Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

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.

Car-pedestrian accidents are frequently devastating for the pedestrian. If you or someone you love has suffered a traumatic brain injury, our Illinois personal injury attorneys may be able to help.

In the summer months there are an increased number of motorcycles on the road and with this, the number of injuries and fatalities among riders increases. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 40% of motorcyclist deaths in 2008 occurred during June-August, compared to only 9% during December-February. They also reported that helmets are about 37% effective in preventing motorcycle deaths and about 67% effective in preventing brain injuries.

Brain injuries can be life altering and severe. Even if you suffer a minor brain injury such as a concussion, it can render you inoperative for some time. According to Dr. Angela F. Gardner in The New York Times, “Every concussion increases the likelihood that you will have an injury to the brain if another concussion occurs.” In addition, “You don’t have to be going fast to hurt your brain.”

Many states, including Illinois, do not require riders or passengers to wear helmets. However, your chance of survival in a motorcycle accident begins with wearing one. The Illinois Department of Transportation offers additional safety tips on their website. These tips include staying out of trucks blind spots, driving defensively and cautiously, wearing high visibility clothing and performing proper maintenance and safety checks on your motorcycle.

Our Chicago accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti recommend that all motorcyclists wear helmets and remember these safe riding tips to avoid brain injury or death. Riding a motorcycle can be an exhilarating experience, but it is important to take these precautions to ensure your safety.

Reuters reports that a University of Illinois researcher has helped create a new brain implant made of silk and tiny electrodes and helped conduct studies assessing its effectiveness. Because the silk is biodegradable and water-soluble, it dissolves on the brain, leaving the electrodes in place and allowing the device to record brain signals more accurately than other brain implants and minimize damage to the brain. The silk brain implant also could have application to people suffering from serious brain traumaor a neurological disorder such as epilepsy or a spinal cord injury.

The Chicago brain injury lawyersat Levin & Perconti think these new findings are of particular interest to clients who have suffered spinal cord injuries as a result of the negligence of others. These injuries can occur from motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall incidents, and workplace accidents, or because of mistakes by health care providers, such as by failure to relieve spinal cord compression. As The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains, spinal cord injuries often begin with sudden, serious blows to the spine that fracture or dislocate vertebrae. This can compress the spine. Spinal cord injuries destroy the nerve cell extensions that carry signals between the brain and body, and when a person suffers a severe spinal cord injury, they can become completely paralyzed. However, people that suffer from less severe spinal cord injuries still retain some ability to convey messages from their brain to their body.

The silk brain implant can help both categories of people affected by a spinal cord injury. As Reuters reports, the silk brain implant has the potential to reroute signals from the brain to prosthetic devices, enabling people with spinal cord injuries to move independently once again.

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.

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.

The jury in a medical malpractice trial, recently awarded $12 million for a hospital’s delay in evaluating and transferring an air rifle victim.

According to the Pasadena Star News, twenty-two-year old, Jessica Ramirez, was shot with an air rifle and the pellet entered her brain. Nevertheless, she remained conscious after the shooting and was able to ask for help. She was immediately taken to the hospital, which in turn sent her to another facility for surgery to remove the pellet. However, staff waited 5 hours before transferring her. At trial, the neurosurgeon who removed the pellet testified that, had he been allowed to operate sooner, her outcome would have better. Instead, her injury progressed into a traumatic brain injury that has left her in a persistent vegetative state.

More than $10.6 million of the award was for Jessica’s future medical care.

In many cases, especially those involving brain injuries, prompt evaluation and treatment is necessary to prevent treatable injuries from resulting in permanent damage or death. When doctors, hospitals, and other medical professionals fail to respond in a timely manner, they place their patient’s lives at risk. When this risk results in harm, they can be found liable for medical malpractice.

Click the following link for the full account of this traumatic brain injury verdict.

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.

An employee for Horner Electric died after he suffered a traumatic brain injury while at work. According to Justice News Flash, police believe that the man suffered a brain injury that caused him to either fall or become crushed by the moving parts of a machine. The report states that the victim’s coworkers discovered him lying on the ground and called for emergency workers. When EMT workers arrived at the scene of the workplace accident, the victim was pronounced dead. Read the full coverage of this tragic brain injury accident.

