Boston Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

The family of former New England Patriots player Junior Seau has decided to allow researchers to study his brain to see if there is any evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy according to the LA Times. Seau committed suicide last Wednesday even though he showed no signs of having depression.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disease that is associated with people who have had repetitive brain trauma, such as multiple concussions. It is a disease that has been link with depression and cognitive defects. People who suffer from CTE often show signs of dementia, such as aggressive behavior, confusion, and memory loss.

Seau's suicide was a shock to family members since he had no outward signs of depression. The signs of CTE are hard to diagnose and often mistaken for something else. In order to diagnose, brain imaging must be done on a patient and even then it is hard to tell the severity of the condition. A true diagnosis can be obtained by a brain biopsy, which has high risks including death. Often CTE is only diagnosed in an autopsy.

Experts say that more research has to be done to be able to determine the extent in which concussions lead to permanent brain injuries and how that can cause mental disorders later on.

Continue reading "FORMER NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS PLAYER'S BRAIN TO BE DONATED FOR RESEARCH ON BRAIN INJURIES" »

The dangers of losing an arm, leg, hearing, or even death are an every day danger in the life of those in the military. A Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI is usually the last thing a soldier worries about.

Recently, a soldier has been suspected in killing villagers in Afghanistan possibly due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Some say that this could also be due to a brain injury. While there is no evidence that a brain injury caused this kind of behavior in a solider, it is no secret that some war veterans' concussions are sometimes overlooked.
War Veterans often don't realize that they had a brain injury. Headaches, dizzy spells, persistent ringing in the ears, and numbness in limbs are often thought to be caused by fatigue or dehydration and ignored by soldiers. Often soldiers keep working through the discomfort.

A story about a young soldier who served as a gunner for a year outside Baghdad beginning in March 2004 proves the persistence of these soldiers. About 3 years after coming home, he struggled with being able to unscramble his memory and thoughts. He would often get lost even with directions. He had to write down all appointments but still forgets some. He wore a hearing aid, could not bear sunlight in his eyes and still had nightmares.

Many veterans who come from Iraq and Afghanistan are retuning with mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions caused by powerful explosions. According to a pentagon estimate as many as 300,000, or 20 percent, of combat veterans who regularly worked outside or away from bases, have suffered at least one concussion. About half of those get better within hours, days or several months and require little if any medical assistance but there are tens of thousands of others that have long term problems such as memory loss, headaches, mood swings, dizziness, hearing problems and light sensitivity. However these symptoms may not occur for weeks, months or even years.

Continue reading "SOLDIERS TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES OFTEN IGNORED" »

Playing a sport is dangerous. There are many different kinds of injuries you can sustain such as hamstring and ankle sprains, groin pulls, shin splints and torn ACL but few think of traumatic brain injuries as sports injury.

Recently, former NFL players are claiming the National Football League failed to protect the players from risks associated with concussions. Many players are filing a lawsuit against the NFL saying they suffer from mental and physical problems due to concussions sustained while playing professional football.

Several other similar suits have already been filed in Philadelphia saying the NFL failed to inform players of the long-term risks and actually encouraged players to continue to play through their head injuries.

The lawsuit states that the NFL ignored the risks of concussions for years "despite overwhelming medical evidence that on-field concussions led directly to brain injuries and frequently had tragic repercussions for retired players."

The lawsuit also says that "wanting their players on the field instead of training tables, and in an attempt to protect a multibillion dollar business, the NFL has purposefully attempted to obfuscate the issue and has repeatedly refuted the connection between concussions and brain injury to the disgust of Congress, which has blasted the NFL's handling of the issue on multiple occasions. "

The NFL has ignored for many years medical evidence that connects Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, (CTE) which is a progressive degenerative disease often found in people who have suffered from multiple concussions or head injuries, to NFL players. T he head trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau. People who suffer from CTE may show symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression. The symptoms may appear within months of the trauma or many decades later.

Continue reading "FORMER NFL PLAYERS SUE OVER CONCUSSION RELATED BRAIN INJURIES AND CONDITIONS" »

Massachusetts residents and visitors enjoy skiing and snowboarding as part of their winter recreation. According to the National Ski Area Association, skiing and snowboarding are in fact less dangerous the most common activities, as well as most high energy sports. However, both skiing and snowboarding require skills that are acquired over time and are still very challenging even to an expert skier.

