January 20, 2012

Head Injuries

Head injuries include both injuries to the brain and those to other parts of the head, such as the scalp and skull. Head injuries may be closed or open. A closed head injury is where the brain mater remains intact. In these cases, the skull can be fractured, but not necessarily. A penetrating head injury occurs when an object pierces the skull and breaches the brain mater. Brain injuries may occur over a wide area, only be located in a small area.

The number of new cases of head injury is 300 per 100,000 per year (0.3% of the population), with a mortality of 25 per 100,000 in North America. Head trauma is a common cause of childhood hospitalization. Common causes of head injury are car accidents, accidents at home or at work, falls, and assaults.

Surprisingly, experts have suggested that helmets may increase the risk of neck injury in a crash or fall. This is especially the case for children because they have a greater head to body ratio.

Usually, people buy helmets to protect their head in case of an accident. For instance, skiers and snowboarders use helmets to prevent a serious head injury. A study conducted in Europe, Asia and North America found that helmet use in recreational activities is benficial. However, the study failed to determine if the design, quality, or fit of the helmet had an impact on the helmet's protection. Experts also determined that "risks of head injury can be reduced by 35%...and between 2 and 5 of every 10 head injuries among helmet users could be prevented."

If a person is injured while playing a sport, a traumatic brain injury could likely happen. Brain injuries don't necessarily reslut in a long-term disability. The location of the injury and the extent of the damage caused have a huge effect on the outcome.

If you or someone you know has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to an accident or an assualt, it would be wise to consult with an experienced injury attorney in your area. The Myrtle Beach injury lawyers at The Mace Firm are ready to speak with you about your case. Call today to schedule your free consultation.

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November 10, 2011

Brain Injuries

Scientists in the UK and Belgium have uncovered a new way of communicating with paitients who have brain damage. The method, called EEG, is painless and only involves sticking electrodes to their heads. All of the patients in the trial had been diagnosed with severe brain injuries and were in a vegetative state. When a person is in a vegitative state, they are awake but have no awareness of their surroundings or themselves. In the trial, "patients were asked to imagine wiggling their toes or squeezing their right hand. The brain activity of three of the 16 patients showed they were repeatedly able to follow commands." Helen Gill-Thwaites, a consultant in the diagnosis of low awareness states at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN) in Putney said: "For a small proportion of patients EEG could be a very useful tool in the diagnostic process."

Severe brian injury, also called Traumatic brain injury (TBI), is a form of acquired brain injury, and occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. Other symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.

Nearly 1.7 million people in the United States sustain traumatic brain injuries each year from common causes such as auto accidents and falls. In addition, American Service members serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world face unique risks of traumatic brain injury from routine military operations, enemy fire and explosive devices. According to the DoD, in the past 12 years, more than 200,000 Service members deployed worldwide have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, adding to the urgent need for preventive methods and treatments. Total costs of traumatic brain injury in the United States - including medical care, lost wages and other expenses - exceed $60 billion.

If one of your family members has suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may need to speak with a brain injury lawyer in your area. The experienced brain injury lawyers in Myrtle Beach are ready to speak with you about your case. Call The Mace Firm to schedule your free consultation with one of our Myrtle Beach brain injury lawyers.

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March 22, 2011

Congresswoman Gifford's Brain Injury

Congresswoman Gifford is making an amazing recovery from the injury she suffered earlier this year. The gunshot wound to her head is not an typical brain injury and her recovery is extraordinary. Many injuries of this type will make recovery impossible. The best one can usually hope for is some type of communication after months of therapy. In Ms. Gifford's case, she has made great improvements in a short period of time. She has been using an Ipad and has begun to speak with friends and family. It is unclear as to how much more recovery she will make in the future, but it appears that she may actually make an almost complete recovery. Medicine and treatment for such injuries has improved to the level where such a recovery would not have been possible twenty years ago.
Treatment of any time of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is expensive to say the least. Many people with no insurance have to rely on government funds and support to get the bare bones treatment needed for some recovery. Even private insurance at times will come with a maximum amount of reimbursement for treatment. At times there may be a potential for a lawsuit to recovery for the injury, but this will only be a portion of the money necessary for proper treatment. Our brain injury lawyers spend a great deal of time explaining the cost of treatment based on our experience and the cost of possible future assisted care. We have personal injury lawyers licensed in South Carolina, Florida, New York and Georgia. We represent individuals and families that must endure the difficult time. There are many resources available for families and a good personal injury lawyer can help with the organization and use of these resources.

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November 15, 2010

Traumatic Brain Injury

Every year millions of people suffer from brain injuries. Many times these injuries are bad enough to go to the hospital. A serious injury is most likely to happen to someone who is in a car crash. Other causes of head injuries include slipping and falling or falling from a window, and also bicycle or motorcycle accidents.

Traumatic Brain Injuries(TBI) can be very serious and need emergency treatment. Some head injuries may not appear for days or even weeks after the incident. If it is a serious traumatic brain injury, one will need emergency treatment and possibly rehabilitation.

If you or someone you care about has sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury please call The Mace Firm to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced, compassionate Traumatic Brain Injury attorneys.

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July 23, 2010

Traumatic Brain Injury in the Military

BAE Systems has announced a $17 million U.S. Army contract will allow the company to provide a system called Headborne Energy Analysis and Diagnostic System (HEADS) to the military to detect even mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Sometimes soldiers will continue their mission after an explosion not realizing that they may have a concussion that could have long term effects. HEADS will be placed in the soldier's helmet and a red light will blink upon impact to alert the soldier that he/she may have a TBI. This technology will also help with developing better protective equipment.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to someone else's negligence, please call The Mace Firm to schedule a consultation to speak with our experienced traumatic brain injury attorneys.

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April 23, 2010

Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is damage to the brain caused by a sudden, violent blow to the head. The severity of traumatic brain injury can vary greatly depending on which part of the brain is affected and the amount of damage to that part of the brain. The degree of damage can range from minor with temporary confusion and headache to major resulting in profound disability or death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.4 million people experience TBI each year in the United States and approximately 50,000 will die.

The cost of taking care of a loved one who has suffered a traumatic brain injury can be in the millions of dollars. It is estimated that over a lifetime, it can cost anywhere from $600,000 to $1,875,000 to care for a survivor of severe TBI.

Survivors of traumatic brain injury need specialized legal representation if planning to pursue a case. The attorney needs to be experienced in the medical and legal issues involved. At The Mace Firm we have compassionate attorneys who understand the turmoil that you may be going through. We are prepared to represent you in federal and state court should the need arise. If you or someone you know is going through this horrible traumatic experience please call The Mace Firm to schedule your free consultation with Russell W. Mace III.

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