Shelley Moore Capito, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, recently introduced legislation that would help veterans suffering from brain injury. The Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Access to Care Act would allow veterans in rural areas access to better care and treatment for their injuries. Oftentimes, veterans are limited in where they can receive appropriate care, and are forced to travel long distances to select VA hospitals that have the proper technology to treat traumatic brain injury. According to the article on WHSV.com, twenty percent of the injuries to soldiers in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars involve some sort of brain injury, making access to proper treatment important to veterans across the country. To view the status of Capito’s bill to protect the victims of traumatic brain injury, follow the hyperlink.

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.

It’s estimated that 20% of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury caused by the impact of improvised explosive devices. The medics in Afghanistan have seen an increase in TBI cases in the past eight months. The aid station is capable of stabilizing patients until they can be transported to a larger base for treatment, but it’s not equipped to treat traumatic brain injury. They can only assess them, treat signs and symptoms because they don’t have a lab. Traumatic brain injury is an “invisible wound” which makes it difficult to diagnose. Medics say the increase in traumatic brain injury cases is a serious problem in Afghanistan. If a soldier is hit by an IED three times, the victim can be taken off patrols in order to avoid brain injury. To read more about the war’s injuries, please click the link.

A parasailing accident has left a mother and son seriously personally injured. The 17-year-old boy was rigged to the parasail and attempting to take-off from a ledge around 10 feet above the waterline. The boy’s mother and several bystanders were on the ledge watching this take off. However, as the boat began to pull away, the sail turned sideways and entangled the boy’s mother, dragging her a few feet before she fell off the ledge. She then fell onto her head along the shore. The boy hit the ledge several times before plummeting into the water. The mother as sustained a traumatic brain injury in the parasailing accident. They were both airlifted to the hospital for treatment of their head injuries. Police officials have issued a citation to the boat operator in the parasailing accident. To read more about the brain injury, please click the link.

A research study shows that brain tissue may grow at a site of a traumatic brain injury by an injectable biomaterial gel. The research shows the biomaterial gel made up of both synthetic and natural sources may have a possibility to urge the growth of a patient’s own neural stem cells in the body, which can help mend the brain injury site. This could be the first step towards brain tissue regeneration. There has been an increase in brain injuries due to combat, which helped with the research. However, doctors believe that this research could be applied to head injuries caused by car accidents, falls and gunshot wounds. Recent brain injury studies have focused on using hypothermia or neuroprotection with pharmacological agents, but these have had little success. The new method shows that the hydrogel may be injected into the lesion site to direct the response of neural stem cells in the brain to supposedly redevelop normal brain tissue at the lesion site. To read more about the brain injury study, please click the link.

While performing as a pirate in a mock sword fight, Mark Priest, slipped on a wet spot on the stage and suffered a brain injury. Besides a traumatic brain injury, he also suffered a broken vertebra in his neck and a laceration to his head which required 55 stitches. He was taken immediately to the hospital and the doctors believed that he was recovering well. Only a few days later, Mark died from the head injury he suffered. To read more about his fall and brain injuries, click here.

An Illinois man who suffered a traumatic brain injury 17 years ago, recently released book about his experiences. The brain injury survivor is still able to work but must make constant reminders to himself. He titled his book 21 Seconds because someone suffers a traumatic brain injury every 21 seconds in this country. To read more about his daily fight to recover from his brain injury, click here.

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 family is suing a local swim club for 40 million dollars to recover damages for their son who suffered a severe brain injury. It is believed that the child’s brain was deprived of oxygen for over 10 minutes, causing brain damage. The child is no longer able to walk, talk or eat on his own anymore because of the brain damage. The family is suing for failure to timely respond and timely recognize the child drowning. To read more click here on “Brain Damaged Victim seeks $40 Million in Recovery”

ABC News correspondent, Bob Woodruff, is back in Iraq after over a three year hiatus. On January 29, 2006, while taping a report, Mr. Woodruff suffered a traumatic brain injury. The brain injury happened as a result of a bomb that struck the convoy that he was riding in. He spent a month in a coma because of the serious brain injury. He is now back on the news covering soldiers who are suffering from traumatic brain injuries. He has also started an aid fund to raise awareness of soldiers who suffer from brain injuries as a result of war. To read more about “After Suffering Brain Injury, TV Journalist Back in Iraq” 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.

