by Spencer Aronfeld | Feb 14, 2018 | Brain Injuries, Car Accidents
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) After a Car Accident? Know the Signs. Approximately half of all traumatic brain injuries or TBIs are caused from trauma sustained in a car accident. However, the signs of a TBI are not always obvious, and many times, they can be overlooked. It is important to know the signs of a TBI so they can be recognized and treated as soon as possible. Common Signs of a TBI The physical symptoms of a TBI are not always obvious. In fact, many times, a person suffering from a TBI may associate the symptoms with something else and may postpone medical attention until it is too late. The symptoms of a TBI can include one or more of the following physical symptoms: Nausea and/or vomiting; Loss of change in consciousness, ranging in length from a few seconds to a few hours; Seizures or convulsions; Dilation of the pupils or double vision; Difficulty staying awake; Clear fluids draining from the ears or nose; Slurred speech; Weakness in limbs; Loss of balance of coordination; Other behavioral changes may be noticed such as sudden anger or rage or extreme mood swings. A person suffering from a TBI can experience blurred vision, sensitivity to lights or sounds, ringing in the ears or sensory problems. If any of these symptoms are experienced by someone involved in a car accident, that person should been seen by a doctor immediately. What Happens During a TBI? Brain trauma during a car accident occurs when the skull strikes another object in the car, like a steering wheel or the windshield. The trauma can often be readily...
by Aronfeld Trial Lawyers | Dec 11, 2017 | Brain Injuries, Car Accidents
Each year approximately 280,000 people in the United States suffer a traumatic brain injury in a car accident or collision. That’s nearly 20% of all head and brain injuries that occur in the same 12-month period, making car accidents one of the major causes of brain injuries in the country. Only falls account for more head injuries in the United States. Furthermore, the head injuries from a car accident are frequently significant, causing a person to experience long-term consequences and complications. What else do you need to know about head injuries in a Florida car accident? Below we cover the circumstances and information you need. What Is a Brain or Head Injury? The terms brain injury and head injury describe a wide range of health conditions and ramifications associated with trauma to the scalp, skull, or brain. The amount of damage to the brain and head can vary from a small bump, with no other negative effects to traumatic brain injury, which can be fatal. The most common head injury from a car accident is a concussion. Rarely is this form of head trauma deadly, but each year there are several cases in which concussions lead to irreparable brain damage. The symptoms of a concussion often include feeling dizzy or unbalanced, nausea, moments of disorientation or amnesia, and sleep disturbances or unexplained fatigue. After a car accident, individuals experiencing these symptoms should seek medical attention. Another common injury is a brain contusion. This injury is directly related to the impact of your head or skull on a part of the car, windshield, back of a seat, or another hard...
by Aronfeld Trial Lawyers | Aug 1, 2016 | Brain Injuries, Personal Injury News and Safety Resources
Every year nearly two million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries due to accidents involving high impact. Of these cases, from 75,000-100,000 result in death, and over 500,000 incur injuries severe enough to require hospitalization. Our Miami personal injury law firm deals most commonly with these injuries in car accident and slip-and-fall claims. Most victims of high-impact accidents who have suffered traumatic brain injuries are under the impression that they fully understand the extent of their injuries, or lack thereof. However, it is very important to handle these claims properly and understand the scope of the injury before it is too late and the case has already reached a settlement. DETERMINING THE SEVERITY OF THE INJURY The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was developed to allow medical professionals the ability to quantify brain injuries in acute-trauma patients. This scale is based on an assessment of visual, verbal, and motor responsiveness. The GCS generally provides an accurate indicator of long-term prognosis, particularly in cases of severe brain injury. Brain injuries are typically categorized as either mild, moderate, or severe. The injury is considered mild if the loss of consciousness lasts less than 30 minutes. While only 15% of brain injuries reported annually are considered mild, victims can suffer well over a year from side effects. Signs of a mild injury: Problems with coordination Excessive sleep or depression Changes in mood, violent outbursts Difficulty formulating thoughts or sentences, memory loss Sensory issues (loss of smell, bad taste in mouth, sensitivity to lights or sound, etc.) Nausea Seizures Victims who have experienced moderate to severe brain injuries often lose consciousness for more than an...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Nov 17, 2015 | Brain Injuries, Cruise Ship Accidents, Personal Injury News and Safety Resources
