Orange County authorities located a third man, 37-year-old with an unreleased name, who was still alive following the boating accident. The 37-year-old was the driver of the boat, but was able to escape as the lone survivor of the boating accident by swimming to a nearby shore. The man is reported to have suffered serious head injuries, and was taken t UC Irvine medical Center for treatment. Investigators are exploring the possibility that alcohol was a factor in the boating accident.

If you or a loved one has received head injuries resulting from a boating accident, please seek help from a professional in this realm of law. Each case is different, making it essential that you receive specialized help about your case. For legal help with your boating accident and head injuries, you can call our offices in Los Angeles at 310.882.6810 for a free consultation.

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At the time of the rollover car accident, the Baldwin Park 10-year-old boy was being driven by his brother, age 18, at a location near Ramona Parkway and Center Street. While in transit, their car was hit by another car driven byFrank Ramirez,  who made a left turn in front of the 18-year-old driver, forcing him to hit Ramirez’s car when the accident occurred at approximately 6 p.m on Tuesday.

The car containing the young brothers struck a tree after a rollover, but both the driver and passenger remained in the vehicle during the accident.  The 10-year-old boy sustained major head  injuries consistingof critical head trauma, which required his immediate transport to a local hospital by helicopter. The 18-year-old suffered serious injuries as well, and is also being treated at a local hospital. Fortunately, his injuries are not life-threatening like those of his younger brother.

According to police, neither driver possessed a driver’s licence at the time of the rollover car accident. Due to this fact, and that there was a minor boy involved, the legal aspects of this case may be complicated. If you have also suffered injuries due to a car accident, be assured that our offices can handle your case no matter how complex. For a free consultation, call our offices at 310.882. 6810.

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During the morning of Jan. 4, 2007, an 83-year-old man fell off of his wheelchair while being transferred to his bed at the Lakewood Manor Nursing Home of Los Angeles. The man lost his balance, hitting a guard rail that left with noticeable head injuries. The man, who had already cognitive problems prior to the accident, suffered substantial injuries as a result of the accident that eventually lead to his death on January 9th.

According to reports from physicians, the Los Angeles nursing home neglected to provide proper support for the patient while changing equipment and also failed to treat the patient for his injuries following the accident.

If you have been involved in an accident that causes personal injuries or even death, it is important that you consider the help that can be provided by a lawyer. Call our offices immediately for a free consultation.

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A closed head injury can occur when the brain is suddenly and violently bounced against the skull from sudden acceleration or deceleration, such as when a passenger, properly wearing his or her seatbelt, in a vehicle going 65 suddenly crashes into the back of a stopped car, causing the passenger’s brain to suddenly hit the skull. This intracranial impact causes the brain to swell, which quickly increases the pressure within the skull (“intracranial pressure”). The increased pressure causes more damage to the brain, which causes more swelling, which causes more injury, etc. Some of the more frequent and dangerous injuries that can be suffered in closed head injury are:

• Concussion
• Brain contusion
• Epidural hematoma
• Subdural hematoma
• Increased intracranial pressure

The most common causes of a closed head injury include traffic accidents, motorcycle and bicycle accidents, falls, physical assaults, and accidents at home (shaken baby syndrome is a example of a closed head injury), work, outdoors, or while playing sports. Some head injuries result in prolonged or non-reversible brain damage. This can occur due to bleeding or blood clots inside the brain or forces that damage the brain directly.
Some of the common injuries involved in a closed head injury include a concussion, a violent jarring or shaking that results in a disturbance of brain function, and may occur when the head strikes or is struck by an object; a concussion may cause temporary loss of consciousness or bleeding in and around the brain; and a contusion, which is essentially a “bruise” on the brain. When there has been a closed head injury, the brain is susceptible to bleeding and blood clots. A number of conditions can occur, such as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, an epidural hematoma, and a subdural hematoma, resulting in blood leaking into the brain or its adjacent structures.

