Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

Last week The Telegraph reported on the end of an target="_blank"Illinois brain injury lawsuit where a plaintiff was ultimately awarded more the $2.3 million. The victim in this case had suffered his injury after being involved in a car accident in 2009. Automobile accidents and slips and falls are by far the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries like the one suffered by the victim in this case. When the accident or the fall was caused by the unsafe actions of another then it is often appropriate for civil lawsuits to be initiated so that the victims can recover for their losses.

For example, this brain injury lawsuit was filed because the victim’s car was hit by another car being driven by a pizza delivery man. The 26-year old victim was a passenger in a van in Edwardsville in Southern Illinois when the van in which he was riding was hit head on by the young man delivering pizzas. According to information that came out during the trial, the delivery driver was headed eastbound on a local road. He was driving far too fast and was on a cell phone. His speed and distraction meant that when a car in front of him stopped quickly, the delivery driver was forced to swerve into the westbound lane to avoid rear-ending it. However, when he swerved into the westbound lanes, his car hit the van head-on. As a result, a boxed vacuum cleaner in the van slammed into the victim’s head, causing the traumatic brain injury. The victim ultimately required hospitalization, surgery, and extensive rehabilitation. While he has made progress, the man’s brain injury lawyers explained that he will never fully recover.

The subsequent brain injury lawsuit included a few unique legal issues. For one thing, there was significant disagreement about who was responsible. The driver in an individual capacity was clearly at fault. In addition, because the man was on duty at the time both the owner of the pizza place and the company which franchise the pizza service were also named defendants. In the end the jury found that the franchising company was 30% at fault and the individual owners were 70% responsible for the accident.

The pizza owners and franchising company were cited for negligence beyond that required because the delivery man was an agent of the company at the time of the accident (a principle known as respondeat superior). Instead, the plaintiff alleged that independent actions of the companies were independent acts of negligence. In arguing that the companies were liable, the attorneys involved explained that the policies of the companies contributed to the accident. Specifically, evidence showed the payments to the drivers were based on how quickly they could deliver the pizza. They needed to deliver two pizzas in an hour just to make minimum wage. Those financial incentives contributed to the reckless driving of the delivery man and ultimately in causing the accident in question. As one of the lawyers explained, the companies, “created an environment with its franchisees that put timely delivery of food products ahead of public safety.” The law requires these large companies to be held accountable for these actions.

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Many local residents who have suffered Illinois brain injuries have explained that the consequences of the injury are mysterious, long-lasting, and stressful. Every brain injury is a bit different, but they all usually affect its victims in ways that make their own lives and the lives of their families much more complicated. To deal with the injury and its aftermath, it is very important for victims to have access to support services that they need filled with individuals who understand what they are going through. Yet, access to those services is actually harder to obtain than many might first suspect.

That is why one local mother it taking things into her own hands. According to Commercial News, the Danville woman first learned about the life-changing effects of brain injuries ten years ago when she and her son were involved in a car accident. The mother was taking her son to school on that fateful day ten years ago in early January when her car skid on black ice, she lost control and the vehicle careened off the road and into a tree. The son in the backseat suffered significant facial and head injuries. CT scans of the boy’s head revealed early on that he had suffered significant head trauma. He ultimately required five months of intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

The family soon discovered that the damage done to the boy’s head had dramatic changes on his life—his personality, emotions, behavior and judgment we all altered. Many victims will have symptoms for the rest of their life. For example, the boy in this case—now a recent high school graduate—will have problems showing appropriate emotions, has impulsiveness issues, cannot work with numbers, and can become overwhelmed with overstimulation.

As the mother explained, brain injuries cannot be seen by the naked eye, so it is sometimes hard to understand exactly what a victim is dealing with. The effects on the victim’s family are also underappreciated. The mother in this case was actually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after the accident. She explains that she still feels guilty about the accident, even though there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. The victim’s mother explains her own life was forever changed in the aftermath. Yet, she is working to help others deal with the stress of these situations. She is sponsoring a support group for caregivers of traumatic brain injury victims.

