck from a rope tied to a playground ride. She suffered an irreversible brain injury and remains in a vegetative state. The girls sued the police department because its officer who responded to the incident concluded that the victim was dead and did not attempt to resuscitate her or remove her from the rope. Instead the officer, after determining the girl had no pulse, began taking pictures of her as she was hanging by her neck. He then directed medical first responders not to disturb what he thought was a crime scene. The girl’s lawyers argued that these actions prevented her from being resuscitated for six to eight minutes until the paramedics arrived at the apartment. The delay made her brain injury much worse than it might have been. The parents will receive part of the brain injury settlement, but the largest portion will go to the victim’s special needs trust. The girl had suffered permanent brain damage and requires 24-hour medical care and lives in a skilled nursing facility. Her doctor estimated that she will live about 16 more years. To read more about the brain injury settlement, please click the link.

A school district has settled a brain injury lawsuit filed by a former student who was injured when he leaped from a file cabinet at the teacher’s request. The district will pay $700,000 to the injured student. The brain injury lawsuit alleges that the student jumped from atop the cabinet to grab an exposed beam in the ceiling at the encouragement of his teacher. The student jumped to get something from an exposed I-beam, missed and hit his head on the ground. He suffered a concussive brain injury and now suffers chronic headaches that affect his short-term memory and ability to concentrate. The brain injury lawsuit contended that the victim suffered permanent damage and required an individualized education plan to continue his schooling. To read more about the brain injury settlement, please click the link.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, a nine-year-old boy received an $11.1 million jury verdict for the brain damage he sustained as a result of medical malpractice by a hospital. When the boy was 3 months old, his mother took him to the hospital several days after he began vomiting and was having diarrhea. Hospital staff sent the mother and child home, but the following day she rushed him back to the hospital because he was barely breathing. During his first visit, the hospital failed to diagnose or treat his severe dehydration and as a result the boy suffered significant brain damage. To read more about this brain injury verdict, follow the link.

Pathways, a new film by Brandon and Tiffany Verzal, records the trials and tribulations of several patients in their struggle to recover from traumatic brain injuries. The 75-minute documentary sheds light on the extensive and grueling rehabilitation process. It focuses on the lives of four patients of varying ages, including their two year-old daughter, Alexis, who suffered a severe brain injury at a daycare. Her injury is consistent with shaken baby syndrome and authorities believe that Alexis may have been thrown by her day care provider, who begins trial next month.

The film premiers this week and is set to hit the film festival circuit.

Click the following link to the article in the Lincoln Journal Star for more information on Alexis, her family, their struggle to recover from traumatic brain injury, and this enlightening new documentary.

In March of 2007 a young freshman in High School was tossing batting practice when a stray line drive found its way around a protective screen and struck the boy. He incurred a brain injury called expressive aphasia, leaving him with symptoms similar to a stroke victim. He had difficulty speaking and walking for a time. However, after 10 months he was back on the varsity boys’ team. Today you wouldn’t even now that he had suffered a traumatic brain injury. He worked hard and recovered from the brain injury. This case highlights the number of sports injuries that result in traumatic brain injuries. To read more about the brain recovery, please click the link.

One star high-school athlete experienced three separate concussions last year and has been side-lined because of the head injuries. A concussion specialist recommended that he be benched for the rest of his academic year to allow his brain time to fully heal. His tale is one for all parents, to be cautionary of missed signs of brain injury. No one realized the extent of his brain injury’s while he was playing, for if they had he would not have been allowed to continue to play until his brain was properly rested. They now believe he has suffered second impact syndrome. This occurs when the brain swells rapidly before the symptoms from an earlier concussion have subsided. This can be a potentially life-threatening condition. His parents now want others to know of the dangers of allowing young athletes to continue playing after receiving a serious hit to the head. Sometimes a CAT Scan can’t even detect a concussion. Some high schools require mandatory ImPACT tests after head injuries. To read more about brain injuries in sports, please click the link.

Last week, a jury awarded a verdict of $7.4 million to a child who suffered permanent brain damage as a result of a hospital’s failure to treat an infection that eventually developed into meningitis.

The child was only one month old when she began showing symptoms of an infection at the hospital. Rather then administering antibiotics at the first signs of the infection, the doctors in the neonatal intensive care unit delayed treatment for eight hours, causing the infection to worsen. As a result of this negligence, the infection eventually progressed into meningitis which, in turn, lead to the child suffering brain damage.

