703-591-0067
Recent Blog Posts
Don’t Delay: Why You Should Seek Immediate Help For A Brain Injury In Virginia
Medical professionals admit that a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most difficult to diagnose. The signs and symptoms appear gradually and often are confused with other medical conditions. Many people are unaware they have a brain injury until it progressively gets worse.
Early diagnosis is imperative for two main reasons:
- The sooner TBI is diagnosed, the faster treatment begins. This can alleviate symptoms and in some cases prevent them from worsening.
- The insurance adjuster needs to know about all of the injuries associated with the accident while negotiating your settlement. Settling before you receive the diagnosis could mean you are forced to pay for someone else's mistakes financially and physically.
Long-Term Effects of Brain Injuries in Virginia
The longer you wait, the more likely your symptoms will worsen. The impact brain injuries can have on your life is profound. In addition to the catastrophic injuries you suffered, you could have permanent cognitive damage.
Pool Protection: How To Keep Your Child Safe
Well, the kids are out of school and the lazy days of summer are upon you. At least you wanted the lazy days to be upon you, until you realized that your kids' whining and excited pleas to go to the pool weren't going to stop. Although the idea of lounging on a chaise by the Francis DC while your kids splash and play seems like a relaxing and ideal summer activity, the constant worrying and stress involved for their safety is enough to cause a heart attack.
You can't bring yourself to say no to them, nor do you want to ruin their vacations by keeping them from swimming with their friends. So here's your dilemma: how can you keep your children safe while still allowing them to have fun in the pool?
Virginia Pool Safety
The fear of drowning and worrying over whether your child is a good swimmer are huge concerns when your child is in a pool. However, his swimming skills aren't the only things you should be worrying about. In some situations, it doesn't matter if he's a novice or Johnny Weissmuller-if you don't educate him to take the proper precautions for pool safety (or if he refuses to take safety seriously) an accident could cause him catastrophic injuries.
When Doctors Overlook Stroke Symptoms, Disabling Injuries Could Be The Result
Did you know that strokes are one of the leading causes of deaths and disabilities in adults in the U.S.? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 800,000 people have strokes every year. While some people go on to live healthy lives following a stroke, many others are left to suffer permanent damage and, in some cases, death.
What Are Some of the Disabling Effects of a Stroke?
The following are typical permanent effects caused by strokes:
- Brain damage. When a stroke occurs, the oxygen and blood supply to the brain is interrupted, causing brain cells to die off. Consequently, many stroke survivors suffer brain injuries that cause short-term memory problems. Although long-term memory is usually unaffected, learning new information and retaining it can be difficult or impossible.
- Cognitive impairments. Survivors of strokes often experience difficulty with thought processing and problem-solving, resulting in some patients becoming overly impulsive. Stroke survivors may also suffer from confusion and problems concentrating.
Economic Vs. Non-Economic Damages For Medical Malpractice
A few days ago, you went to your doctor because of a persistent and blinding headache. After waiting two hours to see him, you told him about the headache. Without even examining you, he said it was probably nothing to worry about, gave you some painkillers and sent you on your way.
Yesterday, you were rushed into the emergency room after having a mild stroke. You learned later that it was caused by a blood clot. If your condition had been properly diagnosed sooner, it could've prevented the stroke altogether. As it is now, the seizures caused by the stroke partially paralyzed your right side.
As a result of a "busy" doctor and a negligent diagnosis, not only have you lost the ability to work and therefore the ability to pay your bills, but your quality of life has dramatically decreased, depression is beginning to set in, and your future is now an uncertain blur. Your only option is to file a medical malpractice claim for economic and non-economic damages, but you're having trouble figuring out which is which.
Your Recovery, Your Choice: SCI Treatment Options
You were just admitted into Inova with serious back pain and mild paralysis. Before rushing out the door, your doctor informed you that you may have experienced a spinal cord injury and he's going to order some tests to be sure. After going through an MRI and having numerous ultrasounds and x-rays done, your doctor finally confirms the SCI and tells you that without treatment you unfortunately may or may not ever walk again.
What do you do now? What are your best options for treatment and which one should you choose?
Possible Treatment Options
Depending on the severity, location, and extent of your injuries, treatment options can vary from ice packs and Tylenol to surgery and traction. Choosing the best treatment for your specific injury shouldn't be taken lightly; speak with your doctor before making any decisions and discuss what options he thinks would be best for you and your injury.
- Surgery can sometimes repair damage depending on the severity of the injury; speak with your doctor about viability and risks.