Cruise lines and the lawyers who sue them are closely watching a recent verdict against Carnival’s Holland America, which just got hit by a huge decision in a passenger personal injury lawsuit that resulted in a $21.5-million-dollar judgment. Following a lengthy and hard-fought trial, a federal jury in Seattle, Washington, awarded $21.5 million in damages to an Illinois passenger who suffered a traumatic brain injury on a Holland America cruise ship while walking past an automatic sliding-glass door onboard back in 2011. The verdict included $16.5 million in punitive damages, which are special damages designed to punish the defendant. James Hausman, a 61-year-old resident of Springfield, Illinois, and his attorneys argued during a nine-day jury trial that dozens of other Holland America passengers were also injured by the sliding doors on Holland America cruise ships because of problems with the automatic sensors, Holland America, which is wholly owned by Carnival Cruise Lines, the largest cruise ship company in the world, has denied the allegations and has already filed motions asking the Judge to reduce the judgment. In the alternative, Holland America has vowed to appeal the verdict. Video surveillance video (CCTV) shows Mr. Hausman walking through the automatic sliding glass doors, when they slammed him in the face. He and his family were beginning an around-the-world cruise aboard the M/S Amsterdam. Holland America claims that Mr. Hausman simply walked into the closing doors, and therefore the incident was his fault. The ship’s doctor diagnosed him with a concussion and allowed Mr. Hausman to complete the cruise. According to the injured passenger’s lawyers, diagnostic tests performed once he had returned...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Apr 14, 2014 | Brain Injuries, Child Injuries, Cruise Ship Accidents, Personal Injury News and Safety Resources
Our cruise ship injury lawyers want to warn families about to take a cruise with their children to be extra careful to supervise them closely whenever they are using one of the ship’s swimming pools. This is especially important as virtually no cruise lines provide lifeguards. We find this extremely difficult to believe, especially in light of a number of recent tragedies that have killed and severely injured children who have drowned onboard cruise ships. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, death by drowning among children one to four accounts for more deaths than any other cause except birth defects. Yet currently no U.S. laws require cruise lines to provide lifeguards at their pools, and some of those ships carry hundreds or even thousands of children on every voyage. Boy Drowns on Norwegian Cruise Ship Our condolences go out to the family of a four-year-old boy who died aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway when he drowned in one of the ship’s swimming pools, off the coast of North Carolina. He and a six-year-old boy were airlifted to Carolina East Medical Center in New Bern with his grandmother and one of the ship’s nurses. He died on the way. The Breakaway is one of Norwegian’s newest mega cruise ships with 18 decks and the capacity to carry up to 4,000 passengers. The ship, based in New York City, has a Manhattan-inspired theme, several swimming pools, and a designated aqua park for young children. Its Splash Academy provides supervised swimming for children ages 3 to 17. It is unknown if these kids were signed into care at Splash...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Oct 28, 2013 | Brain Injuries, Cruise Ship Accidents
Last week I found myself sitting in a dank and moldy conference room located in a town in Puebla, Mexico. I was there to take the deposition of a former Royal Caribbean Cruise Line employee who inadvertently caused an accident earlier this year. That incident resulted in a serious brain injury to a nine-year-old passenger aboard the Monarch of the Seas cruise ship docked in Nassau, Bahamas.. When the Monarch of the Seas first set sail from France, it was one of the largest cruise ships in the world–able to carry nearly 3,000 passengers. In addition to an outdoor basketball court, where the accident happened, the ship’s facilities include a rock-climbing wall and two full-sized saltwater swimming pools. Just a few months after my client’s accident onboard the ship, it was sold to Pullmantur Cruises, a Spanish cruise line, and a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean. Para leer en español haga clic aquí. WHO MANDATES CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER SAFETY? The International Maritime Organization was created by the United Nations in 1948 to regulate safety at sea along with various organizations in each country with a port of call. This summer, the escalating wave of reported crimes aboard cruise ships finally caught the attention of Congress, when West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller introduced the Cruise Passenger Protection Act. CRIMINALLY ASSAULTED ON A CRUISE? According to a report released during the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearings, the number of alleged crimes cruise lines reported to the FBI since 2011 is 30 times higher than the number of crimes that the FBI is required to report publicly. Moreover, sex crimes committed against...
