Washington Injury Attorney Blog

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of accidental death and disability in the United States. Causes of TBI can include falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries and violence.

Because brain injuries are so devastating, there is a great effort in creating technologies to prevent and protect from these injuries. Seat belts, motorcycle and bicycle helmets are an example of technologies that have reduced the incidence of severe injury.

Causes of TBI

• Falls account to more than 35% of TBI injuries. Falls account for half of the injuries in children under the age of 14 and are the leading cause of brain injuries in older adults.
  
• Motor vehicle accidents - 17% of all TBIs are caused by motor vehicle accidents and this is the leading cause of TBI-related deaths.
  
• Struck by/against events -- Getting hit in the head or colliding with a fixed object accounts for 16.5% of all TBI injuries.
  
• Assault and domestic violence/child abuse -- 10% of TBIs in the general population are caused by assault. War-related injuries are not included in this figure.
  
• Bicycle accidents - account for 3% of accidental brain injuries..

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience in representing brain injury victims and their families. Brain injury litigation is complex and requires attorneys who are experienced in the medical and legal issues involved. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries.

See our Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Resources

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Char-Broil LLC, of Columbus, GA, along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a voluntary recall of vertical gas smokers. In all, approximately 18,450 units in all are being recalled as they pose an injury hazard to consumers.

According to the recall notice, the smokers were designed with a hose/valve/regulator which does not allow sufficient gas to flow and if the flame is extinguished and reignited, an explosion can occur.

Char-Broil has received reports of doors bursting open and hitting consumers. Reported injuries include burn injuries to the face and head, head concussions and lacerations.

The units were sold at Walmart and other retailers between March 2008 and June 2010.

Contact Char-Broil at (866) 671-7988 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.charbroil.com for a free replacement hose assembly.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Andrew W. Hayes, 62, of Soap Lake was critically injured with a head injury in a bicycle accident at Highway 28 and Grant Street in Soap Lake around 2pm on Thursday.

The Wenatchee World reports that Hayes was riding a 10-speed bicycle when he collided with a car driven by Vera M. Walker, 80 of Quincy.

The report said that Hayes was initially taken to Columbia Basin Hospital and then airlifted to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee. Walker was not injured in the accident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The journal Pediatrics just published a study that says that using an infant safety seat designed for motor vehicles outside of a car poses a risk of serious head injury.

According to the study, the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention program has had reports of many injuries due to the misuse of the seats.

Injuries include:

• The seat falling from an elevated surface like a table
  
• The seat overturning and the child suffocating on a soft surface like a bed
  
• The seat overturning and the child suffering strangulation due to the restraint strap.

Pediatrics is encouraging car seat manufacturers to provide engineering and design improvements which may reduce the tipping hazard. Pediatricians, parents and child care providers need to be aware of the potential hazard of misusing Child Restraint Systems.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and those who have been injured by dangerous or defective products.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that Bed Bath & Beyond has issued a voluntary recall of Solar Lighted Cantilever Umbrellas after 21 reports of the umbrellas collapsing. Several reports of injuries have been noted.

According to the CPSC media release, there have 7,600 units sold. The umbrellas were sold exclusively at Bed Bath & Beyond stores between February and June 2010.

The umbrellas are a hazard because a plastic connector may break causing the umbrella to collapse. While the reported injuries have been minor including a bruise and abrasion, an umbrella collapse could cause a head injury, which could be serious.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous or defective products.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

See the CPSC web-site for more information.

Even after a nursing home receives a citation for the abuse or death of a patient, it some times takes a very long time for criminal charges to be filed, if ever.

In Kentucky, in May of 2009, James "Ronnie Duncan" fell in the nursing home where he lived but he was not treated for three hours after the fall and he died because of traumatic brain injury and bleeding in the brain. Now, eleven months later, a citation has been made against the Johnson Mather Nursing Home where he lived but no decision regarding criminal charges has been made.

This is not an isolated case. Investigations in wrong doing by nursing homes often languish for years going by before a decision about criminal charges is ever made.