A Fairfax Birth-Injury Lawyer Explains How Bone Fractures Occur
Waiting for your little one to arrive is an exciting and nervous time. Trying not to think about everything that could possibly go wrong during delivery is difficult, particularly for first-time parents. Unfortunately, birth injuries can occur when delivering a baby. Whether the birth is done vaginally or through a C-section, the process can put the little baby in distress. A common type of birth injury in Virginia and throughout the United States is a bone fracture. You should speak with a Virginia birth injury lawyer if your baby fractured a bone during delivery and you believe that your doctor was at fault.
When born, babies have more bones than do adults-some of the bones knit together as the child grows. When a baby is being pushed through the birth canal or os pulled during a C-section, a limb or bone can get stuck. This is particularly common in larger babies and during extended deliveries. Further, if the delivering physician uses forceps, these can squeeze a baby's delicate limb too tightly.
Identifying Contrecoup Injuries Before It's Too Late
Thousands of people across the commonwealth are suffering from traumatic brain injuries, and some of them don't even realize it.
According to the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year as a result of minor falls and impact accidents. These injuries can manifest in hundreds of different ways; some are easily diagnosable, while others are harder to recognize. Contrecoup injuries fall in the latter category.
What is a Coup Contracoup Injury?
Coup contrecoup injuries occur when the head strikes a fixed object with enough force to cause the brain to make contact with the front (coup) or back (contrecoup) of the skull. This type of impact can also occur as a result of rapid deceleration, most commonly seen in car accidents and head on collisions. It can even occur in shaken baby syndrome.
Contrecoup injuries are difficult to identify as they technically occur as a secondary injury. The initial trauma is therefore identified and treated, but the secondary trauma may be missed. When the brain bounces off of the inside of the skull, it can often lead to bruising, swelling, bleeding, and other serious injuries.
When Misdiagnosis Or Delay In Diagnosis Leads To A Patient’s Wrongful Death
There is no price tag that can be placed on someone's health. However, sometimes people get ill or suffer from a medical condition and they need treatment in order to get better. This is why a doctor's diagnosis of a patient's condition is critical in helping make a patient better. That being said, sometimes doctors make diagnosing errors that can make a patient's health worse and even lead to death.
Sadly, a large number of medical malpractice wrongful deaths stem from diagnosing errors. There are different types of diagnosing errors that can lead to a patient's death. For example, a doctor may make one of the following three diagnosing errors:
- Delayed diagnosis. Sometimes a cancer diagnosis is delayed, which in turn causes treatment to be delayed. Sadly, time is of the essence with conditions such as cancer, and patients may die because the cancer might not be responsive to treatment at a certain point. When a doctor fails to order tests in time or fails to take the necessary steps in making a diagnosis, a diagnosis can be delayed and result in a patient's death.
Treatment And Procedures To Prevent A Placental Birth Injury
Finding out that you may have an intrauterine growth restriction or placental insufficiency is beyond scary. The world practically stops as you sit in your gown, wiping ultrasound jelly off your belly and try to listen to the Medstar resident explain your options. You pull yourself together for the sake of your child as you carefully listen to what you need to do next.
Prevention and Treatment
When the placenta is either restricting your baby's growth, oxygen, or nutrient intake, there are several steps you must take depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy and the overall health of your baby. As a baseline, remember that all pregnant women-healthy as well as at-risk-shouldn't consume alcohol or smoke, in order to avoid birthing complications and growth problems.
- Less than five months but showing signs of possible placental damage: Consistent prenatal care and frequent checkups to monitor placenta and baby's growth; cease all consumption of alcohol, smoking and drugs.
Side-Impact Accidents in Virginia
When we picture a car accident in our minds, we often imagine the front of our car hitting an object or another car hitting our vehicle head-on. This is only natural, since most people will imagine themselves behind the wheel in an accident.
For many years, car manufacturers made this assumption, too. Extra space in the front and rear of the car, called a crumple zone, was installed to absorb the crash force of another car. Unfortunately, designers left very little room on the sides of the vehicle,making side-impact car accidents more deadly for a vehicle's passengers than a head-on collision.
Statistics on Virginia Side-Impact Accidents
A recent study done by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found some surprising statistics on Virginia side-impact crashes. For example:
- In 1993, one-third of all passenger fatalities were cause by severe right-angle (T-bone) crashes.
- Crashes involving 2-door cars were often more severe than the same impact to 4-door sedans.
703-591-0067
10513 Judicial Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
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.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
