Child Sustains Traumatic Brain Injury in Car Accident, Mother Charged

A woman who drove under the influence of strong prescription drugs and failed to fasten her children's seat belts has been charged in connection with a car accident she caused that injured both her children, according to ABC's WQOW 18 news website.  Investigators believe that the Wisconsin mother put both children in car seats but stuffed the buckles behind the seats rather than fastening them.  In the accident, which occurred last April, one of her children was ejected from the vehicle and sustained a traumatic brain injury.  A crime lab report reveals that the mother had three prescription drugs in her system when the crash occurred, one of which was used to sedate surgery patients.

As an advocate for injured children and father of two himself, Chris Keane expresses his deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the children in this accident, and he hopes for the full and fast recovery of the traumatic brain injury victim.  Narrowing his legal focus to child injuries, attorney Chris Keane has worked with the best experts in the field of pediatric traumatic brain injury.  If you have questions about child brain injuries, feel free to contact Chris Keane online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS for free answers concerning your unique situation.

Symptoms & Signs of Head Injuries/Brain Injuries

The symptoms and signs of head injuries in children vary depending on the specific type, severity, and location of the injuries involved, but some of the neurological symptoms common among head- or brain-injured children are listed below (adapted from the Community Connect to Research site):

• headache


• dizziness


• seizures or convulsions


• unresponsiveness


• drowsiness


• loss of consciousness or "passing out"


• confusion


• memory loss


• slurred speech


• vomiting or nausea


• problems walking


• numbness, weakness, or even paralysis in part of the body


• problems with coordination


• aggressive or irrational behavior.

Some of the physical signs often associated with child head injuries are the following:

• bleeding from the ear


• discoloration (black and blue) behind the ear or around the eyes


• clear fluid coming out of the nose (often indicating a skull fracture)


• a dent where the impact occurred


• a cut, bump, or bruise on the head


• a bulge at the soft spot between the skull bones (in infants).

As illustrated in the above-listed symptoms, head injuries are often serious and require close medical attention and care.  If you believe that your child has suffered a head or brain injury and you have questions for child brain injury attorney Chris Keane, feel free to contact him online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS.  As a father of two himself and advocate for injured and abused children, he will answer your questions for free regarding your unique situation.

Lead Poisoning: A Brain Injury Suffered by Many Children

We recently added an article to our library about lead poisoning and child brain injuries.  Although lead poisoning "can affect nearly every system in the body," according to the CDC, it is considered a head injury and a brain injury, which can result in learning or behavioral problems by the time a child is four or five if it goes undetected for a while.  To read more about lead poisoning, click here.

Don't put your child at risk of the consequences of lead poisoning.  Get your child tested as soon as possible, and feel free to contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane with your most pressing questions.  After spending years as an advocate for children with head and brain injuries, he has worked with the best medical experts in the field, and he will consult with you for free regarding your unique situation.

Contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

Child Brain Injury Focus: Cerebral Palsy

One of the many types of child brain injuries we receive questions about is cerebral palsy.  A number of forms of the condition exist; cerebral palsy is simply and umbrella term that refers to a number of neurological disorders which result in abnormal movement.  Cerebral palsy can occur at various times in young children:

• during pregnancy


• during childbirth


• or after birth, typically up to the age of three.

Commonly referred to as CP, the condition is caused by damage to the motor control centers in the child's developing brain.  According to the Mom Stress Relief website, almost 800,000 people in the U.S. live with CP, suffering problems ranging from mild to severe damage of the nervous system (the more brain damage that exists, the more severe the symptoms).  Although sometimes the symptoms may not be noticeable until the nervous system of the child becomes more developed, the most common symptoms reported are the following:

• limited motor skills


• seizures


• difficulty swallowing


• loss of hearing


• speech impairment


• skeletal deformities


• learning disabilities (in extreme cases to the point of mental retardation)


• and even  paralysis.

Often these symptoms occur due to the abnormal state of the muscles:  they are typically very relaxed or very stiff.  As a result, a child with cerebral palsy may hold his or her limbs in unusual positions, make jerky or abrupt (or sometimes slower) movements, and experience difficulty drinking, eating, or sucking.  Some CP victims may drool often or have trouble controlling their saliva, or they may aspirate food or drinks.  Children who suffer from the effects of cerebral palsy on only one side of the body may have shorter limbs on that side.

If your child has suffered a brain injury or has cerebral palsy, feel free to contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane with your questions.  As a loving father and an advocate for injured children, he will answer your questions for free with compassion and regard for your unique situation. Click here to contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

Students With Brain Injuries Find Help in New Project for Concussion Management

Some children suffering the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) require unique resources and strategic teaching or study methods in school.  According to optometrist Lynn Helerstein, who treats brain injury patients for vision problems, a new resource has become available-- not only for those children-- but for those who are working with them.  Although many schools lack the preparation and resources to help these students achieve when they return to school after suffering brain injuries, the REAP Project is designed to help those students upon their return to the educational system.

