Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Archive for September, 2008

Who is most likely to suffer from traumatic brain injury?

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Males between 15-24 years of age are generally more vulnerable because of their high-risk lifestyles. Younger children and individuals over 75 years of age are also susceptible to injury because of falls around the home. Obviously, inappropriate shaking of an infant or a toddler causes a brain injury.

Approximately 200,000 Americans die each year because of head injuries sustained from all causes, including automobile and motorcycle accidents as well as those resulting in injuries to infants and individuals over 75 years old. Additionally, approximately 500,000 people are hospitalized as a result of their injuries. Another 200,000 individuals have problems resulting from their head injury that are serious enough that they may require close supervision or even institutionalization.

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Traumatic Brain Injury

Friday, September 26th, 2008

So much is being written about Traumatic Brain Injury that it is appropriate to again address the topic in numerous entries in this blog. This is the first of a series. Traumatic Brain Injury is a sudden physical damage to the brain. The damage may be subtle, to small vessels in the brain or dramatic, when a gunshot passes through the skull and piercing the brain. Damage to the brain can be caused by the head forcibly hitting a dashboard or steering wheel of a car or when one strikes their head, either the front or back, when tripping and falling. The major cause of head trauma is motor vehicle accidents and others include: falls, sports injuries, violent crimes and child abuse. The physical behavior or mental changes that take place in an individual after an injury to the head depend, to a large degree, on the areas of the brain that are injured. If a small, defined area of the brain is damaged, that is called “focal brain damage”. If the brain is shaken, as it frequently is in an automobile accident, then many areas of the brain would be damaged and that is called a “diffuse brain injury”. Diffuse brain damage occurs when impact of the injury causes the brain to move back and forth against the inside of the skull. In those circumstances, both the front and temporal lobes of the brain, the areas that control speech and language, often receive the most damage. Under those circumstances, communication difficulties can occur following a closed head injury. Other symptoms may include changes in the ability to smell, memory, thinking, walking, balance and coordination.

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Traumatic Brain Injury

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

The Law Firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. has had a member of the armed services that spent time in Iraq describe the opportunity for brain injury. We are sympathetic to the needs of our returning servicemen and servicewomen. Because of that, we are reprinting below the entire article entitled, “TBI: The Invisible Injury, Returning Servicemembers and Veterans”.

“TBI:
The Invisible Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury. The injury is caused by falls, motor vehicle crashes, assaults and other incidents. Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.

Any TBI—whether diagnosed as mild, moderate or severe—can temporarily or permanently impair a person’s cognitive skills, interfere with emotional wellbeing and diminish physical abilities.

Individuals with TBI may experience memory loss; concentration or attention problems; slowed learning; and difficulty with planning, reasoning, or judgment. Emotional and behavioral consequences include depression, anxiety, impulsivity, aggression, and thoughts of suicide.

Physical challenges of TBI may include fatigue, headaches, problems with balance or motor skills, sensory losses, seizures, and endocrine dysfunction. TBI often leads to respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and neurological diseases, including epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

Poor outcomes after TBI result from shortened length of stays in both inpatient and outpatient medical settings; insurance coverage denials for rehabilitative treatment; and inadequate funding for public services. Too often individuals with TBI are prematurely discharged to untrained, unsupported family caregivers or inappropriately placed in nursing homes, psychiatric institutions or correctional facilities.

Maximal recovery and long-term health maintenance for people with brain injury can only be achieved through a comprehensive, coordinated neurotrauma disease management system providing for immediate treatment, medically necessary rehabilitation, and supportive services delivered by appropriately trained TBI specialists in the public and private sectors.

The Brain Injury Association of America and its nationwide network of advocates call on Congress to enact and fully fund balanced, coordinated and responsible public policy that provides for basic and applied research; acute inpatient and outpatient treatment and rehabilitation; long-term disease management, and appropriate, accessible social services and supports following neurotrauma.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Traumatic Brain Injury Needs
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Traumatic Brain Injury Act Reauthorization

The TBI Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-166), as amended in 2000 (P.L. 106-310), authorizes agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct studies and establish innovative programs with respect to TBI.

Since the law’s enactment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has produced and disseminated data on the incidence, prevalence, causes, and consequences of TBI and engineered nationwide public education campaigns. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has conducted basic and translational research to ameliorate the effects of TBI. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded grants to States and Protection and Advocacy (P&A) systems to improve coordination of and access to services by individuals with TBI and their families.

It is critical that legislation to reauthorize the TBI Act be passed by Congress and signed into law by the President within the next few months and before the end of the 110th Congressional Session.

The Senate passed its version of the legislation, S. 793, by voice vote on December 11, 2007, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health is currently in the process of marking up the House version, H.R. 1418, which is nearly identical. It is essential that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce promptly report the bill to the floor and that the bill is then passed by the full House of Representatives in the very near future.

Passage of bipartisan TBI Act reauthorization legislation is particularly important in light of the influx of significant numbers of returning servicemembers and veterans with TBI, as this influx stands to increase the demand for TBI supports and services within local communities.

TBI Act Appropriations: $30 million for FY2009 Continued and expanded funding for TBI Act programs is vital to the development of statewide systems of care for individuals with brain injury.

An appropriation of $9 million to CDC is required to strengthen state and local data collection activities; improve linkage of persons with TBI to services; increase public education and awareness; and conduct public health research related to TBI.

An appropriation of $15 million to the HRSA State Grant Program will ensure that every state, territory and the American Indian Consortia can coordinate and maximize resources to serve their TBI population and provide training and technical assistance to grantees.

An appropriation of $6 million to the HRSA P&A Program is needed for population based allotments to all States to ensure adequate and appropriate assistance to individuals with brain injury in exercising their rights and accessing public service systems.”

This article can be found at: http://www.biausa.org/elements/pdfs/tbi_invisible_injury_dhhs_2008.pdf

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Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia

Monday, September 8th, 2008

The Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia submitted its application to be an affiliate of the national organization, the Brain Injury Association of America. The Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia, a non-profit organization, is seeking to be declared the local affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America. The application process requires the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia to promise and agree to fulfill a minimum set of standards and requirements which include providing educational and other resources to individuals with brain injuries as well as their families. The Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia will soon have its own website, which will provide a multitude of information. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. is proud that partner, Joseph Cammarata, is President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia and that partner, Ira Sherman, is Vice-President and a member of the Board of Directors.

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Camp Safety

Friday, September 5th, 2008

The American Camp Association issued a position paper on camp safety in February 2004. That report stated that in 2003 an estimated 10 million children and youth benefited from a camping experience at approximately 12,000 camps nationwide. The diversity of the camps includes various types of specialty interests with up to 15 % dedicated to meeting the special needs of campers with physical, emotional or mental challenges. Currently states very significantly in their oversight of camp operations. In many states, including Maryland, camps are under the jurisdiction of state health departments. The American Camping Association accreditation requirements often serve as the standard of care for camps and Maryland has utilized its members to serve as expert advisors in the development and redevelopment of state regulations that impact camps. It is imperative that an ongoing comprehensive improvement process that captures the quality and best practice indicators be integrated in order to truly meet the needs of the camper, camp families, camp professionals and the camps are safe and are in quality environments.

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Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Archive for September, 2008

Who is most likely to suffer from traumatic brain injury?

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury

Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia

Camp Safety