Continue reading "Local Mother Starts Illinois Brain Injury Support Group" »

Unfortunately, when a civil lawsuit is filed, sometimes defendants do everything in their power to prevent the plaintiff from even being allowed to explain their story to a judge or jury. Instead, as any Illinois brain injury lawyer knows, many tactics are used to delay the process and get a case thrown out of court before it actually goes to trial. One way that is done is by getting a claim thrown out of court claiming that the theory under which a case is based can never lead to recovery. In each civil case there are certain elements that a plaintiff must prove. However, if the plaintiff fails to even mention one of those elements, for example, then the case should not get to the jury. Yet, many defendants and their lawyers often try to convince a judge that a claim made by a plaintiff was insufficient, even though the basic elements and standards are met. From the defendant’s perspective there is often little to lose by trying to get a judge to throw out the case, even if there is little chance that he will.

Occasionally, a judge will dismiss a case, even with merit, based upon mistaken beliefs about the law. Often this means the end for a lawsuit, but sometimes those rulings are appealed to a higher court and reversed. That is what happened in a brain injury case recently reported on by the Bellingham Herald. In this case, a woman filed a brain injury lawsuit after she suffered a diabetic reaction while driving. She was injured, but she claims doctors who assisted her following the injury failed to take steps that should have been taken which diminished her chance of recovery.

According to documents filed with the court, the woman was discharged from the hospital even though she couldn’t even walk by herself to the car and had to be carried to bed once she arrived there. She was not given any treatment information or instructions about head injuries. It wasn’t until that following day that her husband brought her back to the hospital, because she was lethargic. An MRI was taken which proved that she had a stroke. The woman’s two sons, who are both medical doctors, worked for hours trying to have a CT angiogram performed. When it was finally done, it was discovered that the woman had a dissected carotid artery. Even then, the suit claims that there was insufficient treatment provided to the woman whose family eventually had her transferred to a different facility.

The brain injury lawsuit that was filed after the event accuses the doctors and medical facility involved with failing to timely diagnose her problem or provide timely treatment. According to the suit the woman’s chance of recovery was diminished by at least 50 to 60 percent because of the problems. She may have had no disability or at least significantly less disability if that were the case. Originally, the trial court decided that this “diminished chance of recovery” claim was insufficient under the law. However, the case was appealed up to the highest court in the state which ultimately found otherwise. They noted that a jury could find the requisite elements of a proper claim were met based upon the information provided in the lawsuit.

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Our Chicago brain injury attorneys recently learned about a settlement in a case in which a law student filed a brain injury lawsuit against the city of Tucson, after the student suffered severe injuries when they were struck by a car. The brain injury lawsuit alleged that the victim was riding her bike across her campus when a car that was turning at an intersection struck her. The victim suffered severe physical injuries from the hit and suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the injuries. While the driver of the car was responsible for hitting the bike rider, the city is being sued because of the design of the intersection where the accident occurred. According to AZ Star Net, the complaint alleges that the intersection was nearly 80 years old and is not of the design that intersections are typically designed today. The intersection has a very sharp angle, which makes it very difficult to see pedestrians and bike riders when driving or turning at the intersection. The victim of the accident believed that it was because of the design of the intersection that the car accident occurred, and not just because of the negligence of the driver of the car.

The brain injury lawsuit was just recently settled in favor of the law student that suffered from brain injuries for $675,000. The amount of damages seeks to cover the brain injury victim’s medical expenses, both past and present, any other bills associated with the car accident and the injury, as well as attempts to offer some compensation to the brain injury victim for all of the pain and suffering that she has had to deal with because of the injury. Many plaintiffs also seek pain and suffering compensation to try to offer the victim compensation for what they now have to deal with permanently as a result of the negligence of another.

In this case, as well as in many personal injury lawsuits, there is not just one person to blame for the accident. It is likely that the combination of the design of the intersection, as well as the lack of attention on the part of the driver of the car that struck the victim, were both responsible for the car accident. When more than one person is responsible for one’s personal injuries, the victim may be able to sue the multiple parties for damages in connection with the accident. If you were injured in an accident where the city may have been responsible for what caused your injury, you may be able to sue the city for your personal injury.