In an investigative report in the Lexington Herald-Leader by Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Beth Musgrave, other cases involving patients who were seriously injured by nursing home neglect are profiled. In the profiled cases, criminal charges have yet to be filed. States often drag their feet in filing charges because of budget cuts and case back logs. Also one wonders if nursing home abuse is just not a high priority when there are other criminals out there.

If you have a loved one who has been injured due to nursing home abuse or neglect, you should contact an experienced Personal Injury Attorney who can protect your loved one's rights and help them obtain compensation for their damages. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience representing nursing home abuse victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Source:
Abuse investigations tend to languish
Regulators blame staff, budget cuts and bureaucracy for delays
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Beth Musgrave
Lexington Herald-Leader
July 12, 2010

Recovering from a brain injury or illness is never a straight line and there are often setbacks along the way. Brain injuries or illness are often catastrophic events to the sufferers.

Brain injuries can be caused by illness or disease including infection, hemorrhages, tumors and strokes. Brain trauma due to car accidents, bicycle accidents, falls, sports injury or a hit in the head can also cause a severe injury which require a lengthy recovery.

Often times it takes a long time to diagnose a brain injury and physicians and therapists often find it difficult to predict the outcome. Brain injury victims often plateau during their recovery and often experience setbacks. Man victims never fully recover from their injury or illness.

Brain injury victims often suffer profoundly after the acute phase of the injury or illness. Many brain injury victims suffer from depression, cognitive problems, loss of confidence, overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion. Often people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury face discrimination and are unable to return to their line of work in the same capacity.

Lingering effects of a traumatic brain injury can include loss of oral fluency, vertigo, loss of balance and coordination.

People who suffer a brain injury can experience a change in personality and their loved ones can experience caregivers fatigue and burnout. Many brain injury patients may appear healthy when looking at them but can suffer many subtle effects.

If you or a loved one has experienced a brain injury due to an accident caused by the negligence of another, you should hire an experienced personal injury attorney who has a long history of working with traumatic brain injury patients and their families. At The Farber law Group we work tirelessly to help you receive the compensation you deserve for medical costs, rehabilitation, loss of wages and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 22-month-old baby is in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a fall from a window on the second story of a building in Martha Lake. Martha Lake is a community west of Mill Creek and northeast of Lynnwood.

According to the report in The Seattle Times, this child fell through a window that had a screen in place. Often, parents have a false sense of security when screens are in place but screens are not strong enough when a child leans against it.

Annually, Harborview Medical Center treats between 50-60 children in the greater Seattle area for falls from windows. These small patients are nick named "window jumpers."

Falls from windows can result in severe head injuries, brain injuries and often death.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent accident victims and their families including those with traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 64-year-old man was critically injured when a homemade fireworks device exploded, causing pieces of concrete to fly in the air and hit him in the head. The unidentified man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, the fireworks accident occurred in the 2800 block of S. 138th Street in SeaTac when the victim's roommate built a device using a bunch of sparklers and then put the device inside a cinder block to brace it.

Using illegal fireworks can result in large fines or criminal charges. Illegal fireworks include firecrackers, all bottle rockets, missile type rockets with fins and fireworks with sticks or fins. Types of illegal explosives include M80s, M100s, cherry bombs, tennis balls, pipe bombs, homemade fireworks, and large dangerous explosives.

Fireworks are deemed illegal when they are larger than allowed, they contain prohibited chemicals or are homemade.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to the negligence of another.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Summertime is here and preteens and teens are busy riding bicycles, skating and running around the neighborhoods and playgrounds. However, this is a time when young teens can be injured as a result of falls, cycling accidents or while playing sports.

Summer Safety Tips for Young Teens

Bicycles/Scooters/Skateboards

• Insure your child wears a helmet whenever they ride and that it fits properly.
  
• Actively supervise your child
  
• Teach your child the rules of the road
  
• Have your child wear protective clothing and ride on sidewalks when possible
  
• Inspect your child's equipment

Swimming
Teens often enjoy swimming in rivers and lakes but often they can get into dangerous situations.