The child has since been fitted with a permanent shunt to drain excess fluid from her brain and prevent the buildup of intracranial pressure, which could cause further brain damage. Now, at the age of five, she requires both physical and behavioral therapy.

For more on this hospital’s failure to treat the infection, click here.

A junior in high school who suffered a brain injury during a football game is still in critical condition. The young man received the brain injury as a result of helmet-to-helmet contact. There was no damage to the player’s neck or spinal cord. The victim underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain and doctors are trying to keep the player as stable as possible. Football can be a dangerous sport that may result in brain injury. If you or a loved one has experienced a sports related brain injury, find an Illinois lawyer. To read more about the brain injury, please click the link.

Two Illinois parents were accused of killing their baby. The baby suffered what is believed to be a serious brain injury. The brain injury was caused by shaking the child. The parents are being brought on charges of first degree murder. The evidence also shows the child has had a history of brain injuries. To read more about this child’s traumatic brain injury, click here.

A 9 month old child was killed when he suffered a brain injury. Police believe the brain injury was caused by one of his relatives. The police brought the man into custody and was arrested for child abuse resulting in death. The child was found in a dumpster with a serious closed brain injury which resulted in a hemorrhage of the brain. To read more of this article “Brain Injury Kills Infant Child” click here.

60 of the top medical professionals in America came together to draft the first ever National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan (PABI). PABI is working with the Sarah Jane Brain Project to help prevent and inform individual about children with Brain Injuries. President of the North American Brain Injury Society, Dr. Savage said that brain injuries are the largest killer and disabler of children and young adults; over one million children and young adults suffer brain injuries each year. Hospitals in each state will work together to address the issue; in Illinois, the University of Illinois at Chicago hospital was selected. To read the entire article click “Brain Injuries”

A recent university study examined the effects of brain injury in children. The study looked at how long the effects lasted and how they affected children as they grew older. After examining a number of traumatic brain injury studies, researchers found that children with brain injuries fell significantly further behind their peers than originally thought. They also discovered those children with the severe brain injuries had worse recovery outcomes than those with less serious injuries. According to the CDC, traumatic brain injuries are the most common cause of disability or death in children. Often, these injuries can be prevented by taking safety precautions before an accident occurs. Kids often are injured playing sports, on bikes, skiing or riding in a car without wearing a seat belt. Parents should stress helmet and seatbelt use to prevent traumatic brain injury. Read more about this brain injury study.

The Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of nearly 24,000 Fischer Price high chairs on Tuesday as they’ve been identified as at risk for children falling and suffering brain injuries. The chair in question is the Fischer Price 3 in 1 chair which also can be turned into a booster. This chair which is at risk for causing brain injuries was sold at exclusively in Target stores over the past year and retailed at nearly $100. To find out more information about this recall, please click here.

Among children under the age of 15, traumatic brain injuries cause roughly 2,500 deaths annually. Spotting the signs of a child suffering from a brain injury can be difficult. Symptoms can include, tiredness and listlessness, irritability and crankiness, changes in eating, changes in sleeping, changes in school performance, and loss of balance, to name a few. If you or someone you know may be suffering from a brain injury, contact Chicago Lawyers Levin & Perconti. To read more about brain injuries in children, please click here.

A 7 year old boy suffered a traumatic brain injury when the icicle he was standing under (catching water drops in his mouth) fell and struck him in the head. The boy is learning to walk again after suffering two skull fractures and brain damage. The boy is out of school for the rest of the year, but IS expected to make a full recovery. To read more about this boy’s tragic accident, please click here.

New studies have shown that up to 31 out of every 100,000 babies under the age of 1 year old suffer from some type of brain damage caused by shaken baby syndrome. The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome is distributing new materials aimed informing parents on the risks associated with shaking children and alternative measures to cope with inconsolable infant crying. For information on Chicago attorneys filing childrens brain injury lawsuits, please contact Levin & Perconti. To read more about this new campaign, please click here.

The mother of a 19 year old girl who suffered a heart attack after riding the rollercoaster “Tower of Terror” three years ago, is suing the Florida Disney-MGM amusement park. The daughter suffered extensive brain damage as a result of the heart attack and requires around the clock care. This brain injury lawsuit is based on the premise that Disney acted as a “common carrier” when transporting the girl on the ride, and thus are subject to more stringent liability than rollercoaster operators are usually held. As of this time, Disney has no comment on this brain injury suit. To read more about this Disney lawsuit, please click here.

