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 Posted on August 13, 2017 in Brain Injuries

About 800,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sadly, strokes are the fifth leading cause of death, and one of the main causes of disabilities in adults. In fact, one type of disabling effect of a stroke is brain damage.

Because oxygen and the blood supply to the brain are interrupted during a stroke, brain cells can die off and a person can suffer a stroke-induced brain injury. This is why it is critical to know the signs of a stroke and to seek medical attention immediately in order to prevent death, brain damage, and other disabilities. For this reason, we want to review the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

Symptoms of a Stroke

The following are common symptoms of stroke:

• Painful headache that comes on suddenly
• Weakness or numbness in the face or on one side of the body
• Sudden difficulty seeing out of one or both eyes

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 Posted on August 10, 2017 in Traffic Accidents

Although intersections are designed to keep motorists safe, they can only keep people safe when rules are followed. When people run red lights or stop signs, they compromise the safety of intersections. Consequently, red light running leads to serious and even fatal crashes, and it happens more than you may think.

Hundreds of people die and thousands of people suffer injuries every year in side-impact crashes that involve red light running. In fact, in 2014, 126,000 people were injured and 709 people lost their lives due to red light runners, according to the Insurance Institute for Traffic Safety. Sadly, more than half of the people who died in these crashes were bicyclists, pedestrians, and other motorists hit by drivers who ran red lights.

Although most people feel that red light running is unacceptable, seven percent of drivers have admitted to blowing through a red light in the past month, according to a survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Not only is running a red light illegal, but it threatens the driver's safety and the safety of everyone sharing the road with that driver.

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 Posted on August 05, 2017 in Library

After being injured in a car accident and deciding to pursue a personal injury claim for your damages, you will probably want to know what your claim is worth. After all, this is one of the most common questions personal injury lawyers get asked. Although it may seem like there should be an easy answer to this question, it is anything but simple. This is because there are a lot of factors that go into determining the value of a car accident case.

When insurance adjusters look at car accident claims to determine value, they will calculate vehicle damage and the type of injury sustained. However, insurance companies will always attempt to settle cases quickly and for as little money as possible. This is why it is important to note that the value the insurance company places on your case isn't necessarily what your case is worth. Your car accident injury claim may be worth much more than the figure an insurance adjuster presents to you at the beginning of a claim.

How Car Accident Claims Are Valued

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 Posted on August 05, 2017 in Brain Injuries

Once you know that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical negligence, you may know you have a legal claim but you may still have many questions. For example, you may not know what to expect from working with an attorney, filing a legal claim, or knowing if your case will settle or go to trial. Here, we hope to answer some of your questions and to provide you with more information about what you can expect from the legal process following a brain injury caused by medical malpractice.

What to Expect When Pursing a Legal Claim

• Working with an attorney. If a brain injury occurred as a result of medical negligence, it is critical to get an attorney involved as soon as possible. A lawyer will know what to do, how to request your medical records, what laws apply, and how to help you in the best way possible. However, not any attorney will do. It is essential to your case that you find a lawyer who is experienced in medical malpractice law and has helped represent brain injury victims.

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 Posted on August 02, 2017 in Library

Did you know that approximately 15,780 children between birth and the age of 19 are diagnosed with cancer every year in this nation? For some of these children, sadly, their cancer was not diagnosed in the early stages of the disease. According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, childhood cancer is often misdiagnosed or overlooked by doctors.

Because childhood cancer is rare, many doctors ignore signs of pediatric cancer and diagnose cancer symptoms as common childhood injuries or illnesses. For instance, if a child vomits, has abdominal pain, decreased appetite, frequent fevers, and shows signs of fatigue, a doctor may diagnose a child as having the stomach flu. And although more often than not a child will end up having a stomach bug rather than cancer, doctors need to be diligent and thorough in their testing and diagnosis. Consequently, a child's cancer could be made worse as a result of doctor negligence.

What the Numbers Reveal

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 Posted on July 31, 2017 in Birth Injuries

When a baby is born, it is supposed to be one of the most joyous days in a person's life; however, far too many times, infant births are marked by birth injuries that affect a baby's life as well as the entire family's future. This is the case when paralysis at birth occurs.