If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury and you feel that it was due to the negligence of another person or other people, please contact our Illinois personal injury law firm today. Our Chicago personal injury attorneys have helped clients all over Illinois receive millions of dollars in damages in connection with their brain injury cases. We are here to talk to you about what has happened to you to cause your injury and to talk to you about what next steps are available.

Our Illinois brain injury attorneys recently read that Warner Brothers production studios had a brain injury lawsuit filed against them by a stunt double who was cast in their movie, Hangover 2. The personal injury lawsuit alleges that the stunt double was riding in a truck that was moving very fast, while they were filming a scene for the movie, and another car crashed in to the truck that the stunt double was riding in. The reason that the victim alleges negligence on the part of the production company is that the victim believes that the stunt called for the car to be moving at a speed that was too fast to be safe for the stunt double to have to ride in the car. The lawsuit alleges that had the company set a lower speed for the car to be moving at, that the victim would not have suffered the severe brain injuries that he did as a result of the car accident.

The stunt double suffered the injury back in December of 2010 and is said to have been in a hospital or rehabilitation center in Thailand (where the movie was being filmed) ever since the accident first occurred. The brain injury lawsuit seeks damages for the stunt double’s medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, and for expected costs for treatment that will be necessary because of the extensive level of his head and brain injuries. The personal injury lawsuit also seeks money damages on behalf of the stunt double’s domestic partner, because she has remained in Thailand since his injury to be with him and to take care of him, and has been unable to work.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the brain injury has left the stunt double with brain trauma, with speech impediments, with multiple seizures, and with physical injuries. Given the extent of these severe head injuries, and that the damage is still very present nine months after the accident, the brain injury lawsuit seeks damages for continual care for the victim. While the lawsuit was just recently filed, and no definite numbers have been released in terms of the damages that the victim and his domestic partner are seeking, the production company has stated that they are offering their support and want to work together with the plaintiffs to try to solve any of the issues that the plaintiffs have with the production company.

Often times employees are injured while they are on the job, due to negligence on the part of their employer. Employers have a duty to make sure that their employees are working in a safe environment, and a duty to protect them from known dangers that the employee may encounter while working. When an employer is negligent and places the employee in a position where the employee has to do something that is dangerous and then the employee is injured, the employer will likely be found liable for causing the employee’s personal injuries. Our Chicago based personal injury law firm has helped clients all over Illinois that were injured as a result of their employer’s negligence and our Chicago brain injury attorneys are here to hear your story and discuss with you what options are available.

Our Chicago brain injury attorneys just learned about a lawsuit in which a woman has sued the car company that manufactured the car she was driving when she got into an accident that left her with a brain injury. According to the brain injury lawsuit, the woman was driving her car the posted speed limit and was wearing her seat belt on a rainy evening, when another driver lost control of their vehicle and slammed into the woman’s car. While the car accident itself was caused by the other driver that slammed into the woman’s car, the brain injury lawsuit alleges that due to the car company’s negligence and design defects, the car did not properly protect the woman driver after the driver slammed into the woman’s car.

The brain injury lawsuit alleges that the woman’s car airbag did deploy, but that the design of the airbag and protection to the driver was insufficient to fully protect her in an accident. The woman’s head struck the side of the car and she suffered brain damage as a result of this hit. According to The Southeast Texas Record, the reason the lawsuit is against the car company is that the woman believes that the overall design of the car was negligently designed and manufactured and that because of this improper design, the woman suffered from the brain injury. The lawsuit seeks damages not only for the medical bills associated with the head injury but also for the woman’s pain and suffering and the mental damage that occurred due to the car’s design.

This type of brain injury lawsuit is a good example of how many accidents and brain injuries are not just the result of one person’s negligence or actions, but may be the combined result of several people’s actions. When your personal injuries are caused by several people, a personal injury lawsuit based on negligence may be able to be filed against all people that are responsible. In this case, the woman driver may have also sued the driver of the car that hit her for the driver’s negligence in failing to keep a proper lookout or failure to control his vehicle.