Accidents that can result in some very serious injuries such as fractures, concussions, head injuries and even death can occur due to inadequate maintenance of slopes and common ski resort areas, not receiving proper instruction, issues with faulty equipment, and most commonly collisions with other skiers or snowboarders.

Despite obvious dangers of being in a skiing or snowboarding accident, skiing and snowboarding still prove to be a common winter recreation. In 2008, a reported 10 million people participated in skiing or snowboarding.

During the course of the 2009/10 season, 38 people died while skiing or snowboarding. To put this number is perspective, in 2008, 39,000 Americans that died in motor-vehicle accidents and 6,162 pedestrians were killed. Serious injuries, such as paralysis and serious head injuries are slightly more likely than fatal ski accidents. In the 2009/10 season, 39 serious injuries had occurred.

In order to prevent a serious injury or even death, it is important for skiers and snowboarders to remember to wear a helmet. Skiers and snowboarders have recently shown that they understand the importance of helmets to help save them. In the 2009-201/10 season, 57 percent of skiers and snowboarders wore helmets while on the slopes. That is a 19 percent increase from 2008-2009. Parents are making sure their children are safe with 87 percent of children aged 9 or younger wearing helmets and 75 percent of children 10-14 years old wearing helmets.

A nine year old boy was recently hospitalized on January 29, 2012 due to a ski accident at Nashoba Valley in Westford, Massachusetts. The young boy was skiing behind his father when he went off course and crashed. He was found by another skier who reported to the ski patrol. Ski patrol found the boy unconscious in the woods. The boy was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Continue reading "USE CAUTION WHILE ENJOYING MASSACHUSETTS SLOPES" »

Today, new parents have many things to worry about it such as being financially set for their new addition, the health of their newborn due to birth injuries should not be on their mind.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in 2009, Massachusetts residents had 74,966 births. Unfortunately, many of those births could potentially have a birth injury. Birth injuries can occur due to the baby's birth size and weight, the baby's position at birth, prematurity, prolonged or difficulty labor for the mother, a doctor's negligence during prenatal care, or as a result of preventable errors and mistakes on the part of doctors, nurses, or hospitals during the delivery.

There are many types of birth injuries that can have long term or permanent residual symptoms, such as nerve or brain injuries or developmental delays. There are several medical issues that can occur due to a birth injury. One common medial issue due to birth injuries is Cerebral Palsy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one out of every 280 births will result in a child who suffers from cerebral palsy. The disease affects approximately 800,000 people in the U.S., and is usually diagnosed when the patient is still an infant or toddler.

According to the Massachusetts General Hospital website, Cerebral palsy (CP) is a broad term that describes a group of neurological (brain) disorders. It is a life-long condition that affects the communication between the brain and the muscles, causing a permanent state of uncoordinated movement and posturing. CP may result from several problems, such as lack of oxygen to the brain, genetic conditions, infections, brain hemorrhage, severe cases of jaundice, and injury to the head.

Every child with Cerebral Palsy experiences it differently. The child may have muscle weakness, poor motor control, or have shaking, also called spasticity, of the arms or legs. Muscle stiffness in the form of stiff legs or clenched fists may also be seen. The child could also have spastic movements of limbs or parts of the body, such as one half of the body. A child with Cerebral Palsy could also have issues with balance, Seizures, Vision, hearing, or speech problems, Learning disabilities and behavior problems, Mental retardation, Respiratory problems, Bowel and bladder problems, Bone abnormalities, including scoliosis (a lateral, or sideways, curvature and rotation of the back bones, giving the appearance that the person is leaning to one side).

Recently a family was awarded $58 million dollars in a birth injury medical malpractice case for a doctors' negligence. The doctor had knowledge that the amniotic fluid had dropped by half but waited to perform a Cesarean Section. There was also an assertion that the C-Section was performed poorly. The child has brain damage, severs from seizures and will not be able to talk, walk or eat like a normal child. It is the largest medical malpractice monetary award in Connecticut's history. Out of the $58 million a jury awarded to this disabled boy, $8 million will go toward the child's medical care. Due to his severe condition, the child will need full-time care for his entire life. The other portion of $50 million is for pain and suffering.

