Articles Posted in Brain Injury

An out-of-state woman who suffered severe injuries in a car accident and remained in a coma for one month is now making good progress. When she arrived at the rehabilitation unit of an out-of-state hospital around two months ago, she was unable to move her limbs. Out of all of the serious injuries that she suffered as a result of the accident, the most serious was a traumatic brain injury. When Maryland residents suffer a TBI as a result of other parties’ negligence, they are typically entitled to file personal injury suits against the negligent parties.

Although she was unable to move her limbs upon her arrival, she is now walking with the help of physical therapists. Each day, she is learning to do something that, the previous day, she was unable to do. As a result of the accident and her severe injuries, she is in the process of learning how to do just about everything over again.

The woman suffered multiple injuries on Oct. 10, 2015, as a result of a car accident that occurred in Utah. She had been a passenger in a vehicle that was broadsided. In addition to her lungs being punctured and her liver lacerated, she suffered broken ribs and lost a kidney. However, the traumatic brain injury she suffered was the most severe of her injuries, and she spent around nine weeks in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Several previous studies have displayed a link between those who suffer a head injury and those who develop dementia. A new study recently revealed that protein clumps — amyloid plaques — often seen in those with Alzheimer’s disease — can also be seen in the brains of individuals who received a head injury. When Maryland residents suffer a head injury due to the negligence of another party or parties, they are typically entitled to file a civil lawsuit for monetary damages against those deemed responsible.

The study helped researchers better understand how those who have suffered a serious head or brain injury are more likely to develop dementia later on in their lives. More research has shown that when individuals receive a blow to their head — such as one suffered in a car accident — certain biological processes of the brain are triggered. These begin working away in the individual’s background for years, a researcher said.

The study’s authors used MRIs and other imaging procedures to gather images of patients’ brains who survived a TBI, individuals who were healthy and individuals who had Alzheimer’s. These scans showed that amyloid plaques were present in all of the participants’ brains — however, those who suffered TBIs had more plaque than a healthy volunteer, though less than those who had Alzheimer’s. The parts of the brain where the plaques were discovered involve the part of the brain that is both highly connected, metabolically active and is responsible for both attention and memory, as well as the part that is responsible for regulating muscular activity.

A car accident which left one individual seriously injured occurred recently. The hit-and-run accident occurred in Baltimore in the early hours of New Year’s Day, Baltimore police say, and resulted in the victim suffering several serious injuries, including a brain injury. When Maryland individuals suffer serious injuries as a result of others’ negligence, they are typically entitled to file a personal injury suit against the responsible party or parties.

The accident occurred around 4 a.m. when a 62-year-old man was leaving the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Baltimore. The man was leaving the casino to go across the street to get some coffee, family members say. A car struck the man then left the scene of the accident.

The man suffered serious injuries to his arm, spine and head. It is currently unknown whether his spine or brain injuries will have lifelong implications on his health, as he has been in a medically induced coma since the day of the accident. The man’s progress is still being evaluated and re-evaluated each day.

It’s not just troops who have seen battle or colliding football players that are subject to brain injuries. Although those two demographics represent two of the more well-known causes of suffering brain damage, researchers think that hundreds of thousands more suffer TBIs as well. In Maryland and elsewhere, some people suffer these injuries, but they — and even their doctors — don’t know they have them.

It’s common knowledge that brain injuries can result when people fall from a ladder, slip and bash their heads or are involved in a car accident. However, one of the most insidious forms of brain injuries are subdural hematomas. Though they differ from the type of brain injury that a soldier or football player might suffer, they still affect many individuals. The elderly population is at risk for suffering this kind of brain injury.

Brain specialists recommend seeing a doctor if any individual — regardless of age — develops any number of differing symptoms. These include a headache that will not go away, weakness in the arms or legs as well as any cognitive changes experienced. For the last one, an individual or those close to them may simply observe that they seem “different.”

There has been an increased awareness about traumatic brain injuries in the U.S., due in part to films like Concussion as well as more scientists voicing their concerns in the national debate surrounding this pervasive issue. Many Maryland residents have read about these injuries suffered by NFL players that have sometimes severely affected them for the rest of their lives. Many of these players can afford the often steep costs that recovery entails, but this cost can hinder or even prohibit a satisfactory outcome for others who have suffered a traumatic brain injury who are without access to the resources of professional athletes.

In fact, many of the U.S.’s 1.7 million people who sustain a traumatic brain injury every year are typically not in a situation to seek full treatment. Families are often greatly affected by the financial, emotional and physical stressors often associated with this kind of injury. In fact, it is estimated that the lifetime costs for the treatment of this kind of injury could run run anywhere from $85,000 to $3 million.  

After this kind of injury, many individuals might able able to heal completely. Unfortunately, many others might be left living with a permanent disability that could prevent them from easily taking care of themselves on even a basic level — feeding or bathing themselves or even communicating. However, for those who are able to regain both their language and physical capacity, life can still be challenging. Over 5.3 million adults and children might end up living with a lifelong disability.

