Brain Injury Lawyer

Following up on earlier posts (here, here, here, here, here, here, and finally here) regarding seemingly minor injuries (a bump to the head or a fender bender) can actually be major events which sometimes may cause irreversible damage to the individual's health and personality.

When events such as a fall or minor car accident take place, many people "shake off the injury" and believe that no permanent damage has been done. As such, most do not go to their doctor or the hospital for treatment. Even those who do go to their doctor may be misdiagnosed since MRIs and CAT scans usually can not detect the damage done to blood vessels and tissues in the injured person's head.

Post-concussion syndrome refers to the changes in an injured person's brain processes that affect personality, mood, memory, social interaction and the ability to work and learn. Post-concussion syndrome can result in mental rigidity, inattention, swinging moods and shifting energy levels.

But doctors often miss the diagnosis of post-concussion syndrome, because it is not as recognizable as a broken bone or tumor. The patient may be as smart as ever, in fact. But he or she may have become "socially disabled" - impulsive, disinhibited, likely to say things out of context or inappropriately, unable to start a relationship or maintain one.

This can often be the basis for damage awards in a lawsuit, said Dr. Gerald Tramontano, whose NeuroRehab Institute includes a "forensic division," whose experts testify in court.

You can read more about Post-concussion syndrome here.

Does your facility handle cases of neglect to further treat a patient if the patient feels there is further treatment needed against doctors offices, hospitals, etc??

I am a ER nurse and in Nov I stuck a deer with my car w/o loc, 5 days later while at work I had a syncopal episode falling forward striking my forhead on the corner of a wall. I have now been off work for 7 months things have not obviously gotten any better and I feel that I am getting jerked around by workmans comp. Just the other night I was taken to the ED after several witnessed syncopal episodes at home some of which I apparently started having some "jerking movements" in my legs as my roommate puts it. She was afraid these were turning into gran mal seizures. Three of these episodes en route while in the ambulance so I was given 2 mg of lorazepam. I will have to admit my memory of the ambulance ride is extremely VAGUE so I am relying on my girlfriend who was with me in the back of the ambulance. Upon arrival to the ED I was becoming more lucid and do remember everything that happened while there. Luckily, my visit to the ED was uneventful, but this is where my problems lie and I hope you can help or at least shed some light. The ED MD that night came to my bedside and his assessment consisted of listening to my lung sounds, nothing more, nothing less! He NEVER checked my pupils, checked ANY reflexes, did no part of a neuro exam WHATSOEVER!! EMT documented (I have copy of their run sheet) 3 seizures while en route. Ironically during my ED visit there were absolutely NO seizure precautions intiated. During my short ED visit we had placed a call to the neurologist in Dallas, TX that I had been seeing and she had phoned backed, so the phone was taken to the ED MD. To make this short, I saw the neurologist the very next morning, during that appt. she proceeded to inform me that the MD from the night before had told her that, and I quote, "what I witnessed last night here in the ER was not a seizure, not sure what, but not a seizure." I looked at my friend that had driven me because when I have these 'syncopal episodes' or whatever they are preferring to call them, I have no recollection of what took place and she also explained that nothing had taken place once I had arrived in the ED, there were no other episodes that the ED MD had witnessed. But this neurologist would not pay a bit of attention to what we were trying to explain to her. I truly feel like I have rambled on and on and on and not made a lick of sense, if not I do apologize, I am at wits end. I have been a nurse for 10 years, but for the last 7 months I feel I have lost a big part of myself. I have a 4 year old daughter that I'm missing out on. And each time I fall and strike my head, I feel another head injury on top of what I already have. I don't feel like anyone is taking this very serious. Please, can you just see if you can help me find just a few answers. Thank You for your time!

This is 1st time I've ever done this-comment on a blog-but 4 what it's worth,I had my TB injury over 5 yrs ago,it was work injury, employer had no work comp insurance, I was fired,ended up homeless, on a mtn.bike 4 2 yrs plus! During that time I went f/ fairly athletic @ 45 yrs old 2 memory problems,foot/finger numb,fatigue,personality/emotional changes, balance off(walking not on bike),then began falling. It took almost 3 yrs 2 learn by reading book on TBI I was having partial complex seizures! Right leg would start shaking-head/neck twitches, and WHAM-I'd hit ground-AWAKE! I'd be unable 2 put arms out-see ground coming-feel pain as hit! I FINALLY had Dr say all seizures have triggers-mind emotional. Now 5 yrs later I can actually control these-BUT IT'S REALLY HARD 2 DO! I'm still fighting work comp case-scary due 2 Calif law changes-AND NO ATTNY! 2 QUIT ON ME AND APPOINTED DR WON'T SAY I'M HAVING SEIZURES EITHER! So I know of this also. I NEED MED EXPERT AND LEGAL HELP IN WORSE WAY! GOD BLESS ALL W/TBI!