• Make sure your child knows how to swim
  
• Don't let your child swim alone
  
• Learn CPR
  
• Make sure that your child does not dive in shallow water to prevent spinal cord injuries and brain injuries
  
• Teach your child to stay away from pool drains
  
• Have your child wear a life jacket while boating and near open bodies of water
  
• Don't let young teens operate jet skis
  
• Don't allow your child to swim near marinas or docks where there is electrical hookups or lighting to avoid electrocution

Sports Injury
Young teens can suffer brain injuries due to sports and recreational activities. Insure your teen wears the proper protective gear for the sport or recreational activity they are participating in.

• Wear helmets when playing contact sports, rock climbing or batting
  
• Wear proper eye protection
  
• Make sure your child stays hydrated by drinking adequate liquids
  
• Make sure your child has sufficient rest breaks, especially on hot days
  

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have suffered serious injury, including brain and spinal cord injury.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

In the United States, approximately 800,000 people have cerebral palsy which is a term encompassing motor and nerve conditions which are permanent in nature and effects a persons movement, posture and limits their activity. The condition can also effect sensations, cognition, communication, perception, behavior and can be accompanied by secondary musculoskeletal problems.

There are multiple causes of cerebral palsy (CP) including:

• Prenatal - Some fetuses develop CP in the womb. In some cases an infection in the mother is the suspected cause. Others believe that it is caused by the death of a twin in the womb when the twin shared a circulatory system or the same placenta.

• Premature birth - approximately 40%-50% of children with CP were born prematurely. Premature babies are not fully developed and at increased risk of hypoxia injury to the brain.

• Birth Injury - 5% -10% of those with CP may have suffered a preventable birth injury. Some of these preventable injuries include allowing labor to progress too long ,leaving a baby in the birth canal for too long, a delayed c-section, incorrect use of the vacuum extractor, misuse of forceps or deprivation of oxygen.

• After birth injury - some babies develop CP in the first few years of life. In some cases it is due to severe jaundice, lead poisoning, car accidents, brain injury, shaken baby syndrome, near drowning and illnesses such as encephalitis or meningitis. It can also be caused by asphyxia caused by choking on foreign objects including toys and food.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent families whose children have suffered a birth injury which resulted in permanent disability or death. In cases of obstetrics and birth injury malpractice due to negligence, we may be able to help you obtain compensation which can provide for your child's long-term medical and educational needs.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

John Gerrity has disclosed that he has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the city of Menlo Park and the city has agreed to pay him a $2.4 million settlement.

Gerrity's wife, Deborah Johnson, was critically injured in a bicycle accident in July 2007 and she died several days later of a head injury.

According to a report on Mercury News, Johnson's bicycle accident was due to the fact that Menlo Park Public Works Department had inadvertently left a flat black octagonal rubber disk they had used as a lane divider in the roadway. The orange post had become detached from the octagonal piece so Johnson did not see the disk and she hit it with her bicycle wheel, causing her to fall and strike her head.

Gerrity's lawsuit claimed that the Menlo Park Works Department was negligent in their use of this device as the federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices prohibits the use of such a device, "posts or raised pavement markers should not be used to separate bicycle lanes from adjacent travel lanes."

Gerrity has made his lawsuit public because he is trying to raise awareness about the many hazards on the road left by road construction. He says that that safety measures need to be adhered to even in temporary work zones.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience representing families in their wrongful death lawsuits when a loved one has died due to the negligence of another.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 4-year-old boy from Kansas has died after he suffered a traumatic brain injury when a television fell on him. Max Gordon of Stilwell, Kansas died at a hospital after an older-model TV tipped over.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, TV-tipover accidents which result in death are not that uncommon. In fact, they estimate that 180 people were killed between 2000 and 2006 due to tipped-over furniture.

THE CPSC recommends that parents, daycare providers and others use specially designed straps which, when fastened to the wall, prevents televisions and other pieces of furniture from tipping over.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by slip, trip and fall accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages caused by the negligence of another.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A report on KLXY.com says that a 4-year-old child fell out of a three story window and landed onto an SUV at an apartment complex near Eastern Washington University in Cheney on Saturday.