Millions of individuals suffer what’s known as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. However, even though this injury is so common, scientists say that there is still a large amount they still need to learn about it. When a Maryland resident suffers a traumatic brain injury in an accident that was due to other individuals’ negligence, victims are typically entitled to file personal injury claims against them.  

In 2010, nearly 2.5 million visits to the emergency room were TBI-related and, of those contracted, over 50,000 resulted in death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As prevalent and deadly as they can sometimes be, TBIs can be difficult to diagnose, as they often present themselves differently — this means that people will show different symptoms for the same condition. Therefore, when individuals suffer a TBI, it might be days, months or even years before they’re aware of it if it’s not diagnosed right away and it could take even longer for them to realize the full impact of the injury on their brains.

Individuals who suffer a TBI might appear perfectly okay and alert once in the emergency room — unfortunately, as it sometimes takes several days for symptoms to appear, there’s a chance they might simply forget during that period of time when their doctors instruct them what to look out for. A TBI sometimes affects individuals’ ability to talk, relate to others and could even affect their ability to remember and focus. As an example, situations post-TBI that were once easy to handle are no longer so easy and can become incredibly stressful for some people.

A child was killed in a recent four-vehicle accident in another state. The 7-year-old boy died as a result of suffering a traumatic brain injury. When a victim suffers a that type of injury in Maryland — including those that result in death — they or their loved ones may consult a personal injury attorney in order to assess the situation and explore the legal options available.

The boy was a passenger in a car that was traveling north on a parkway on a recent Saturday. A car operated by a 56-year-old woman reportedly crossed the centerline of the roadway and collided with the car. Police say the wreck killed the young boy and injured five others in the same vehicle.

The boy, who was from Alabama, was rushed to a local medical center but was pronounced dead around 9 p.m. Police say the other driver was driving under the influence and was also involved in two separate car accidents — one right before the accident that took the child’s life and one shortly afterwards. Officials say she is currently facing a number of charges, including murder as well as first-degree homicide by vehicle, DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

Researchers now say that even mild head injuries caused by concussions lead to individuals suffering long-term impairments cognitively more often than they had previously thought. According to a new study by a leading university, the term mild traumatic brain injury might even be considered an oxymoron. When Maryland residents suffer a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of others, they are typically entitled to file a personal injury claim against the party or parties believed responsible.

The findings confirmed that even relatively mild concussion-type impacts on the brain can cause permanent damage. A traumatic brain injury is the main cause of disability and death in individuals from age 1 to 44 years old and leads to over two million visits to emergency rooms annually. A “mild” TBI — often referred to as a short-term loss of the brain’s normal functions after an impact to the head — is easily the most common TBI.

A mild TBI does not even typically receive medical attention. Even though individuals usually recover fully, recent studies in the last few years suggest that nearly one in five patients who have suffered a concussion also suffer cognitive impairment that lasts several months or even longer. Although the underlying cause of this kind of impairment has been a mystery for a considerable amount of time, researchers suspect that the same type of damage that occurs in a severe or fatal TBI occurs — albeit less extensively — in other, milder forms of concussions as well.

A Maryland student was injured after he was struck by a car while he was riding his bicycle recently. Police say the accident occurred near the campus of the University of St. Thomas on a recent Saturday morning in November. The bicyclist is currently in critical condition, and he has suffered a traumatic brain injury.

The student, a senior majoring in electrical engineering from Maple Grove, was biking around 11:45 a.m. when he was hit by a car. The force of the collision caused him to be thrown into the windshield of another vehicle. The side of the man’s head took the brunt of the impact, which caused him to suffer a traumatic brain injury.

The student was rushed to a local hospital. There, he underwent five hours of surgery, which successfully relieved the pressure on his brain. He was then transferred into the intensive care unit. He is currently capable of opening his eyes, nodding his head and following instructions; doctors hope his breathing tube may be removed soon.

In Maryland, when an individual suffers a brain injury due to another party’s negligence, he or she may be legally entitled to file a claim against that party for damages incurred as a result of the injury. A jury sitting in a U.S. District Court recently awarded a man $21.5 million in damages for a brain injury he suffered in November 2011, according to court documents and the man’s attorney. The out-of-state businessman apparently suffered a brain injury due to being hit in the head by an automatic sliding glass door on a cruise ship.

This verdict is considered one of the biggest to have come out of the federal court in the state. Of the $21.5 million awarded to the 61-year-old man, $16.5 million accounted for punitive damages against the cruise line, and $5 million was awarded for past, as well as future pain, as well as emotional distress and suffering. At trial, attorneys for the man produced evidence showing that dozens of others had been injured due to being struck by the sliding doors of the Holland America fleet. Faulty sensor settings led to the injuries, court documents say.

Surveillance video shows the man walking through two sets of sliding-glass doors and being struck in the face and head as the doors suddenly closed on him. Although he was originally diagnosed with a concussion, as well as “post-concussion” syndrome by the ship’s doctor, neurological tests later showed the man had actually suffered a minor traumatic brain injury. As a result of the injury, the man now suffers vertigo, memory loss and seizures.