Typically, infant paralysis occurs from medical malpractice. Some incidents of medical negligence that causes paralysis at birth includes:

• Damage to the spinal cord. When a direct injury to the spinal cord occurs during childbirth, a baby can suffer paralysis. This can occur when an obstetrician uses too much force to get the baby out of the birth canal or applies incorrect rotational stresses on the infant's trunk. It can also occur if the doctor misuses birth-assisting tools such as forceps and vacuum extractors. Sadly, any injury to the spinal cord can lead to some form of paralysis for the newborn.
• Damage to the brain. If a baby suffers a lack of oxygen or direct trauma to the brain during labor and delivery, it is possible that a baby can end up partially or completely paralyzed. This can occur from various acts of medical negligence, such as improper use of forceps and vacuum extractors. When a doctor applies too much force on an infant during delivery, a brain bleed can occur, resulting in brain damage and paralysis. Paralysis is also frequently the outcome of oxygen deprivation that occurs when the umbilical cord is wrapped around a baby's neck or if a C-section isn't performed in a timely manner.

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 Posted on July 30, 2017 in Birth Injuries

Sometimes injuries can occur at the time of delivery that can cause an infant to suffer a seizure. If this is the case, it is possible that a newborn suffered an injury to the brain that caused the seizure. Seizures in infants are called neonatal seizures that can include any of the following:

• Repetitive facial movements
• Unusual bicycle-type movements
• Gazing and staring
• Jerking movements of a specific part of the body
• Rapid twitching
• Rolling of eyes upward
• Periods of stopped breathing

For parents, seizures following birth are actually one of the first apparent signs that indicate something isn't right with their baby. Generally, seizures occur when a baby suffers a lack of oxygen, which can occur during labor or within the first day of life.

Some of the common ways that a birth brain injury occurs that can lead to seizures includes:

• Poor maternal care. When a mother's infection isn't treated during pregnancy, a baby may be at risk of suffering infections such as Group B Strep, herpes, meningitis, and other infections that can cause seizures. Additionally, if a doctor fails to monitor a woman for preeclampsia (high blood pressures), a fetus can suffer a poor amount of oxygen-rich blood that can lead to brain damage.

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 Posted on July 28, 2017 in Library

In the course of seeking relief from one's back pain, neck pain, sciatic nerve pain, or reoccurring headaches, you may choose to see a chiropractor for help. Whether an injury occurred in a car accident, work accident, or as a result of pregnancy or another health situation, many people have found that seeing a chiropractor is beneficial and alleviates their pain-sometimes for days, weeks, or months.

How Do Chiropractors Treat Patients?

Chiropractors perform manual manipulations of the body as they make adjustments to certain body parts-most often patients' backs, necks. and shoulders-in an effort to bring relief and get the body back in proper alignment. They draw on their training and use special techniques and sometimes medical devices and machines for treating patients. Unfortunately, sometimes chiropractors can make a patient's pain and injuries worse. This is often the case when a chiropractor is careless and uses too much force.

Effects of Chiropractor Malpractice

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 Posted on July 24, 2017 in Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice continues to be a concern throughout our region and the rest of this nation. Many people die as a result of medical negligence when their deaths could have been prevented. This is why every July the National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA) promotes National Medical Malpractice Awareness Month.

Our law firm also wants to help raise awareness for medical malpractice, not only for the month of July but throughout the year. To help educate our clients and potential clients about medical negligence and patient safety, we want to provide a quick list of facts associated with medical malpractice, including:

• Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in this nation, according to a John Hopkins study.
• Over 250,000 lives are lost in this nation every year due to medical errors, according to the same study.

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 Posted on July 24, 2017 in Library

Trucking accidents produce some of the most debilitating and life-changing injuries, which is why victims hit by large commercial vehicles often need to collect the maximum compensation possible. And while many people who have been injured in truck crashes do get fair settlements, there are those who need to collect more money than what the insurance policy limits allow. In this article, we'll discuss insurance requirements for truck drivers, how policy limits work, and some options to pursue if you or a loved one needs more compensation than what the policy allows.

Liability Insurance Requirements for Truck Drivers and Trucking Companies

Because commercial vehicles are heavy and can cause serious damages and losses in the event of a crash, truck drivers are required by law to carry substantial insurance. However, many drivers only carry minimal coverage that may not be adequate to cover serious injuries. This is why the federal government requires trucking companies-whether a business has one truck or a fleet of trucks-to have adequate insurance coverage on their trucks and truck drivers. Every truck that is registered with the Department of Transportation is thus required to carry a minimum liability insurance policy to pay for such harm.

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