Five children were infected with a bacterial infection known as Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type B. Three of the affected children, including the 7 month old child who died did not receive vaccinations. One in 20 children infected with Hib dies, and 10-30% of survivors have permanent brain damage.

For the full article.

A Chicago suburb hospital is forced to pay $6.5 million dollars for a child who suffered a brain injury under their treatment. The attending obstetrician and labor and delivery nurse “failed to respond to the baby’s low heart rate and reduced oxygen flow caused by the drug Pitocin” which resulted in the birth injury.

For the full story, click here.

Epilepsy is a neurological disease typified by recurring seizures and abnormal brain activity. 1 out of 100 people are affected by epilepsy, and it causes about 50,000 deaths per year. The seizures caused by epilepsy can cause traumatic brain injury, having effects such as developmental delays, depression, and even death. US soldiers in Iraq who suffer from traumatic brain injuries are at a great risk for developing epilepsy. Based on the severity of the condition and it’s prevalence in society, much more research is needed on the subject. For more information, click here.

An Illinois brain injury lawsuit filed on behalf of a 7 year-old Illinois boy who suffered a brain injury at birth has reached a $6.5 million settlement. The brain injury attorneys stated that a drug administered reduced oxygen flow to the boy’s brain, resulting in the brain injury.

For the full article.

An 11-year-old North Carolina boy was left with a permanent brain injury after doctors made numerous medical mistakes during his treatment. After falling from a tree, the boy received treatment riddled with instances of medical malpractice. After detecting a shoulder injury, the boy was given herapin, a blood thinner, to treat a blood clot in his shoulder. The boy’s brachial plexus nerves of his spinal cords had been damaged and that injury had gone unnoticed, and as a result, the herapin caused bleeding in the spinal cord. Additionally, a mass called a subdural hematoma was located in his skull and doctors placed a halo around his head to stabilize his spine. One of the four screws used to keep the halo in place was screwed in ¾ inch too far by a medical resident, which caused further bleeding in the brain. As a result, the child suffered a significant brain injury and will be forced to live with severe cognitive impairments, preventing him from ever living independently or holding a job. A jury ruled in favor of the boy in the medical malpractice lawsuit, awarding him over $10 million from the various defendants. For the full story, click here.

The 11 year-old boy who was injured in a car accident where the driver was an employee of the city police department and suffered brain damage will receive a $13 million settlement. The boy was in a brain trauma coma for a month and had 18 surgical procedures.

For the full article.

A pediatric neurosurgeon recently removed a tiny foot and other partially formed body parts in a newborn’s brain tumor. The baby was 3 days old and otherwise healthy. This type of brain injury is rare – doctors were unsure what caused it and opined it was a type of congenital brain tumor.

For the full article.

This holiday season, parents have to be wary of the toys they buy for their children. New lead standards will not take effect until February and stores may have toys on their shelves now that contain lead. Nearly a third of toys on shelves tested contained medium to high levels of dangerous chemicals that could cause brain injury.

For the full article.

Soon, a four-year old girl from New Zealand will undergo experimental treatment for her brain injury. The four-year old was born six weeks early with a birth injury and struggles to talk, walk properly, and chew her food without choking. More than fifty other children with brain injuries have been treated with this procedure. She will receive infusions of her own umbilical cord blood, which her parents stored at birth.

For the full article.

Two lawsuits have been filed on behalf of residents of a town who allege they developed brain tumors as a result of a nearby insulation factory dumping hazardous waste into the community. Testing on environmental samples collected in the area revealed the presence of arsenic and lead. In 1989, the factory, which closed over 20 years ago, was accused of burying containers of hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency says more testing is scheduled, including water sampling near the closed plant. The cases seek class-action status that if granted may allow thousands of people who live or have lived near the factory to receive damages. For the full story, click here.

A man accused of beating his stepdaughter so severely that she suffered a permanent brain injury testified recently that he never hit the daughter. He claims that the daughter injured herself. The prosecution claims that he and his late wife beat the 11-year old daughter into a brain injury coma in September 2005.

For the full article.

A brain injury program set to use positive reinforcement and education as a means of reinforcing the importance of helmet safety has been a success so far in helping to fight brain injury. Many children were caught wearing their helmuts and rewards were given.

For the full article.