Bleeding and blood clots in the brain are serious conditions since the increase in intracranial pressure can cause damage to brain tissue and loss of brain function, even death. In some cases, it is necessary for the victim to undergo brain surgery to drain the bleeding or remove the clot.

The symptoms of a serious closed head injury include:

• Loss of consciousness, either momentarily or for an extended period of time
• Inability to wake the victim
• The person stops breathing
• Changes in, dilated, or unequal pupils
• Short-term memory loss
• Nausea and vomiting, especially of the person vomits more than once
• Chronic headaches and/or a stiff neck
• Symptoms improve, then suddenly get worse (a change in consciousness)
• Restlessness, clumsiness, or lack of coordination
• Loss of change in sensation, hearing, vision, taste, or smell
• Dizziness
• Inability to move one or more limbs (paralysis)
• Seizures and convulsions
• Cerebrospinal fluid leaking from the mouth, ears, or nose (the fluid may be clear or bloody)
• Bruising of the face, swelling at the site of the injury, or a scalp wound
• Emotional, behavioral, and personality changes
• Irritability (especially in children)
• Slurred speech and other speech and language problems, or blurred vision
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Very high blood pressure
• Very slow pulse

In all cases of injury to the head and neck, DO NOT move the victim’s neck and head unless absolutely necessary. Support the victim’s head in the position you found it. The bones of the spine (“vertebrae”) can be injured from movement of the head during trauma. Broken or displaced spinal bones can cut or put pressure on the nerves running through the middle of the vertebrae, which, if severed or pressured, can cause temporary or permanent paralysis and loss of feeing, resulting at its worst in quadriplegia or paraplegia, and even death.

The symptoms of a serious closed head injury usually show up immediately, while symptoms of a more mild case of closed head injury may take several days to weeks before they become apparent. Even if the skull is not fractured, the brain can bang against the inside of the skull and be bruised. The head may look fine, but complications could result from bleeding or swelling inside the skull. Brain injuries can range from mild to severe. A closed head injury can be diffuse, meaning that it affects cells and tissues throughout the brain, or the closed head injury may be focal, in which case the damage affects only a limited area, such as the speech center. In all cases involving serious trauma to the head, you should always assume the spinal cord is injured and take the proper precautions.

Some types of closed head injury will usually go away fairly quickly on their own, such as a slight concussion. Other closed head injuries left untreated will continue to get worse until the victim dies, such as from an untreated blood clot or bleeding in the brain. The only way for certain to tell the difference between a slight closed head injury and a serious one is with a cranial computed axial tomography scan (a “CT scan”), which looks at the brain and the skull using x–rays. If you suspect a person has suffered a severe closed head injury, you should call 911 immediately so the paramedics can assess the person and arrange for an ambulance to take the person to the hospital immediately if necessary.

People with serious closed head injuries are almost always admitted to the hospital for observation and checked on regularly. Closed-head injury patients are usually given repeated studies to ensure that the victim’s condition has not worsened. Occasionally, a closed head injury may cause elevated blood pressure within the skull. An intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor may be surgically inserted into the brain through the skull to measure the pressure. If the pressure rises too high, it may be necessary to do surgery to relieve and to decompress the brain. Death is a possibility. Intravenous medications may be used to control intracranial pressure as a temporary measure until the crises resolves on its own or surgery is performed.

When there is a closed head injury with bleeding inside the skull, the doctor must consider a number of factors to determine the correct treatment. Some of the factors the doctor will consider include the location of the bleeding, the severity of the symptoms, the presence of any other injuries, and the progression of the symptoms. Surgery may be required in some cases to remove a blood clot or release pressure on the brain. Other options include pressure monitors, medications to prevent seizures, and antibiotics to prevent infection. People with this type of injury often need a breathing tube inserted to help prevent further brain damage (“intubation”).
Often the victim of a closed head injury can start vomiting, which can lead to problems with the victim’s airway. If the victim is unconscious, support his or her head, neck and back and roll them as a unit to put the person on his or her side to allow the vomit to drain from the victim’s mouth so the person does not get asphyxiated by his or her own vomit. Again, because of the possibility of damage to the spinal cord, roll the person to one side by turning his or her head, neck, and back as one unit.