Continue reading "NEW ENGLAND CEREBRAL PALSY BIRTH INJURY JUDGMENT HIGHEST IN STATE'S HISTORY " »

Now that the holidays are over, many Massachusetts children will be enjoying all their new gifts and toys. Many children have received new bicycles and safety equipment for the holidays. There are two recalls that Massachusetts parents should be aware of before the warmer weather comes and children head out to the local park with their bicycles.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has put out a recall on 2011 Forté Pro Carbon Road Pedals imported by Performance, Inc of North Carolina. These pedals are sold in sets of two and made to attach to cycling shoes. These pedals are made for performance bicycles. They are black with a lightweight carbon injected thermoplastic. The axle is a black and made of chromium molybdenum steel with a black steel axle. The front, top of the pedal has "Carbon" printed in red; the top middle has "EPS-R" embossed in the body with the "R" in red and on the top rear of the pedal the word "Forté" printed in white. The outer edge of the pedal has the Forté logos, crossed F's, in white. The catalog number, 50-8128, is used in all catalogs.

The recall was made after there were three reports made of the pedals breaking while in use. The pedal breaking or cracking during use could cause riders to lose control and pose a potential fall hazard, which could cause serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries or fractures.

Another product that has been recalled is the Bicycle Helmets for Children and Youth by Triple Eight Distribution, Inc., of Port Washington, N.Y. The description from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is "multi-purpose helmets also sold for use as bicycle helmets. Little Tricky helmets are marketed for children and youth, and feature a large Little Tricky logo on both sides of the helmet. They come in one size and in black, white, pink and green. Triple Eight S/M EPS Liner helmets feature a hard black inner EPS foam liner and come in black, white, bone, blue and army green. Sector 9 S/M EPS Liner helmets feature the same EPS liner and come in gray, white, black, blue and green. Both the Triple Eight and Sector 9 helmets have an interior label indicating the size "S/M" for small/medium and a manufacture date indicated as month/year (ex. APR/2011). Only Triple Eight and Sector 9 size "S/M" EPS Liner helmets are affected."

These helmets do not comply with the safety standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for impact resistance. Children could suffer serious head injuries upon an impact while wearing this product. About 30,400 Helmets were that were sold at bicycle and sports stores and other retailers nationwide and online from August 2006 through November 2011 for about $40 are being recalled.

Continue reading "BICYCLE RECALLS COULD CAUSE INJURIES TO MASSACHUSETTS CHILDREN" »

I hope that you or a loved one is never a victim of a traumatic brain injury. However, if you or a loved one is, Boston is home to some of the greatest brain injury treatment and rehabilitation facilities in the world. With brain injury it's all about understanding the extent and scope of the injury.

Throughout Massachusetts there are facilities that have the latest technology that help patients and victims of traumatic brain injuries understand and document their brain injury. Brain injury often results from a serious car accident, workplace explosion, or construction site accident.

Recently the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned a brain injury study to help soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan deal with their brain injuries. Brain injury is the "signature injury" of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study, which enlisted the help of King's College Hospital in London, England, highlighted in the importance of monitoring cortical spreading depolarization or "brain tsunamis."

As Boston personal injury lawyers it is important for us to understand the latest developments in brain injury. Our clients, many whom are seriously injured, rely on us daily to put them in touch with leading experts across Massachusetts who can help them document and understand their brain injury.

For decades, professionals across Massachusetts have tried to understand the phenomenon of "brain tsunamis." When a brain injury occurs, nerve cells in the brain malfunction and shut down. Because the brain is a series of inner-connected tissue, when one nerve cell shuts down, neighboring cells do so as well. IE a brain injury can cause a ripple effect into neighboring parts of the brain. These ripples cause additional brain injuries which are in addition to the initial trauma.

This study out of King's College, showed how researchers are now for the first time able to monitor these brain tsunamis by placing a linear strip of electrodes on the surface of the brain near the injured area of the brain during neurosurgery. Therefore, this study was only limited to patients who required brain surgery as a result of their brain injury.

This is an exciting development since researchers discovered brain tsunamis over sixty years ago. Only now through the use of modern technology are experts able to quantify the scope of damage caused to brain injury victims by brain tsunamis.

Continue reading " "BRAIN TSUNAMIS" MAKE A SERIOUS BRAIN INJURY EVEN WORSE" »