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.

Amino Acids May Help Child Brain Injury Victims Improve Cognitive Functions

We recently added a FAQ to our website about current research on amino acids and their potential value to brain injury victims.  To read more about how amino acids may treat the brain damage that affects cognitive functions in children, click here.

As the "leading cause of death and disability in young children," (according to the Ivanhoe medical news website), traumatic brain injury is not to be taken lightly:  it can negatively affect a child's memory, ability to learn, and other functions of the brain.  As an advocate for injured and abused children who have suffered brain damage, Chris Keane has experience 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.

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

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

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).

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.

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.

CT Scans Only Necessary in Certain Circumstances? | Child Brain Injury Attorney

Many of the several thousand CT scans conducted per year on children who have suffered head injuries may be unnecessary, according to a new study described on the Brain and Spinal Cord website.  Although CT scans have been the traditional way to detect serious brain injuries in children and other head trauma victims, the new study asserts that several other methods for diagnosing brain injuries are more effective in many circumstances.  The research included a study of more than 42,000 children under the age of 19 who underwent different methods of detecting traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Of that group, about 15,000 children received CT scans, but less than 1,000 of those scans successfully detected signs of TBI, even though all the children in the study had been in accidents with serious impact to the head or sustained injuries bumping their heads.

What methods should be used to detect child brain injuries?  According to the article, performing DTI scans and monotoring NSE protein levels in the blood have proven successful in former studies in revealing the subtle brain damage that CT scans cannot detect.  These recommendations should not be misunderstood, however:  in some instances, a CT scan is absolutely necessary.  The new study defined six signs that indicate a CT scan should be conducted:  altered states of mind, unusual behavior, unconsciousness, headaches, vomiting, and signs of skull fracture.  Doctors were encouraged to find one of more of these indicators before sending a patient to a CT scan.

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.