Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Archive for March, 2009

Acquired Brain injury

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Many people want to know the difference between an acquired brain injury and a traumatic brain injury. An acquired brain injury is a general term that refers to any injury to the brain after birth. Such events may include infections or lack of oxygen to the brain, a blood clot or stroke, and/or a traumatic brain injury. A traumatic brain injury was discussed in a prior blog and defined therein. An acquired brain injury does not refer to congenital brain injuries or to those that occur during birth.

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Statistics on Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

The Brain Injury Association of America has published the following statistics on traumatic brain injury in the United States:
-At least 5.3 million Amerians currently live with disabilities resulting from a traumatic brain injury.
-More than 1.4 million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury every year.
-Each year, 1.1 million individuals are treated and released from an emergency department following a traumatic brain injury.
-More than 50,0000 people die every year as a result of traumatic brain injury.
-The risk of traumatic brain injury is highest among adolescents, young adults, and persons older than 75 years.
-Blasts are a leading cause of traumatic brain injury for active duty military personnel in war zones.

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News About the Brain Injury Association of the District of Columbia

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Partners Joseph Cammarata and Ira Sherman are co-founders of the Brain Injury Association of D.C. (BIADC), a non-profit organization dedicated to provide brain injury help, hope and healing. The BIADC recently became an affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA).

The Council of the District of Columbia recently issued a Resolution recognizing the creation of the BIADC, its affiliation status with the BIAA, and the important role the BIADC will play within the Washington, D.C. community.

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DCWASA Offers $5,000 – Law Firm Obtains $611,000 Verdict

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Our client was driving in a funeral procession, when an employee of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (“DCWASA”) failed to yield to the funeral procession and crashed into our client’s vehicle. As a result of the collision our client suffered a herniated disk in her back at the L4-L5 level of her spine, which caused permanent back pain. She was not a candidate for surgery, so there was nothing she could do to alleviate the back pain. Our client is 34 years old, and has three children. The pain interfered with her ability to enjoy many activities with her family.

DCWASA refused to take responsibility for the collision. They claimed our client ran a red light, since the traffic light governing traffic in the direction our client was travelling was red at the time she proceeded through the intersection. DCWASA was also relying on an independent witness who was expected to testify that our client had lagged behind the funeral procession, making it appear as if the funeral procession was over. DCWASA offered our client $5,000 to settle the case. Accordingly, Partner Allan M. Siegel tried the case in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.

At trial, the independent witness stated that he was paying attention, and was therefore able to determine that there was still a funeral procession proceeding through the intersection, despite his testimony that our client had lagged behind six car lengths. There were also other witnesses who said our client was stopped in the middle of the intersection, one car length behind the vehicle in front of her when the collision occurred. The jury found that the DCWASA driver was negligent and entered a verdict against DCWASA for $611,238.40.

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What is a traumatic brain injury?

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Many people ask what the definition of a traumatic brain injury is. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, a traumatic brain injury is:

“Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of a physical shock: a blow, jolt, or impalement. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from mild (a brief change in mental status or consciousness)to severe (an extended period of unconsciousness or loss of memory [amnesia]) after the injury. A TBI can result in short- or long-term problems with a person’s ability to function.”