A recent case issued distinguished the statute of limitations between medical malpractice and cases of medical malpractice where a child suffers brain damage or birth defect. A case in Nevada was dismissed for having passed its statute of limitations, but was reinstated when this distinction was made by the court.

For the full article.

The mother of a 15 year-old boy has filed a personal injury lawsuit. The 15 year-old was delivering flyers when he was allegedly attacked by a man. The personal injury lawsuit is asking for nearly $500,000 in damages. As a result of the attack, the boy suffered a head and brain injury that left him with visual, cognitive, speech, and language impairments.

The 15 year-old also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, fatigue, impaired fine motor dexterity, amnesia, memory problems, headaches, and insomnia. The injuries have left him with temporary total disability and permanent partial disability.

For the full article.

A brain injury lawsuit has followed an attack that a boy experienced while delivering flyers. According to the brain injury lawsuit, the 15 year-old was attacked by a man and suffered personal injuries. In addition to the brain injury sustained, he also suffered permanent partial disability and temporary total disability.

For the full article.

An 11 year-old’s parents have filed a brain injury lawsuit against a school district alleging negligence after the boy was repeatedly bullied at school. One last punch left the 11 year-old requiring brain surgery for brain injuries sustained.

The brain injury lawsuit contends that the boy has been left with lasting permanent and personal injuries including but not limited to headaches, short-term memory loss, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness. The brain injury lawsuit also alleges other symptoms typical to victims of brain injury, including a loss of fine motor skills.

For the full article.

A personal injury lawsuit has been filed by a young boy’s parents stemming from head injuries repeatedly sustained by the boy from students bullying him at school. The impact left the child requiring surgery for brain injuries. The personal injury lawsuit claims that the child suffers from fatigue, dizziness, nausea, headaches, short-term memory loss, and loss of fine motor skills.

For the full article.

Every day, six people drown in pools in the United States. Even though many of these pools are public and have certified life guards, drowning is still one of the top leading causes of accidental death in our country. If not death, drowning can result in serious brain injury and personal injuries. 30% of those who drown in public pools are children.

For the full article.

A Midwestern child recently returned home after suffering brain injury after he was found face-down in the family’s swimming pool. The 22-month-old was admitted into a hospital after the drowning. The child was put on a respirator and was in a comatose state with severe brain injury. At one point, doctors did not believe that the boy would survive. Although he is still in a coma, he was released from the hospital. He now requires round-the-clock care and medication. It may take a year or two for his brain to heal or he may continue to stay in his present state.

For the full article.

A baby was admitted to a hospital with brain injury and a skull fracture in addition to multiple broken bones. Last Thursday, the man whom police said caused those injuries was charged in court. He was charged with felonious assault and felony endangering children.

For the full article.

A young boy is left in a coma after suffering serious personal injuries following a boxing match at a public school. A personal injury lawsuit has been filed by the boy’s parents who will seek personal injury damages after their son was left with brain injuries following the match including a coma subdural hematoma injuries. The lawsuits plaintiffs, the boys parents have named several defendants. To see to full story click here.

A woman from Fairview Heights, Illinois collided with a Madison County ambulance in a 2005 automobile accident during which her one-month-old son sustained permanent head injuries. The woman has filed an Illinois personal injury lawsuit in which she is listed as a plaintiff acting on behalf of her infant son as well as an individual plaintiff. She, along with the Mission Care of Illinois ambulance driver, is also listed as a defendant. Her lawyer alleges that she failed to avoid an accident with the ambulance by not slowing down, stopping, or swerving. The attorney also claims that the ambulance driver was also careless and negligent.

Click here for the full article

A personal injury lawsuit has been filed against Advanced Micro Devices for failing to protect the woman from exposure to harmful chemicals that led to permanent birth defects in her son. The woman worked for AMD in a clean room where chips were fabricated in a facility in Texas. There, she was exposed to including ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate and 2-ethoxyethyl acetate. The lawsuit alleges that this toxic exposure in the workplace while she was pregnant was what caused her son to be born with cognitive defects and brain injury, as well as missing his lower right arm. AMD required its employees to undergo physicals, and it is through one of these physicals that the woman found out she was pregnant. However, even though the company knew of her pregnancy, neither the doctors it hired nor the company itself did anything to protect the woman or her unborn child. AMD and the doctors did not even warn her that her or her son’s health could be at risk.

Click here for the full article