Sometimes when a person is injured in an accident that was caused by another person’s negligence, the victim unfortunately may be further injured when treated for their injury if the doctor or hospital staff acts negligently. If you or a loved one were involved in an accident that left you with a brain injury, and there were multiple people who were responsible for the full extent of your injuries, there may be multiple people who should be sued to recover damages for what you have suffered as a result of their negligent actions. Our personal injury law firm has helped out victims all over the state of Illinois figure out what options the victim has available to them and what steps need to be taken. Please call our brain injury attorneys today to discuss what has happened to you or to your loved one and to see what options are available to you.

A lawsuit was recently filed after a police officer ran an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) into two pedestrians that were walking along the beach in Florida, one of which suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the accident. Our Chicago brain injury attorneys found this lawsuit particularly interesting because the lawsuit alleges that the police officer responsible was on-duty at the time of the accident and had been served alcohol all night at a local hotel. According to Fox News, the lawsuit names both the hotel and the officer as defendants and the lawsuit was filed on behalf of the victim who is still in serious condition and is likely to require years of rehabilitation.

The police department fired the cop responsible for the accident immediately following the accident and the officer also faces criminal charges for driving under the influence as his blood alcohol count was reported to over the legal driving limit for Florida even five hours after the accident. The police department also stated that they will look into whether police officers are being served while on duty regularly and try to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. The lawsuit also alleges that the hotel that was named as defendant was known to serve on duty police officers. The hotel will not discuss the lawsuit other than to say that they did not serve any alcohol to the officer while he was on duty that night. The representative of the victim says that they plan to sue the City of Miami Beach as well, but state law requires a six month waiting period to sue the city so that lawsuit has not yet been filed.

One victim of the accident suffered only minor physical injuries, but the woman who the lawsuit is filed on behalf of suffered physical injuries as well as a traumatic brain injury. The brain injury has left her with memory loss, trouble concentrating, partial paralysis and difficulty speaking. These types of injuries are common with a brain injury, and often require years and years of painful recovery and can end up costing millions in damages. Since our brains control who we are, brain injuries can often be as devastating long term, and sometimes even more devastating, to a family than physical injuries because they can change the personality of the person injured. Given how much a brain injury can affect the victim permanently and affect their family, damages other than just medical costs associated with the accident are often sought to try to help and compensate for all that has been lost. In this accident, the victim is the mother of a one year old baby and it is unknown when she will be able to care for the baby again.

Unfortunately, this is an example of a brain injury lawsuit caused by a careless accident that could easily have been avoided, which is often the case when someone chooses to act negligently and ends up seriously injuring another. Our Chicago personal injury law firm has helped out people all over the state of Illinois recover damages for injuries caused by the negligence of others, and not only for their medical costs but also for pain and suffering and lost wages and other damages resulting from the accident. If you or a loved one have suffered a brain injury as a result of the negligence of another, please contact us immediately to discuss your options.

According to PRWeb, a jury verdict awarded $12.2 million in damages to Emily Liou, a San Mateo County 17 year old who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car-pedestrian accident. The accident occurred on March 28, 2006, as Emily was walking home. She had just left her friends after singing Karaoke. As she was crossing El Camino Real in a marked crosswalk, a woman with her child driving a Toyota sedan, struck Emily knocking her to the ground. The resulting injuries left Emily in a permanent vegetative state.

According to her attorney, “Emily was struck in a marked crosswalk located at the crest of a rise in the road, which does not come into view until a driver is about 100 feet away. Additionally, the crosswalk is located at an ‘uncontrolled’ intersection, meaning that there are no lights or stop signs controlling vehicular traffic. El Camino Real, which Caltrans (the California Department of Transportation) calls State Route 82, is among the busiest roads on the peninsula.”

Discovery during the case produced the following information -- within the past 15 years, three other pedestrians had been killed in the same crosswalk. The trial lasted four weeks. The jury found that the California Department of Transportation was 50% at fault and divided the remaining fault between the driver (30%) and Emily (20%).

According to Brainandspinalcord.org, brain injuries 20% of traumatic brain injuries are caused by motor vehicle accidents. In addition, 15-24 year olds face the highest risk of traumatic brain injuries due to vehicle accidents.