The child reportedly sustained a head injury in the fall but was "conscious and alert" when the firefighters arrived.

In Seattle, Harborview Medical Center treats between 50-60 children a year for injuries sustained from falls from windows. Falls often result in severe head injuries, brain injuries, fractures and often death.

To prevent a child from falling through an open window, we recommend that you not place furniture next to windows, not rely on screens for protection and install window stops on windows.

This information is brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people with serious injuries, including slip trip and fall, due to the negligence of another person or company.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An 83-year-old Renton woman, who was hit by a bicyclist while she was walking on the Cedar River Trail, has died of her injuries reports Seattle's King.com.

According to the report, the woman stepped in front of the bicyclist -- a 57-year-old man -- as he was passing her on the left. The woman and the cyclist both fell and apparently the woman struck her head.

The bicycle-pedestrian accident occurred on Sunday around 4:45pm. The woman died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent pedestrian and bicycle accident victims and their family.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Every year, more than one million Americans are seen by doctors and at emergency rooms after suffering a head injury. Of those people, 50,000 to 100,000 will have suffered a brain injury which will linger and will affect their every day lives including work and school. The majority of traumatic brain injuries are caused by motor vehicle accidents. Even if an accident victim does not hit their head on a the windshield, steering wheel or another fixed object, a brain injury can occur.

Sometimes diagnosing a brain injury is more difficult than one might think. Common tests used to examine the brain include CT scans (which use X-rays) and MRIs (which use magnetic fields). While both of these tools are fantastic in seeing blood and tumors in the brain, they are not good at seeing tears in the brain which can be microscopic. Studies show that in 85% to 90% of patients with brain injuries, there is no evidence of the injury on a CT scan or MRI.

Some predictors of a brain injury after a trauma can include the following:

• PERL - a test to determine if a person with a brain injury has pupils that are equal and reactive to light.
• Loss of Consciousness - this means that the accident victim lost conscious awareness and the person may be unable to react to stimuli. Loss of consciousness can range from being momentarily dazed or "out of it" to being in a coma. The Glasgow Coma Scale is a neurological scale which allows a physician to asses the level of consciousness after a brain injury. In the Glasgow scale, there are 15 points on which a patient can be rated on based upon eye response, verbal response and best motor response. The lower the number in the scale, the more severe the injury.
• Amnesia - loss of memory for events leading up to the traumatic injury. Generally, people with longer periods of amnesia have more severe injuries.
• Concussion - the most common type of traumatic brain injury. Symptoms can include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, forgetfulness, irritability, anxiety, depression, mood swings and insomnia. Most people who suffer a concussion recover after a few months but up to 20% of patients can suffer symptoms for much longer periods. Diagnosis can include the Glasgow Coma Scale, testing pupil reactions and size and observing symptoms. Sometimes concussions can produce an abnormal EEG or PET scan.
• Encephalopathy - is a term that is often used to describe a brain injury. Symptoms of encephalopathy include confusion, memory loss, inattention, aggression, agitation and stupor.
• Focal neurologic signs - are signs which indicate to the physician that there may be an impairment in the brain or nervous system. Frontal lobe signs can include unsteadiness in walking, rigidity (hypertonia) of limbs, paralysis of limbs, head or eye movement, difficulty in expressing oneself (aphasia), seizures, changes in personality and loss of smell. Parietal lobe signs can include loss of tactile sensation, inability to pay attention, loss of ability to read or write, loss of ability to find a place and loss of ability to identify something by its touch. Temporal lobe signs include deafness, tinnitus, amnesia or memory loss, hallucinations and loss of ability to understand language. Occipital lobe signs include loss of vision, inability to recognize objects, faces or colors, visual hallucinations. Cerebellar signs include loss of balance and coordination. Spinal cord signs include paralysis and loss of sensation.
• Seizure - thrashing movements and loss of awareness caused by electrical discharges in the brains.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm that specializes in representing people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to motor vehicle accidents, constructions accidents and falls. We work hard to insure that brain accident victims receive the compensation they deserve to provide for medical and rehabilitation costs, loss of wages and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Every year, between more than one million people are seen at emergency rooms and by physicians after a head injury. Between 50,000 and 100,000 of these will have a brain injury which will cause symptoms and problems which will affect their ability to function in their daily lives including in work and school.

