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When Traffic Accidents Result In Closed Head Injuries
If you were told that you or a loved one suffered a closed head injury following a car accident, you may want to understand more about it. Any type of head injury is frightening since the brain controls our ability to move, think, concentrate, connect with others, and communicate. But not all closed headed brain injuries cause disabling injuries. In fact, according to BrainLine.org, only 15 percent of people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) have life-long challenges and difficulties as a result of trauma to their brain. However, if you or a loved one is among the percentage of people that are left to deal with the symptoms of a closed head injury, this statistic isn't just a number-it's reality.
Understanding Closed Head Brain Injuries
Although the brain is delicate, it is surrounded and protected by a hard skull. The skull generally protects against things penetrating the brain, which is why the majority of head injuries suffered in car accidents are more often closed head injuries than open head injuries. In a closed head injury, the skull is not broken, but the brain is still impacted.
Steps Parents Should Take After A Child Is Diagnosed With Cerebral Palsy
If you have a child who was just diagnosed with cerebral palsy, then you are most likely trying to wrap your head around your new reality. Often, parents who have just learned of their child's diagnosis typically want to find out what steps they should take next.
Taking the First Step
Cerebral palsy is often caused when medical malpractice cuts off oxygen to an infant's brain during childbirth. However, sometimes a specific cause is not known and a child may have what is known as congenital cerebral palsy. Depending on the child's specific situation may determine the first step you should take. For instance, if you believe medical negligence was to blame for your child's birth injury, then the first step you should definitely take is to contact an attorney experienced in medical malpractice.
Attorneys with such experience know how to investigate your case and stand up to the doctor or hospital involved. Because the lifetime average cost for an individual with cerebral palsy is approximately $1 million, it is critical to seek legal help in making sure you can obtain the maximum financial recovery possible so that you can get your child the best care possible.
Answers To Commonly Asked Erb’s Palsy Questions
There are several different types of injuries that babies can sustain during childbirth. One type of physical injury that a baby may suffer at birth is Erb's palsy. This type of birth injury can also range from mild to severe. If you believe your baby suffered Erb's palsy at the hands of a negligent doctor, you will likely want to learn all you can about it.
What Is Erb's Palsy?
Erb's palsy is the condition a baby may be diagnosed with when paralysis of the arm occurs. This type of birth injury occurs when the group of nerves called the brachial plexus (located near the neck) are injured during childbirth. As a result, a baby's arm will hang limply, and the child may not be able to move his or her shoulder and upper arm. A baby with this injury is usually able to move his or her fingers; however, sometimes the injury can be so severe that the baby's affected arm is totally paralyzed.
How Can I Tell if My Baby Has Erb's Palsy?
Unlike some other birth injuries that take time to observe and diagnose, Erb's palsy is generally evident by the limpness of the affected arm. The most common way a baby shows signs of Erb's palsy is when the affected arm is limp against the side of the body and bent at the elbow. Another sign that a baby may have Erb's palsy is if he or she cannot grip or has a weaker grip in the hand on the affected side.
Pregnant And In A Traffic Crash? Here’s What To Do Next
Car accidents are traumatic, to say the least-from the sounds of screeching brakes and breaking glass to the sounds of sirens. But crashes can be especially frightening for pregnant women. Not only are expectant mothers at risk for sustaining injuries, but they are worried about the health and safety of their unborn babies-and rightfully so.
The truth of the matter is that the jolt of a crash and the sudden stopping motion can actually cause harm both to a pregnant woman and her baby. Even a minor accident that does not produce visible injuries may still cause harm to a woman's abdomen and damage to the uterus, which can lead to pregnancy complications such as internal bleeding, placental abruption, premature birth, and miscarriage.
First Step to Take
Obviously, the most important thing to do after a crash is to seek medical attention, but it's even more important for pregnant women to go to the emergency room when experiencing signs such as abdominal pain, contractions, vaginal bleeding, unusual discharge, vomiting, fever, dizziness, head pain, or swelling.
Is Your Teen Guilty Of Making These Three Dangerous Mistakes At The Wheel?
Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for teenagers in our country. Sadly, 2,333 teens between the ages of 16 and 19 died in car crashes in 2015, and 221,313 teens needed medical treatment for the injuries they suffered in collisions, according to the latest teen fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is why it is critical to take a look at what young drivers are doing wrong behind the wheel in an effort to save lives and decrease the amount of teen-related crash injuries.
A recent AAA survey has identified the top three dangerous mistakes teen drivers make behind the wheel, including:
- Speeding. Speeding can lead to accidents-and speed-related crashes tend to be very severe due to the momentum of the vehicles involved. In fact, over 4,200 of the 14,000 fatal teen crashes in the past five years involved speeding, according to AAA.
