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).

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

Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Gala to Help Families With Brain-Injured Children

The parents of an 8-year-old son who suffered pediatric traumatic brain injury after a 2006 accident, Dawn and Kurt Schessl have become advocates for other child brain injury victims, according to the Catholic Courier online.  The creators of a nonprofit organization aimed to help other families cope after a child brain injury, the Schessls focus their efforts on helping those families navigate the medical and educational systems involved after traumatic brain injury.  The foundation also contributes to transporting brain injury victims from home and school to medical facilities and educating families about helpful resources available to them.  In order to continue the good work, the Schessls have scheduled a Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury gala in their home state of New York to raise funds for the organization.  The event, which will be held at Casa Larga Vineyards from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. November 21, will include live and silent auctions, dancing, and interaction with master of ceremonies Glenn Johnson, Channel 13's meteorologist in Rochester.  Funds from the event will go toward providing schools and families with helpful manuals regarding children's abilities after brain injury.  The Schessls hope to give video resources to teachers explaining strategies for teaching students with brain injuries, as well.

As an advocate for injured and abused children who have suffered brain damage, Chris Keane narrows his legal focus to representing children and only children.  Such a narrow focus has given him the opportunity and experience of working with the best medical experts in the field of child brain injury.  If you have questions regarding pediatric traumatic brain injury or child head injuries in general, contact Chris Keane online or at 888-592-KIDS for free answers and advice unique to your specific situation.

Relevant Link:

Family works to help others with brain injuries

Conference on Child Brain Injuries to Host Nine Experts in the Field

Charleston, West Virginia is holding a conference on child brain injuries early this November in hopes to address the "silent yet serious epidemic" of brain injury to children, according to The Journal online.  Titled "My Child Has a Brain Injury: Information for Families and Schools," the conference will host keynote speaker Ron Savage, president of the North American Brain Injury Society.  Among the topics to be discussed by Savage and other experts at the event are bicycle accidents, abuse, sports, and auto accidents, all leading causes of pediatric brain injury.  According to the article, approximately 130,000 bicycle accidents per year result in brain injuries to children and adolescents, and a total of about 1 million children in the U.S. sustain brain injuries each year, ranging in degree from mild to severe.  Additionally, approximately one-third of all cases of child injury involve injury to the brain.

Those interested in more child brain injury facts and statistics such as these may wish to attend the conference, which is scheduled for Nov. 5 and 6 at South Charleston's Ramada Inn.  Sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of West Virginia, the conference will feature talks from nine brain injury experts.

As highlighted in these statistics, brain injuries can be extremely serious, and children are not immune to such injuries.  If you believe that your child has suffered a head or brain injury for any reason, seek medical attention immediately.  For information on how to receive the best medical care from the experts in the field or how to receive compensation for medical bills and other expenses, feel free to contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane.

Click here to contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

Click here for more information about child injury lawyer Chris Keane.

Tim Tebow's Concussion Controversy: What We Can Learn from the Brain Injury Incident

In the midst of controversy over his condition and whether he should play just two weeks after suffering his first career concussion, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow stepped onto the football field this past Saturday to start in the Gators' game against the LSU Tigers.  What began the heated discussions was a hit during Florida's game against Kentucky:  as Tebow was being sacked, his helmet struck a teammate's leg, leaving him motionless on the ground before he was finally able to make his way to the sideline, where he then began to vomit and display other signs of concussion.  After suffering the serious brain injury, the Heisman Trophy winner was taken to a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he spent Saturday night and was released on Sunday.

After undergoing balance and memory tests, avoiding reading or watching television (due to a lasting headache), and following other doctor recommendations for an extended period of time, Tebow was medically cleared to play with his team in their October 10th game.  According to coach Urban Meyer, the quarterback understood the severity of his brain injury and took the proper precautions to ensure that he was recovering.  One of the ways doctors determined the degree of his recovery was by comparing his recent test results to that of baseline tests taken in June.  Baseline testing-- now used by many college football programs-- involves a 20-minute computerized test that is used to measure the visual motor skills, memory, speed, and brain processing of the athlete.  When that athlete suffers a concussion, he goes through the same tests so that doctors can compare the results.

What can we learn from this incident of serious brain injury?  No matter the severity of the head trauma, we can learn that sports often lead to serious injuries such as concussions.  Although Tebow appeared to experience complete recovery from his injury within a couple weeks, others do not always heal as quickly or easily.  We recently added a post to this Child Brain Injury Blog about the symptoms of concussions, their common link to sports, and the dangers of the serious head injury.  In fact, a more recent post discussed an incident of fatal brain injury from concussion that occurred during a high school football game.  If your child or teenager has been injured while playing sports and you believe he or she may have suffered a concussion or another type of brain injury, do not hesitate to seek medical care.  For free resources and answers to your most important questions, contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane.  As an advocate for athletes and other young victims of brain injury, Keane will help you find the best medical care and rehabilitation for your child.

Click here to contact Chris Keane online or call 888-592-KIDS.

Relevant Link:

Tests to determine Tebow's return

4-Month-Old Baby Found With Bleeding of the Brain and Retinal Hemorrhages When Picked Up From Babysitter

A babysitter in Des Moines has been charged with felony child endangerment for allegedly abusing a 4-month-old baby who suffered a brain injury in the incident, according to the Des Moines Register.  Thirty-four-year-old Melissa Watts was recently arrested in connection with the tragic incident, which occurred when she was babysitting little Emiliano Ramirez.  According to the article, the baby's grandmother arrived to pick up the child on September 15 and noticed that he looked pale.  Upon medical examination at the hospital, it was discovered that young Emiliano had bleeding of the brain and retinal hemorrhages.  In order to relieve pressure on the baby's brain, physicians had to drill.  The child is now at home recovering.

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.

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