Continue reading "California Teen Receives $12.2 Million Verdict for Traumatic Brain Injury" »

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that a Chicago-area teen who died after suffering a serious brain injury in a Chicago Heights car accident last week has helped to save the lives of others. The teen's family donated her organs, giving hope to others who are suffering from serious medical conditions. According to the article, the 16-year-old was involved in a serious car crash while riding as a passenger in her boyfriend's truck on May 31. A report from the Sun-Times from June 1 notes that there was a sudden downpour while they were driving in unincorporated Cook County. This report notes that the victim's boyfriend's truck fishtailed and hydroplaned as a result of the downpour, eventually moving into oncoming traffic where it was hit by another car. The girl was hospitalized in critical condition for a week before she passed away from her brain injury.

According to the CDC, over 1.7 million people suffer a brain injury each year and of these incidents, 52,000 people die from their injury. Traumatic brain injuries are most commonly caused in vehicle accidents, falls or in sports when a sudden impact or severe blow to one's head occurs. The CDC also notes that car and trucking accidents are the leading cause of brain injury deaths. Brain trauma ranges in severity, but can often cause physical and cognitive deficits and victims often must endure lifelong medical treatment. To learn more about the rate and causes of traumatic brain injury, click on the link.

The Chicago City Council approved a $3 million settlement on behalf of a woman seriously injured when the car she was riding in was hit by a stolen vehicle during an unauthorized police chase, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The stolen vehicle was driven in excess of more than twice the speed limit when it slammed into the woman’s vehicle, and the collision was so strong that her body was thrown from the car and landed on the ground forty feet away. Doctors had to place the Chicago woman in an induced coma for two days and she was in the hospital for over two weeks. The woman suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the crash.

Mayo Clinic reports that half of all traumatic brain injuries occur as a result of car, motorcycle and bicycle collisions. When the head is struck too strongly, such as can occur in a collision, the brain can slam against the inside of the skull and cause bruising of the brain, bleeding, and torn nerve fibers. Sudden braking or stopping as a result of a car collision can also cause this to happen. A traumatic brain injury can be fatal. When serious brain injuries are not fatal, the consequences can still be severe. Traumatic brain injury can cause cognitive impairment, affecting a person’s thinking and reasoning skills, memory, and multitasking ability.

To help prevent against serious brain trauma, always wear a seatbelt while driving in a car. Motor vehicle collisions are sometimes unpreventable, but by taking the extra precaution of wearing something as simple as a seatbelt or child booster seat, lives can be saved and people can take steps toward recovery, whether by medical intervention, lawsuits, or both.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released a report showing that each year in the United States, an approximate 1.7 million deaths, hospitalizations and emergency department visits involve a traumatic brain injury. The report, “Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Death”, focuses on four years’ worth of data to conclude that 52,000 deaths, 275,000 hospitalizations and nearly 1.4 million emergency department visits occur every year in this country. Traumatic brain injury contributes to 30.5% of injury-related deaths in the Unites States, and the leading cause of traumatic brain injury is falls, followed by road traffic injury.

According to the CDC, a traumatic brain injury is the result of a “bump, blow, or jolt” to someone’s head that disturbs the brain’s regular functioning. Dr. Richard C. Hunt of the CDC was also quoted by UPI.com as explaining that traumatic brain injury can result in short-term or long-term consequences affecting person’s thinking, perception, language or emotions. These consequences may not be quickly noticeable. The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Levin & Perconti also understand that 5.3 million Americans, at a minimum, live with disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury, and that consequences of a traumatic brain injury can be severe and life altering.

Furthermore, falls are one of the most common causes of brain injuries among older Americans. CDC analysis shows that one in three Americans ages 65 and older falls every year and that 30% of these falls require medical attention. Falls represent the main cause of injury deaths and nonfatal injuries for this age population. We represent clients in cases involving falls in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and assisted living facilities throughout our state. Our Illinois medical malpractice attorneys work hard to represent those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of someone’s negligence. For example, we recently reached a $3.3 million settlement on behalf of the family of a patient who died from severe head trauma and a subdural hematoma after a hospital negligently failed to prevent the patient from falling and hitting their head, even though the hospital knew of the patient’s risk for falls.

