By Rick Shapiro, Brain Injury Attorney

Baseball is taking extra precautions to protect players against brain and head injuries with a new series of protocols adopted by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

The new joint policy related to concussions, includes the creation of a seven-day disabled list, MLB.com reports. A committee of experts created the policy. It dictates how concussions, which are sometimes called closed head injuries, are diagnosed initially and will be used to determine when players and umpires can return to the field following a concussion. The new policy goes into effect on Opening Day.

If you hit your head in a fall, accident or in a physical assault, you may suffer concussion-like symptoms known as post concussion syndrome, for weeks or months afterward, while traumatic brain injuries can cause memory loss. Mild traumatic brain injuries are less obvious. However, a mild traumatic brain injury can cause permanent damage. There is a increasing body of evidence that these concussion-type injuries, if untreated, can lead to other complications such as Parkinson-type diseases and dementia.

Increasingly, schools and sports authorities are taking action to learn more about the symptoms of concussion. Steps have been taken in Virginia (VA) in recent months to improve the safety of baseball, including a ban on high performance aluminum bats.

A batted baseball regularly travels at speeds of almost 100 mph. Balls coming off BESR-rated — ball exit speed ratio– bats easily reach speeds of 105 mph or greater. And the death of Double A first base coach Mike Coolbaugh during a Tulsa Drillers game in 2007 demonstrated how dangerous baseball can be. Increased the speed at which the ball enters play, and players and coaches in the field can have almost no chance to protect themselves from serious injuries to their heads, eyes, arms, legs or bodies.

Our firm has handled a larger number of cases involving baseball. In one case, which we recently concluded, the manufacturer and the seller of a baseball pitching machine had improperly designed their product in such a way as to cause a facial injury to the athlete using the equipment. This kind of product liability case requires a showing that the people who made and distributed the machinery had either designed it improperly or produced a product defectively in a way that would cause injury to someone when used normally. A permanent injury to a person’s eye occurred in this instance.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, we proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By Randy Appleton, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

Concussion injuries are more common at schools than previously thought, research at a school in New York (NY) has discovered.

At Rye High School, an increased focus on preventing and treating head injuries has yielded alarming. results. Rye’s Concussion Management Team, which was formed last year, has found that all athletes are at risk from mild traumatic brain injury in just about every sport, lohud.com reported.

“We’ve found concussions in every single sport at this school,” said family nurse practitioner Tracy Barnett, a member of the Concussion Management Team.

The highest rates of concussion at Rye were found in girls lacrosse and cheerleading, almost equaling those in football, according to Barnett and Melissa Puterio, the school’s athletic trainer. Soccer, boys lacrosse, wrestling and basketball were other sports with a notable number of head injuries.

Concussion rates vary depending on the study, but football is typically followed by soccer and basketball with the highest incidence rates. Studies also find that female athletes suffer a higher rate of head injuries than males who play a similar sport.

Across the country new laws and tests are being developed to prevent athletes from playing on after suffering concussions.

We recently highlighted how, also in Massachusetts (MA), schools are developing a test to recognize concussions in athletes.

Players should also familiarize themselves with the symptoms of concussion. Parents should find out if their child’s school has a concussion policy.

A mild traumatic brain injury is not always detectable. But a mild traumatic brain injury can be anything but mild and can cause lasting damage.

Our firm has led the way in highlighting the dangers of concussion, pointing out a mild traumatic brain injury, can be anything but mild in its long term effects. We have worked closely with the families of victims and our firm obtained the largest personal injury verdict in Virginia history as of 2000, for a gas station attendant who suffered a brain injury and other orthopedic injuries when he was pinned inside a partly demolished gas station when a Norfolk Southern train derailed due to a wrong switch position.

As new data on concussions emerged across Virginia, the General Assembly recently passed legislation requiring medical clearance for students to return to play.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, we proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By Jim Lewis, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

A valuable overview of a serious problem faced by people who survive near-drownings has been posted to our firm’s website. As noted in the article, it can take fewer than four minutes of oxygen-deprivation for permanent brain damage to develop. People with traumatic brain injuries becaused they almost drowned face the same challenges as those whose TBIs can be traced to falls, car accidents or assaults.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm that  focuses on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboardas pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will promptly return your call.

By Richard Shapiro, personal injury attorney

It’s well known that a hot curry can clear the sinuses but the effect of curry in helping victims of a traumatic brain injury recover has been little known – until now.

 A report on KSAT12.com in Texas (TX) suggests eating curries may help stoke victims.

 Researchers at the Salk Institute in California tested a synthetic form of curry on animals and found it dramatically improved the side effects oftentimes seen after a stroke and after suffering traumatic brain injury.

 ”It looks as though it has neuro-protective effects on cell signaling,” Dr. Lee Birnbaum, with the University of Texas Health Science Center, told the TV station.

 A stroke is caused by rupturing or blockage of an artery in the brain and recovering from even the mildest stroke can take weeks, even months.

 Our personal injury attorneys are experts in handling cases involving stroke victims. Virginia (VA) hospitals and doctors are routinely confronted with someone who has stroke- like symptoms, but because of a failure to diagnose, the stroke is allowed to progress to the point of inflicting permanent brain injury.

 Sadly this appears to be all to common. We recently highlighted a case at the Hampton Veterans Administration Medical Center, that of Marine veteran John Morgan. In November 2008, doctors at the facility ignored Morgan when he said he was having a stroke, did not perform tests to detect a stroke and offered no stroke-related treatment despite Morgan’s statement that he had suffered an earlier stroke.