How To Make A Financial Recovery After A Brain Injury
Brain injuries can range from mild to severe. Although each brain injury is different and may have a different set of symptoms depending on the extent of damage to the brain, almost all brain injury survivors will need to make a physical recovery as well as an emotional recovery. But because the cost associated with making a physical and emotional recovery can be astronomical, it is important that the financial compensation a brain injury survivor receives is significant.
The truth of the matter is that making a recovery from a brain injury can put a huge financial burden on the survivor and his or her family, which is why it is critical that a brain injury victim make a financial recovery for the following things:
- Medical care expenses. The seriousness of the brain injury will determine whether extensive medical care and ongoing medical treatment will be needed. For example, if someone ends up in a coma and needs serious medical attention and rehabilitation for an extended period of time, the victim should recover these costs and more. Even in cases of mild brain injuries, survivors should recover the medical costs associated with their care and ongoing medical needs.
Recovering From The Emotional Aftereffects Of A Brain Injury
Once a brain injury survivor is aware of the long-term effects of the head trauma that he or she sustained, it is typical to feed sad, frustrated, and even depressed about one's new reality. Sometimes a brain injury affects the emotional centers of the brain and the sufferer becomes incapable of the same emotional responses he or she had prior to the injury. In either case, a brain injury survivor will need professional help and support.
Common Emotions Following a Brain Injury
Although everyone is different, people with brain injuries often experience similar emotions including:
- Confusion. In the immediate aftermath of a brain injury, it is very common to be confused and even agitated. This stage can last for a few days or for several months.
- Denial. Learning about a new injury can be overwhelming, and some brain injury survivors deny that there is anything wrong with them. Instead, they may believe that everything will return to normal instead of accepting the fact that they may have some brain damage and other impairments as a result of the head trauma. With help, those with brain injuries can overcome this stage.
Did Doctor Error Cause Your Baby To Suffer Cerebral Palsy?
Having a baby is a life-changing event. This is especially the case if you are told that your child has a birth injury known as cerebral palsy. The doctor may or may not have tried to explain this type of birth injury to you, but more than likely you will want to know how something like this could have happened and how it will affect your child.
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), "Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture." Unfortunately, CP affects 1 in 323 children in this nation, and it is the most common motor disability in childhood.
Cerebral palsy affects overall movement, which is why a child with cerebral palsy will often suffer from impaired muscle coordination and control, poor muscle tone and posture, spasticity, stiff limbs, trouble balancing, and limited range of motion. This condition can also affect a child's gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and oral motor skills, which can be very serious and affect everything from walking to talking.
Patients May Be Put At Risk By Sleep-Deprived Doctors
It is common sense that people need adequate sleep to function, let alone examine patients, perform medical procedures, and prescribe medications. But did you know that many medical professionals are sleep deprived? Shockingly, many doctors and other medical professionals haven't gotten enough sleep in order to perform their jobs accurately and safely.
What's even more troubling is that a new law may make things worse. Currently, first-year resident physicians are allowed to work 16 consecutive hours without sleep, but as of July 1, 2017, first-year medical residents will be allowed to work 28 hours or longer shifts without sleep, per the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Sleep-Deprivation Could Lead to More Medical Errors
According to research, working long hours without sleep may increase one's risk for making errors and may jeopardize patient safety. In fact, the 16-hour work limit that was set for first-year residents was put in place following a 2009 report from the Institute of Medicine that found that first-year medical residents "make more errors when working longer consecutive hours."
Recovering Physical Function Following A Medical Malpractice Brain Injury
When a patient suffers brain damage due to the negligence or carelessness of a medical professional, he could face a long road to recovery. One effect a serious brain injury can have is to limit the victim's mobility and communication skills. Depending on the location and severity of a brain injury, a victim may never be able to fully recover these physical functions. But even if a total physical recovery isn't possible, almost all brain injury survivors will need some type of therapy and support that will likely include the following:
- Physical therapy. Through a physical therapy program, a brain injury victim may be able to improve lost mobility or regain the ability to control certain muscles. By working with a physical therapist trained in brain injury recovery, the patient may be able to make progress to overcome some of the limitations caused by the damage to the brain.
- Occupational therapy. Brain injury survivors may need ongoing rehabilitation to regain independent living skills. Through occupational therapy, those with brain injuries may be able to re-learn skills such as self-care, hygiene, and cooking. Occupational therapists help brain injury survivors regain the independence needed in everyday life.
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703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
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