Several weeks ago, the Daily Herald reported that an Illinois family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the Kane County Circuit Court for the wrongful death of a 66-year-old woman from East Dundee. The woman suffered a fatal brain injury after being hit by a car as she crossed Route 31. According to the report of the pedestrian accident, the lawsuit alleges that the driver failed to drive safely or pay attention to the road. He was cited by police for failing to yield and failing to use due care.

Brain injuries are unfortunately all to common in car and pedestrian accidents throughout Illinois. In many instances, these injuries are fatal, or require years of recovery. To read more about this wrongful death lawsuit, follow the link provided.

A young woman was driving down the road in Crystal Lake when she encountered a horrific automobile crash. This crash fractured her spine in three places and she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Many of the doctors thought that she would be paralyzed. However, the victim has a positive outlook and has been passing milestone after milestone. She recently entered Pioneer Center’s Traumatic Brain Injury program, which includes vocational training. She now has to relearn basic tasks which include walking. The victim continues to have some facial paralysis. She has also filed a brain injury lawsuit seeking $50,000. She is looking forward to speaking with children about the importance of safe driving. Hopefully she will in turn prevent brain injuries. To read more about the woman’s struggles, please click the link.

The family of a St. Charles, Illinois student who died in a automobile crash is filing an automobile accident lawsuit against a classmate accused of driving drunk and causing the collision for more than $6 million. The 18 year old has pleaded not guilty in criminal court to multiple counts of aggravated drunken driving and reckless homicide in connection with the automobile crash. Another student in the care suffered a brain injury and fractured jaw. She has also filed a brain injury lawsuit claiming that the driver was negligent. Brain injuries are a common result of automobile crashes. To learn more about the fatal crash, please click the link.

A teenager who suffered a serious brain injury in a 2006 car accident will receive $3 million from the Sonoma winery that served his underage friend beer at a wedding reception. Despite having no proper identification, the underage driver became intoxicated at the reception and crashed his car. The car accident led to his friend's lifelong injuries. The teens also received settlement money from a convenience store that supplied them with beer. According to the Mercury News, the brain injured teen will use the settlement funds for future care and to equip his home with assistive technology. Learn more about the brain injured teen's lawsuit by clicking the link.

A brain injury lawsuit alleged that the victim will suffer millions of dollars in lost earnings due to a brain injury. The brain injury was incurred after an automobile crash. The man was hit by a 17-year-old driver who went off the intersection and landed on the driver’s side of the sport utility. Brain injuries are common results of automobile crashes. To read more about the jury verdict, please click the link.

A jury awarded $49 million in damages to a college student who was on his way to a camping trip when two trucks collided, causing him traumatic brain injury. The young man was riding in an automobile when the two trucks collided at or near the center line. He was struck by the truck. His brain injuries necessitate round-the-clock medical care. The jury awarded $3.4 million in past medical expenses, $27.6 million in future medical expenses, $4.5 million for future lost wages and $13.5 million in general damages. The defendants are jointly and severally liable for the special damages. His attorney believes that these figures represent the staggering cost of care to individuals sustaining traumatic brain injury. Truck drivers must be careful to avoid such accidents that result in brain injury. To read more about the jury verdict, please click the link.

A radio personality will return to work after enduring a traumatic brain injury which affected his speech and mobility. The host endured the head injury after a car crash. He spoke about his treatment and how frustrated he was after the doctors told him he may never be the same. The doctor’s had told the host that he may not be able to trust his brain. After the brain injury doctors told the man that his brain is going to tell him certain things that are completely wrong. The radio host will now use his experience to educate the public about traumatic brain injuries which effect approximately 1.5 million Americans each year. To read more about the brain injury, please click the link.