Based in Colorado, the REAP Project (an acronym for Reduce, Educate, Accommodate, Pace) is a "TBI Trust Fund Education grant between Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children/Health One Emergency Departments and four school districts."  It is essentially a published manual of the results of a CDC-funded study from 2004 to 2007.  In the research of students with brain injuries (specifically concussions) as compared to student peers without brain injuries, the CDC discovered the two most important factors in all aspects of concussion management:  education and collaboration.  Specifically, these terms refer to good communication between "a School Team, a Family Team and a Medical Team" in creating a "community based concussion (mTBI) management program."  In short, the REAP Project and manual promote a "Community-Based Approach to Concussion Management" so that students who suffer from mild TBI can achieve greater success in their learning environments.

If your child has suffered a concussion or another form of brain injury, do not hesitate to seek medical attention.  Every brain injury is a serious matter and must be treated properly.  If you have questions regarding children and brain injuries, contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane, and he will answer your questions for free with compassion and professionalism.  1-888-592-KIDS.

Is Your Shopping Cart Safe? Child Brain Injuries & Shopping Cart Falls

Some of the leading causes of head injuries in young children are falls from shopping carts, according to a report from the WIBW news website.  The majority of injuries from shopping carts in the U.S. involve children from ages one to two, with those injuries ranging from head and brain injuries to broken bones.  According to the report, many shopping carts are not as safe as they seem for children, specifically when children are seated in the carts improperly or, at times, even when they are seated properly.  Although following safety precautions when putting your child in a cart is essential, it may not prevent injury at all times.  An estimated 20,000 children under the age of five sustain shopping cart-related injuries each year in the U.S., with falls as the number one cause of these injuries (83% of them).  Many of these falls result in child brain injuries.  Since shopping carts vary in weight, height, dimensions of wheel bases, and centers of gravity, it may be difficult to know which carts are safer than others and which carts have flaws in their design.  Until all carts are designed to be safe for young children to use their seats, parents should consider alternatives to placing children in carts.

If your child has been injured in a shopping cart-related incident, feel free to contact child injury attorney Chris Keane with your questions and concerns.  The Keane Law Firm can provide you with important information regarding standards for warning labels, child restraint systems, and seat buckles on shopping carts.  We will also freely provide you with other resources concerning head and brain injuries, other types of child injuries, and how to find the best medical treatment.

Contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS.

Relevant Link:

More Than 20,000 Children Annually Injured By Shopping Carts

Do Early-Age Brain Injuries Cause ADHD?: The Real Link Between Child Head Injuries and ADHD

Is pediatric brain injury connected to ADHD?  Recent brain injury and mental health research indicate that the answer is YES.  According to the Organized Wisdom website, young children who sustain head and brain injuries are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) when they reach ages 2 through 10 than children who do not suffer head injuries.  The research indicates, however, that the relationship between child brain injury and ADHD is NOT necessarily that of cause and effect.  Instead, the "common denominator" is in behavior, specifically risk-taking.

British researchers conducted the study in hopes of finding out if a head injury sustained before the age of 2 might lead to a diagnosis of ADHD in the brain-injured child at age 2 or later (the condition cannot be diagnosed until age 2).  The results of the study revealed that children with early-age head injuries did have a 90 percent higher incidence of ADHD diagnosis than children in the general population.  However, since children with other injuries (specifically burn or scalding injuries) also had a higher incidence of ADHD diagnosis than the general population, no real cause-and-effect relationship could be identified between brain injuries and the behavioral disorder.

According to the researchers, the study revealed that children engaging in risk-taking behavior are more prone to serious injury and developing ADHD than children with more moderate behavior.  Previous research confirms that ADHD children are more accident-prone than those without the condition.

If your child has suffered a head injury or brain injury and you have questions about the link between pediatric brain injury and other conditions, feel free to contact child brain injury lawyer Chris Keane.  Narrowing his practice to representing children only has enabled him to work with the best experts in the field of head and brain injuries, and he will be glad to provide you with free helpful resources, information, or answers to questions during your time of need.

You may contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

Bicycle Helmets & Brain Injury Prevention: Should Helmets Be Required for Bike-Riding Children?

According to the Union-Bulletin Editorial Board, more and more children (at least in the board's area of Walla Walla, Washington) are riding bikes without wearing helmets.  The board believes that the decreasing numbers of children wearing helmets while riding bicycles is due in part to a lack of emphasis on the importance of safety while bike riding.  According to the board's website, children under 12 seemed to wear their helmets more readily when on bicycles about a decade ago, during the time when bike safety was a hot topic.  Should children be required to wear bicycle helmets when riding bikes?  Statistics from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute indicate that they should:

• Bicyclists who do not wear helmets are 14 times more likely to be killed in an accident than those who wear helmets.

• Over 60 percent of bicycle-related fatalities result from head injuries, which are often brain injuries.

• The percentage of bike-related brain injuries that could be prevented by the use of a helmet is estimated to be between 45% and 88%.