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 man suffered a brain injury while working as a wire drawer machine operator. He was cutting a wire; the wire recoiled and struck him in the temple causing a brain injury. He is now filing suit because of the brain injury he suffered. He is seeking $150,000. To read the entire article click here “brain injury”

An attack, causing a brain injury, may have killed a person 8 years later. Two 18 year olds got into a fight and one of the individuals hit the other with a baseball bat causing a serious brain injury; 8 years later he died and the doctors are trying to determine whether the brain injury was the cause of death. Experts say that brain injuries can result in death years later; in fact people with brain injuries are more likely to die early. To read the entire article click here “brain injury”

Two players collided in a softball game that took place on June 18, causing one player a serious brain injury. The brain injury the player suffered led to his death only two days later. The 29 year old man’s family will have a softball tournament in his honor on August 8th. To read the entire article click here “Brain Injury”

A 43 year old woman fell off a golf cart last week and it caused a serious brain injury. The woman had been drinking and standing on the cart, when the cart hit a city street, she fell and landed on her head causing the brain injury. The leading cause of brain injuries are falls. The woman never regained consciousness and her family took her off life support. To read more click here “brain injury”

A young college student was in Texas visiting a friend at Southern Methodist University last weekend, when he was atttacked casuing a brain injury. As he left a concert that he attended with his friends, he was sucker-punched in the head causing a brain injury. The punch went straight to his head and the man hit the ground, slamming his head into the concrete causing a brain injury. The man’s brain injury is currently bleeding and swelling, which has led to the man being placed in a medically induced coma. The police are still looking for the individual who caused the man’s brain injury. To read the entire article click here “brain injury”

A man caused a two month old child to suffer a brain injury when he shook the child with his hands. The man is being charged with felony abuse for the brain injury he caused. The baby became unresponsive and was taken to Lexington Medical Center. The doctor said the baby suffered multiple injuries, including a serious brain injury. The baby is in critical condition with his brain injury. To read more click here “Brain Injury”

An employee of Manitowoe Cranes, Inc., suffered a brain injury when a crane arm broke and a bundle of floor trusses hit him in the head and chest. The man suffered facial fractures and a traumatic brain injury as a result. This brain injury caused him psychological, behavioral and personality changes. He is now seeking judgment against Rehkemper & Sons and National Crane Company, doing business as Manitowoe Cranes, Inc. To read the entire article click here “Brain Injuries”

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.

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.

Last week, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ announced the opening of several Veteran Service Offices across the state. The offices will act as a resource where veterans can access state and federal benefits. Among the most notable of the new services is a Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder program. It is the first state program of its kind in the U.S. and it will provide brain injury screening and 24-hour support to Illinois veterans suffering from these injuries and conditions. Read more about the Illinois brain injury program for veterans.

One result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a growing number of American troops suffering traumatic brain injury. A new treatment that could supply high doses of oxygen to the brain to speed up the growth of brain tissue is underway. Hyperbaric chambers have been used to help patients recover from such conditions as the bends. Now, doctors are testing to see if these medical devices may help in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. Currently, soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury at Brooks City Base in Texas are participating in the study. Doctors are hopeful for positive results, but caution that the treatment will take place in conjunction with other brain injury treatments such as therapy and drugs. Read more about the use of hyperbarics for brain injuries.

Three hundred orange “phantom” heads graced the steps of the U.S. Customs house yesterday in an effort to raise awareness and educate the public about traumatic brain injury. The heads were placed on the steps by Force Protection, a manufacturer of armored vehicles used in Iraq, and the Medical University of South Carolina. These two have teamed up to study blast-related damage and traumatic brain injury. The “phantom” heads, made of gel and celery splayed in a pattern representing the brain, are used in the study’s blast tests.

For more information on the “phantom” heads and the traumatic brain injury research, click here.