An Illinois woman died on Saturday, from a traumatic brain injury, when she fell out of a Pedicab while on vacation. The fall caused severe brain damage. The woman was visiting San Diego for a National Education Conference. The vehicle made a sudden move, causing the woman to fall out and causing a serious brain injury. For more information on this fatal brain injury click here

A couple is suing after they both suffered a serious brain injury. They were taking a left turn in their car when another car slammed into them causing the brain injury. They are asking for $200,000 in damages because of the other cars negligence. To read the entire article click here “brain injury”

Summer is approaching and with this more people will be traveling and participating in sporting activities. This increase in activity brings with it an increased risk of traumatic brain injury. People became more aware of the seriousness of brain injuries this winter when Natasha Richardson died after a skiing accident. In the hours after her accident, she felt okay, but soon fell into a coma from which she never recovered. Her death highlighted the importance of seeking treatment any time the symptoms of brain injury appear. If you or a loved one suffers a head injury in an accident, watch closely for any symptoms such as nausea, headache, ringing ears or extreme tiredness. It is better to be too cautious when these symptoms occur. You should seek medical treatment sooner, rather than when it’s too late. Additionally, be proactive in preventing head injuries from occurring in the first place. If you are playing a sport or riding a bike or skateboard, wear a helmet. Also, always wear your safety belt to avoid head injuries if you are involved in a car accident. Safe practices and knowledge of the signs and symptoms of brain injuries may help lower the risk for serious injury or death. To read more about the symptoms of brain injury, follow the link.

An 8 year old boy was seriously injured in San Jose, CA, when a car ran a red light at an intersection and hit the boy as he was walking to school with his father. The boy suffered a brain injury and is listed in critical condition. Often, brain injury litigation results from negligent driving. To read more about this brain injury story, please click here.

Collisions involving cars, motorcycles, and bicycles are the contributing factors for half of the United States’ reported brain injuries. According to the article, “the risk of traumatic brain injury is highest in young men ages 15 to 24.” One symptom of someone suffering from a traumatic brain injury is the occurrence of a seizure within the first week after the injury. The article lists several other conditions that may result after the traumatic brain injury, but the most common are short term memory loss and communication problems.

For the full story, click here.

A young man is still recovering from traumatic brain injury after he crashed his new motorcycle. The young man drove off the road after visiting friends. Since the initial motorcycle accident, his mother states that he has made “little baby steps” but is still unable to speak or walk on his own. He makes some noises but since the brain injury he cannot talk to his family personally. The part of his brain that was damaged is the part that controls facial recognition. The family is still unsure of the amount of progress that he will have with his brain injury. He now has movement of his head and has been following things better with his eyes, but the progress of the brain injury is moving at a very slow pace. To read the full story, click here.

A grandfather saved his 11-day old granddaughter’s life from an oncoming truck by pushing her stroller out of the way. The man suffered a traumatic brain injury which resulted in impaired speech, broken ribs, broken wrist, partial blindness and lost the ability to walk. The doctor working with the man says the brain injury rehabilitation is progressing.

For the full story, click here.

Six months after a serious truck accident near the Illinois-Missouri border, Mark Tiburzi is left with severe brain trauma. The 53-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury after a truck crashed into a line of 10 vehicles, injuring 15 and killing 3. At least 5 personal injury lawsuits have been filed since the automobile accident. Due to his brain injury, Tiburzi can breathe independently, but needs a feeding tube to eat and lives in a nursing home. His wife of 25 years said, “I talk to him… but he doesn’t talk back.” The truck driver was distracted by his cell phone when he caused the accident. For the full story, click here.

When a brain injury affects your daily life, it affects almost every aspect. For one man, still suffering from the effects of a 1979 car accident, the future is looking a little brighter. The 60 year-old car accident victim has a doctorate in mathematics from Brown University and a genius level IQ, but the brain injury he sustained has affected many of the most simple aspects of his life.

Recently, the 60 year-old man moved into a brand-new transitional living facility for brain injury victims. The facility’s goal is to help those with traumatic brain injuries become more independent and transition to independent living.

For the full article.

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.

Tonight, on the Discovery Health Channel at 7pm in Chicago, a documentary will air telling the story of an Illinois couple’s life following the wife’s devastating brain injury. In 1987, just months before the couple’s wedding, the bride suffered brain injury in a horrific car accident. The show will document the Illinois couple’s love and life following brain injury. Be sure to tune in.