Sent home without receiving proper care, Morgan became permanently disabled. According to the Virginian-Pilot, Morgan told medical staff he was having a stroke.
Misdiagnosing a stroke or conditions such as blocked arteries, persistent high blood pressure or deep-vein thrombosis that can lead to a stroke can cause a patient to die or suffer permanent disability.

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By Randy Appleton, Head and Brain Injury Attorney

Virginia Tech mechanical engineering professor Stefan Duma has issued a call for an online, searchable database of information on how bicycle, football, hockey and other helmets get tested. The proposed database would also present test results for the products and allow users to compare different companies’ helmets, Duma said in an article summarized on our firm’s website. Duma noted the information he wants to collect and make public is currently controlled almost entirely by manufacturers and generated using standards that are in some cases nearly five decades old.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm that  focuses on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboardas pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will promptly return your call.

By Emily Mapp Brannon, Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer

Researchers around the world are currently testing the effect injections of the female progesterone have on recovery from traumatic brain injuries. A report on this research appearing on our firm’s website notes that women do better than men in overcoming the effects of severe brain injuries. Current understanding shows that this is because progesterone — which men do have in small amounts — prevents cell damage from swelling. Brain swelling in the days following the event that caused a TBI can produce much of the long-term damage to victims’ brains.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm that  focuses on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboardas pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will promptly return your call.

By Rick Shapiro, Virginia Brain Injury Lawyer

One of my colleagues recently called attention to an investigative report on the struggle people with traumatic brain injuries and their loved ones have finding quality, affordable health care. Many of the some 250,000 Virginians who need long-term treatments for injuries to their brains go without due to a lack of public funds and the dearth of clinics and hospitals that specialize in working with people who have mental and physical disabilities stemming from brain damage.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm that  focuses on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will promptly return your call.

By John Cooper, Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer in Virginia

How much will a  lifetime of extra doctor visits, nursing help, therapy and medical equipment  cost after a life-changing injury? Important question without an easy answer. These costs are often staggering  when someone suffers a debilitating injury like paralysis or traumatic brain injury? The answer typically requires a hired expert to study your needs after the accident and do the calculations.
 
Some insurance companies and the best personal injury lawyers in big cases use “life care plans.” These plans are a tool that can assist in estimating the scope and cost of future care needs, as well as outlining prevention steps that address the effects of aging on a disability.
 
The International Academy of Life Care Planners states the objective of their profession is to:
 
1. Assist the injured victim in achieving optimal outcomes by developing an appropriate plan of prevention of complications and restoration. This may include recommendations for evaluations or treatment that may contribute to the client’s level of wellness or provide information regarding treatment requirements.
 
2. Develop accurate and timely cost information, measurement tools to analyze outcomes, and specificity of service allocations that can be easily utilized by the client and interested parties.
 
For example, let’s say a loved one was driving down Interstate 264 (I-264) in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) and is involved in a serious car wreck with a drunk driver. As a result, they suffer extensive brain damage and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of their life. How do you quantify the damages? How much should your loved one receive from, let’s say, a personal injury claim?

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000.  Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.  While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against the at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at 1-800-752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail and we will promptly return your call.

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By Rick Shapiro, Brain Injury Lawyer in VA

The psychological and physical side effects of a traumatic brain injury are devastating. Your personality can change, you can lose large chunks of your memory, and you may even lose the ability to move your arms or legs. If that wasn’t bad enough, the cost of treating your brain injury can be quite expensive.

The lifetime cost for a brain injury victim to receive continual treatment is roughly $3 million, according to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Even a “moderate” brain injury or serious concussion can cost nearly $1 million.

These costs are a big reason why brain injury lawyers fight so hard to get maximum compensation for their clients. We understand that a brain injury victim is going to face an uphill battle in trying to re-gain some semblance of their former life and they shouldn’t be spending their time worrying about medical bills.

We have witnessed, firsthand, how a serious head injury can adversely affect someone’s life forever. We represented a gas station worker who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and slammed into the station. Our client was going to need round-the-clock care for the rest of their life. This is why we worked tirelessly on his behalf and were able to secure a record brain injury verdict ($46 million awarded; $60 million with interest).

Not every brain/closed head injury victim will wind up winning a multi-million dollar lawsuit, but if you, or your loved ones brain damage is the result of someone else’s carelessness, you should at least discuss your case with an attorney to see what legal options are available to you. 

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000.  Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.  While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against the at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at 1-800-752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail and we will promptly return your call.

By Randy Appleton, Brain Injury Lawyer in Virginia

Over 5 million people are currently living with disabilities associated with a traumatic brain injury and over 1 million people will suffer an injury resulting in brain damage this year. In fact, more people suffer brain injuries than suffer heart attacks in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How do so many people wind up suffering these terrible, life-altering injuries? Well, over 40 percent of victims suffer traumatic brain injuries in car accidents. This is the single largest contributor of new brain injury victims, according to MSNBC.com. Some experts chalk this up to the fact that advancements in car safety like seat belts and airbags help keep people alive who would otherwise die in a car wreck, but still wind up suffering a very serious injury.

You may be asking, “Is there any way for me to prevent suffering a traumatic brain injury?” The answer depends on the circumstances. For example, you can help cut down your risk of suffering brain damage from a bicycle accident if you wear a helmet, but there is nothing out there which will make you completely safe from a brain or head injury. The best thing you do is if you suffer a serious head injury see a doctor right away. The earlier you get examined and treated, the better.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injuries. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous head injury and brain trauma cases, and achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain damaged client in 2000.  Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.  While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against the at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at 1-800-752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail and we will promptly return your call.