Many brain injuries are due to car accidents. When a car is traveling at a high rate of speed and then stop suddenly, a head injury -- or traumatic brain injury -- is often the result. A person doesn't have to hit their head on the steering wheel or windshield to sustain a brain injury. Even at moderate rates of speed, brain injuries can happen.

There are three separate ways a brain can be injured:

• bleeding or bruising
  
• swelling
  
• tearing

Brain Bleeding/Bruising

In a head-on car accident, a person's brain can be traveling at a high rate of speed and then zero in an instant. In this type of motor vehicle accident, the brain is pushed against the skull which is made of hard bone. The brain tissue when pushed against the skull can cause blood vessels to tear. When the blood vessels tear, they can leak blood into areas of the brain and between the brain and skull.

Because the skull is closed, there is no room for the blood to go any where so the blood can pool and press on the brain tissue. When this happens, the brain tissue can be damaged and even die. With a lot of bleeding in and around the brain, areas of the brain can stop working and if it affects areas which control the heart or breathing, the person can be in a life-threatening situation which can result in death.

It is always wise to be checked out by a doctor after a car accidents because one can feel fine immediately following the accident but if they have a brain bleed, they can lapse into a coma a short time later.

Brain Swelling

After a car accident, the brain can swell, especially if there is bleeding or bruising. When the brain swells, there is no room for it to go because the skull is fixed and hard. The pressure of the brain swelling against the skull can damage the structures in the brain. In this case, brain surgeons can perform surgery and remove part of the skull or install a ICP to allow the extra pressure to escape. Swelling can impact important structures of the brain which control breathing and the heart.

Brain Tearing

In a motor vehicle accident, the brain can be thrown forward then bounced backwards. Because of this forward and backward motion, the brain can get small tears or cuts in it. These cuts or tears can be so microscopic that they do not even show up on CT Scans or on MRIs. In fact, up to 85% of brain injury patients have injuries that do not show up on CT Scans or on MRIs.

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This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We specialize in representing people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to a motor vehicle accident or due to some other type of accident like a fall. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages which include medical and rehabilitation costs.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Seattle Times reports that Michael S. Pitcher, 30, of Bremerton died after falling approximately 35 feet from a tree that he was trimming in the 13000 block of Keyport Road Northeast in Poulsbo in Kitsap County.

Pitcher was the owner of Allstar Tree & Landscape.

According to the report, Pitcher was wearing a helmet at the time of his fall.

The tree trimming accident is being investigated by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm with offices in Seattle and Bellevue with more than 30 years experience representing accident victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 10-year-old Marysville girl was critically injured in a bicycle accident reports The Seattle Times.

The bicycle accident occurred in the 7900 block of 80th Avenue around 4:30pm on Wednesday.

According to the report, the girl pulled out between parked cars and was hit by a motorist. She was not wearing a helmet and suffered head injuries.

The girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) recognizes March as Brain Injury Awareness Month and they are educating people that concussions are brain injuries.

The BIAA is working to educate coaches of athletic teams to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injuries including concussions and second impact syndrome.

In Washington State, the "Zackery Lystedt" law requires coaches to receive concussion education and to remove a student athlete from the field of play if the athlete exhibits signs of a concussion. The player is not allowed to return to the field of play unless he or she has a release from a doctor.

Concussions are the most common type of traumatic brain injury. To diagnose a concussion usually requires a physical and neurological exam. Symptoms can include headaches, seizures, vomiting or unequal or unreactive pupils, and excessive drowsiness.

Of course sports injuries are not the only place that people can sustain a concussion. A fall, a car accident or even minor mishaps like running into a door jam can cause a concussion.

For more information about brain injuries and the work of the Brain Injury Association of America, click here:

If you or a loved one has received a brain injury due to a sports injury, car accident, fall or due to the negligence of another, you should contact a personal injury attorney with expertise in the area of brain injuries. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience representing brain injury victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.