For the full article.

A car accident that resulted in a wrongful death lawsuit also resulted in traumatic brain injury for the victim. The defendant driver failed to stop at a stop sign and tried to turn eastbound, causing the victim to swerve to avoid a direct impact. As a result, his car swerved and tripped on the median curb, rolled over, and slammed up against a palm tree. The roof was crushed and he was ejected into the street. He sustained a serious head injury that resulted in his wrongful death a week later.

For the full article.

Months before an Illinois couple were to wed, the future bride’s life was shattered in a car accident. She suffered a devastating brain injury which left her impaired and unable to walk. It took the 24 year-old seventeen days to open her eyes and another seven months to utter a word.

The couple wed seven years and thousands of hours of physical therapy to help the brain injury after their original wedding date. The husband runs often outside while pushing his wife in her wheelchair. This couple’s tale of coping after the brain injury will air Sunday, December 14 at 7pm in Chicago on the Discovery Health Channel.

For the full article.

Two years ago, a woman’s fiancée was injured in a hit-and-run on his way home from a night out. The car accident left him unable to walk or talk. Now, the fiancée of the brain injury victim is determined to raise awareness of a charity that helps brain injury victims and their families.

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A truck accident which caused personal injuries to two individuals also caused a brain injury to one victim. The man suffered mild traumatic brain damage. A personal injury lawsuit filed in relation to the injuries sustained resulted in a $1.5 million jury award to the two men.

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Roughly two years ago, a couple of men sustained serious personal injuries after a truck accident. One man sustained a fractured vertebra. The other man sustained injury to his knee and mild traumatic brain damage. Recently, a jury awarded the two men $1.5 million in a personal injury lawsuit. The lawsuit stated that the trucking company was negligent in hiring the truck driver and that the driver was negligent in causing the crash. The personal injury lawsuit award includes $750,000 for medical bills and another $750,000 for actual damages.

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The driver responsible for a recent deadly car accident had suffered from a brain injury for years. According to the driver's mother, the driver battled his brain injury and anger that the government and society did not care about individuals with similar brain injuries. He died after crashing into an SUV; the driver of the SUV also perished.

The mother is haunted and left believing that if her son received more treatment for his brain injury, the devastating car accident could have been avoided. Brain injuries can happen in many ways: work accidents, sports injuries, car accidents, falls, assaults, etc. The symptoms may vary from person to person, but one of the common challenges is that the victims become unpredictably angry and difficult to be around.

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A four year old car crash victim finally received civil court justice after reaching receiving a nearly 55 million dollar jury verdict. The four year old, was a car accident passenger who faced nearly life threatening injuries. Five years after the crash the youth remains a quadriplegic suffering brain injuries and placed on a ventilator. The crash occurred roughly five years ago at dispute over a red light green light intersection. Such intersection accidents are common places for motor vehicle accidents. The large jury verdict awarded to the plaintiff was to compensate her for personal injuries, medical expenses and pain and suffering. To see the full story log in to Jury Verdict and Analysis here.

The parents of an Indiana motorcyclist who was in accident with a drunk driver has settled their personal injury suit with the bar that served the drunk driver on the night of the motorcycle accident. The driver had a blood alcohol level of .23. The legal limit is .08 in Indiana. The motorcyclists injuries occurred when he swerved to avoid the drunk driver whose car was in the middle of the road. The motorcyclist received a brain injury which has left him in a waking coma since September of 2004. His parents quit their jobs in Massachussets and moved to Indiana to care for their son.

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A $23,500,000 verdict was just reached in a motor vehicle negligence case where the plaintiff sustained serious injuries as the result of a truck accident. The 13-year-old plaintiff suffered from a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury. The boy was in a coma for 14 days, spent 15 months in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities and underwent 40 medical procedures. As a result of the traumatic brain injury from which he will never recover, the plaintiff now requires round-the-clock nursing care as he is unable to speak, walk, make many movements or care for himself. In regards to the issue of liability, the defendant driver was ruled to be acting within the course and scope of his employment, contrary to the claims of the defendant employer. The verdict included a $10 million award for past and future pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

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