For a moderate to severe head injury, take the following steps:

• Call 911
• Check the person’s airway, breathing, and circulation. If necessary, begin CPR and rescue breathing

If the person’s breathing and heart rate are normal but the person is unconscious, treat the person as though he or she has suffered a spinal cord injury.

• Stabilize the victim’s head and neck by placing your hands on both sides of the person’s head, keeping the head in line with the spines and preventing movement. Wait for medical help.
• Stop any bleeding by firmly pressing a clean cloth on the wound. If the injury is serious, be careful not to move the person’s head. If blood soaks through the cloth, DO NOT remove it. Rather, place another cloth on top of it.
• If you suspect a skull fracture, DO NOT apply direct pressure to the bleeding site, and DO NOT remove any debris from the wound. Cover the wound with sterile gauze dressing.
• If the person is vomiting, roll the head, neck, and body as one unit to put the person on his or her side to prevent choking.
• Children often vomit only once after a head injury This may not be a problem but you should call the doctor or paramedics for further guidance.
• Apply ice packs to swollen areas.

It is an old-wives’ tale that a victim of a closed head injury should not be allowed to sleep. If a victim of trauma to the head does not exhibit any of the signs or symptoms of a closed head injury, there is no need to keep him or her awake. The sleeping victim who has suffered a closed head injury should be woken 30 minutes after falling asleep to ensure that he or she can be aroused. If you cannot wake the victim of a closed head injury 30 minutes after he or she has been asleep, call 911 immediately if you haven’t done so already.

For a mild head injury, no specific treatment may be needed. However, you should watch the person for the next 24 hours to see whether he or she displays any conduct symptomatic of a head injury. It is suggested that the person, while sleeping, be awaken every two to three hours and asked a simple person, such as “What’s your name?” If a child begins to play or run immediately after getting a bump on the head, serious injury is unlikely. Still, as with anyone who has suffered a head injury, the child should be watched closely for the next 24 hours. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be given to the person for a mild headache. Do not give aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naprosen (Aleve), as these can increase the risk of bleeding. NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER GIVE A CHID ASPIRIN BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF DEVELOPING A SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITION CALLED REYE’S SYNDROME.

The degree and rate of recovery of a victim who suffers a closed head injury varies from person to person. The amount of time spent unconscious or in a coma, as well as how much of normal activity is recovered in the first month, are good indicators of long-term recovery.

Many closed head injuries are preventable if the person uses due care before engaging in the activity. For instance, wearing a seat belt will often save you from serious injury or death if you are involved in an automobile accident. Always wear a proper-fitting helmet during activities that could result in head injury, such as when operating or a passenger when operating or being a passenger on a motorcycle or bicycle. Helmets can prevent serious head injuries if you get into an accident. Children should be wearing an appropriate helmet when skateboarding, inline skating, or engaging in bicycle motocross. It may not be “cool” among his or her rebellious skateboarding and motocross buddies, but it is immensely more cool than falling off the skateboard or motocross cycle and sustaining a serious closed head injury that leaves the person in a persistent vegetative state. Bicyclists should obey all traffic rules and regulations, and at night they should wear bright, reflective clothing and equip their bikes with proper headlights and rear red flashers.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in an accident causing a serious closed head injury due to another person’s carelessness (“negligence”), you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. The attorney will want to send his or her investigator to the scene of the accident as soon as possible to gather evidence, take pictures of the scene before it has been cleaned up or altered in any way, and get statements from witnesses while their memories are still fresh.  Call now and speak with a lawyer for a free legal consultation.

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