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Archive for the ‘ Brain Injury ’ Category

Jan

San Jose Students Receive 2,500 Free Bicycle Helmets and Safety Lessons

January 9, 2012

From the moment a child first peddles their bike down the driveway for the first time, it is vital to begin teaching them the importance of wearing a helmet and following safety rules. Unfortunately, not all children are taught these lessons early on. That is why, according to CBS-San Francisco News, the San Jose Department of Transportation and the Franklin-McKinley school district have partnered in a new campaign.

The pair has joined forces to give away approximately 2,500 bicycle helmets to children within the school district. A spokesman for the groups and associate transportation specialist with the City of San Jose, Devin Gianchandani, said the helmets were made possible by a $55,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. He added that the children would receive a helmet along with, “Pedestrian-bicycle safety education through the city’s nationally recognized street smart program.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that every year, approximately 1,000 die in bicycle-related accidents. Of those accident victims, 62 percent suffered from a traumatic head injury. The agency states that the most effective way to prevent such injuries is to wear a helmet.

The California brain injury attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers understand that traumatic brain injuries can have a full spectrum of effects on a victim. Founding Attorney William Berg recently discussed how and why diagnosing brain injuries can be difficult and what steps to take in a recent news interview.

Dec

Torture Victim Files Claim For Damages Against State Schools And Agencies

December 19, 2011

A 19-year-old woman from Sacramento, California, who escaped from the home of her adoptive mother where she was held against her will and tortured, has filed a claim for damages against the Sacramento County Child Protective Services and the Sacramento City Unified School District. According to The Sacramento Bee, the claim alleges that several employees of the agency and school district failed to protect the girl against the suspected abuse.

The girl was born addicted to cocaine because of her birth mother’s drug abuse problems, and she suffered beatings, burnings, and solitary confinement later in life by her adoptive mother. And yet, authority figures from teachers to case workers have been documented at their own hand as doing nothing to stop it.

One key factor may hold the case back. California State law requires a personal injury case to be filed within six months of the injury, with very few exceptions. The abuse in this case ended around two years ago, which may keep the case out of the courtroom. Prosecutors allege the woman suffered from a mental illness from the abuse know as Stockholm Syndrome, which held her back from filing the claim.

That’s why the California Personal Injury Attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers say it is important to file your claim as soon as you can after an accident occurs. If you have questions regarding a claim you need to file, we have answers.

Nov

Concussions Receiving Attention From Media And California Lawmakers

November 28, 2011

Media coverage of the long-term effects National Football League (NFL) players have suffered from concussions has forced changes to the way high school athletes and their parents and coaches are approaching these injuries. According to the Sacramento Bee, a new California state law will regulate how officials and teams must handle the injuries.

One research group’s findings explain that concussions may be the cause of a degenerative brain disease, which hundreds of ex-professional athletes have suffered from. These findings have had such an influence on some players that they have not gone back to the sport after receiving a concussion.

One California football player suffered three major concussions during the span of his high school football career. When the fourth major trauma occurred, he decided to call it quits.

California will begin enforcing new guidelines in January for the way sports officials handle head injuries. Referees have the right to remove a player from a game if they suspect a concussion. That player is not allowed back on the field, for practices or matches, until cleared by a healthcare specialist. Parents and coaches are also now required to sign a waiver form saying they understand the symptoms and effects a concussion could have on a student-athlete.

The California Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers with Berg Injury Lawyers are encouraged by the new regulations lawmakers have put in place, and urge parents, coaches, and athletes to be mindful of concussions while on the field.

Jul

San Francisco Bicyclist Dies After Collision with Delivery Truck

July 25, 2011

A bicyclist who was involved in a crash with a delivery truck Wednesday morning died yesterday from injuries sustained in the accident. ABC 7 News reported that the 25-year-old San Francisco woman was traveling eastbound on Mission Street and was struck by the westbound traveling delivery truck as she attempted to turn left onto Fremont Street. Both she and the truck driver had green lights; however, the bicyclist’s turn was illegal as only taxicabs and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency buses are allowed to turn left at the location.

According to San Francisco Police spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield, the woman was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and suffered a serious head wound along with other injuries. She was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where she died Sunday.

Several campaigns in the city are aimed at educating cyclists on proper methods, techniques, and etiquette for riding on the road. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition offers courses and training in urban biking for novices and beginners. These courses will teach riders everything they need to know, from the laws of the road they must abide to, to gear shifting techniques on tough hills.

The California Bicycle Accident Attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers suggest cyclists educate themselves on safe, smart riding, and encourage them to always wear a helmet. These are the best ways to protect yourself on the road.

May

San Francisco Files Suit Against Insurance Companies

May 30, 2011

Patients requiring emergency services at the hospital are not the only ones having to fight tooth-and-nail with insurance companies to get what they need and deserve. CBS-San Francisco reported last Wednesday that the city of San Francisco has filed lawsuit against three prominent insurance companies. City Attorney, Dennis Herrera claims the three companies- Blue Cross of California, Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company, and Health Net- underpaid San Francisco General Hospital on emergency care reimbursements.

Herrera insists that the insurer’s shortchange will cost San Francisco taxpayer’s millions of dollars considering the fact that the emergency department at the hospital receives more than 50,000 visits per year. He was quoted as saying, “These defendants are putting on the backs of taxpayer’s the obligation to make up the shortfalls,” The city is seeking an injunction from the court that will force the companies to pay more for each claim, while also seeking civil penalties of $2500 for each infraction of underpaid claims.

Anthem Blue Cross responded by saying the claims have no merit and that they will “vigorously” defend their billing process and procedure.

Man Arrested In Connection With Giants Fan Beating

May 23, 2011

CBS-San Francisco is reporting that a tip from a parole officer has led to the arrest of the “Main Aggressor” in the beating case of a San Francisco Giants fan. The 42-year-old paramedic and father of two, was attacked on March 31 in the parking lot of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Stadium. The man has been in a medically induced coma for the last two months since the attack and has had a slow recovery process.

In a police statement released Sunday night, a Los Angeles man had been arrested in association with the case on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $1 million bail. Two other suspects are still on the loose.

Lawsuit requires hospital to pay man for his San Francisco brain injury

May 15, 2008

San Francisco General Hospital has agreed to a $5.1 million settlement for the lawsuit of a man who suffered a brain injury after a misdiagnosis.

The San Francisco brain injury occurred after the man sought treatment at the hospital for a fever and cough. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, he suffered from cardio respiratory failure after the hospital’s staff failed to monitor the successive doses of sedatives they were giving him for renal failure. The man also suffered anoxic brain injury.

The money awarded for the California brain injury lawsuit will provide home care for the man who now requires twenty-four hours of medical care.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/30/BAQG10E1CL.DTL&hw=san+francisco+general+hospital&sn=001&sc=1000

Oct

$11.5 investment made to examine therapies for California brain injuries

A clinical trial will occur in 12 U.S. cities aimed to help children who have suffered traumatic California brain injuries.

Patients must have received a severe California brain injury caused by blunt trauma, such as those caused by California auto accidents. The trial is expected to last five years and will test induced hypothermia as a therapy for brain swelling in children who have suffered a serious California head injury.

The Davis Medical Center at the University of California will be one of the main participants in the trial.

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