Along with sports, abuse, and car accidents, bicycle accidents are a common cause of child or teenage brain injuries.  Any blow to the head can result in a brain injury with serious side effects, no matter how insignificant the injury may seem at first.  If your child or teenager has been injured in bike accident that you believe may have resulted in a head injury, concussion, or brain damage, seek medical attention as soon as possible.  As a child brain injury lawyer who works with the medical experts in the field, Chris Keane is an advocate for injured or abused children, and he will answer your most pressing brain injury questions for free with compassion and professionalism.

Contact Chris Keane online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS.

Drowning Accidents That Led to Fatal Brain Injuries | Child Brain Injury Lawyer

The recent loss of a toddler girl due to drowning in El Paso, Texas, added to the year of tragedy suffered by residents in El Paso County.  According to the KDBC 4 news website, this incident of the 4-year-old girl's drowning in her family's backyard pool is the seventh child drowning incident in 2009 for El Paso County.  Among the children lost this year was one-year-old Jacquelynn Holt, who drowned in a bathtub at her parents' house on August 7.  Her father reportedly left the room for 3 to 5 minutes to check Ebay on his computer and, when he returned, found her face down in the tub and not breathing.  Although she was put on life support at the hospital, she did not survive the tragic accident.  Doctors diagnosed her with anoxic brain injury, which results from a lack of oxygen to the brain, and they estimated that she went without breathing for 30 to 40 minutes from the time of the accident to her arrival at the hospital.

Drowning accidents can lead to serious or even fatal injuries, often due to the lack of oxygen to the brain.  Regardless of the cause of brain injury, child injury attorney Chris Keane works as an advocate for children who suffer brain injuries from abuse, accidents, sports, or other incidents that resulted from someone's negligence.  If your child has sustained a head or brain injury and you have questions for a child brain injury lawyer, contact Chris Keane for free answers concerning your unique situation.  The Keane Law Firm will provide you with the resources, help finding medical experts, and support your child needs following such a serious injury.  Keane can also discuss ways he can assist you if you are dealing with an incident of wrongful death.

Click here to contact Chris Keane via the web or call 888-592-KIDS.

Mother To Receive From $6.7 to $10.4 Million After Infant Suffered Fatal Brain Injuries in Car Accident

Following a tragic car accident that resulted in fatal brain injuries to her 4-month-old boy, mother Jessica Malcolm filed a lawsuit against Evenflo, the manufacturer of the child car seat her son was riding in at the time of the crash.  According to an article from Benchmarks/Lawyers USA, Malcolm received the child safety seat from a friend when she was pregnant, and she called Evenflo to ensure that it was safe to use (and was told that it was safe).  On July 16, 2000, however, an oncoming vehicle swerved into Malcom's lane and forced her SUV off the road, causing it to roll three times and land in a ditch.  As it was rolling over, a plastic hook on the seat belt of baby Tyler's car seat broke off, causing him to be ejected while still in the seat.  The infant suffered serious brain injuries that led to his death.  Now, years later, Jessica Malcolm will be compensated anywhere from $6.7 to $10.4 million in damages.

As an advocate for children who suffer brain injuries from accidents or abuse and families who have lost children due to brain injury, Chris Keane expresses his deepest sympathies to the family and friends of baby Tyler and others who have lost.  Although nothing can truly compensate for the tragic loss of a child, certain measures can be taken following wrongful death from brain injury to help the family as they recover.  If you have lost a child in a car accident or due to another incident that resulted in brain injury, feel free to contact child wrongful death and brain injury lawyer Chris Keane.  The Keane Law Firm will gladly provide you with the resources and assistance you need following this tragic loss.

Contact Chris Keane online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS.

Infant Suffers Brain Injuries From Abuse, Parents Charged With Child Endangerment | Child Brain Injury Lawyer

Although custody rights are still to be determined for the child, an infant boy who suffered serious brain injuries due to abuse from his parents has been released from the hospital in Des Moines and placed in long-term care, according to the Des Moines Register online.  The article reports that baby Ethan Neiderbach, now four months old, was admitted to the hospital for severe rib and head injuries this past June and suffered a broken arm before he was even one month old.  According to court records, baby Ethan was born with marijuana in his system, and his parents, 20-year-olds Jonas Neiderbach and Jherica Richardson, have been charged with child abuse and child endangerment and are scheduled for trial on November 2, 2009.

Brain injuries are not to be taken lightly, and when they result from abuse, the legal concerns surrounding them become even more complex.  If your child or a child you know has suffered a head or brain injury and you have questions for an experienced child brain injury attorney, feel free to contact child injury lawyer Chris Keane for free answers and advice concerning your unique situation.  As an advocate for injured and abused children, Chris Keane has devoted his practice to representing children and only children in brain injury, shaken baby syndrome, and other injury and abuse cases, and he will consult with you regarding your child with compassion and professionalism.

Contact Chris Keane online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

Relevant Link:

Boy in abuse case released from hospital