Bicycle Accident Injury

Published on: August 15, 2011

Helmets Can Prevent Spinal Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have discovered that bicycle riders who wear helmets are 22% less likely to sustain an injury to their cervical spins than riders who did not wear helmets, after crashing their bicycles or motorcycles. This contradicts the supposition of some who say the weight of the helmet causes enough torque on the neck in a motorcycle crash to contribute to spinal injuries.

“We are debunking a popular myth that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can be detrimental during a motorcycle crash,” a professor of surgery told a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. “Using this new evidence, legislators should revisit the need for mandatory helmet laws. There is no doubt that helmets save lives and reduce head injury. And now we know they are associated with a decreased risk of cervical spine injury.”

The professor and his colleagues sifted through data of more than 40,000 motorcycle collisions that occurred between 2002 and 2006. Not only did the riders who wore helmets suffer fewer cervical spine injuries, but they also showed lower risks for traumatic brain injury and death.

Published on: August 11, 2011

Someone who has suffered spinal cord injury will usually have suffered some recent trauma

by Stephen Bilkis

Someone who has suffered spinal cord injury from a slip and fall accident will usually have suffered some recent trauma and will report tenderness on a certain part of the spine and pain when moving, NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers have noted. They may appear to even be paralyzed from the waist down, but still have some sensations, or even some slight movement, in that area.

Signs of real neurologic energy will often include bowel or bladder dysfunction and changes in sensation in the region around the anus (perianal region). Physicians should obtain a history of any previous spinal injury or neurologic difficulties the patient may have suffered in the past. The mechanism of the current injury should also be studied, along with the patient’s general state of health. Injury Lawyers recommend that the patient’s family be interviewed, or even observers, if the patient is unable to respond.

Upon being physically examined, a physician may discover cuts, bruising, and deformity on the back. It may be possible to feel any shifted vertebrae through touch. A seatbelt may have also left bruises or other marks along the chest or abdomen. The patient may also have difficulty moving his or her legs. It is difficult to assess motor function or levels of pain in a patient who is unconscious or intoxicated, NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers have discovered. Sometimes, the only way to tell, at first, if there is spinal cord injury is to watch the involuntary movement of the victim’s limbs. Examination by doctors in Nassau and Suffolk Counties should also include head injury assessment and checks for broken bones or abdominal or urologic trauma.

Published on: August 7, 2011

There are around 12,000 new cases of spinal cord injury every year in the United States,

by Stephen Bilkis

There are around 12,000 new cases of spinal cord injury every year in the United States. There are about 300,000 patients who are still living with the neurological aftereffects of spinal injury.

Post-injury treatments for such injuries generally focus upon the treatment of complications like pain and urinary tract infections. There are promising new approaches, however, that focus upon regeneration and cell therapy. Early clinical reports using various types of cells have shown some improvement in spinal injury victims. Many of these injuries are caused by construction accidents in New York City and Queens.

New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have been looking into the implications of these procedures, studying selected preclinical and clinical interventions. There have already been attempts at a combination approach, using a number of different cells, as well as a case study which showed promising results. These types of therapy may very well be the wave of the future.

Published on: August 3, 2011

Spinal cord injury, or SCI, can be classified as complete or incomplete

by Stephen Bilkis

Spinal cord injury, or SCI, can be classified as complete or incomplete, according to New York Spinal Injury Lawyers. A complete spinal cord injury is one that causes permanent paralysis. Incomplete means the injury has the potential of neurologic improvement. Almost half of all spinal cord injuries are complete, which means total loss of motor and sensory function at and below the level of the injury. In general, complete spinal cord injuries in the thoracic region of the spine (mid to upper back), result in paralysis of the lower extremities, or paraplegia.

Incomplete SCI has varied neurologic aspects. There are three major syndromes that occur with thoracic spine fractures, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers have discovered. These are anterior cord syndrome, Brown-Sequard syndrome, and central cord syndrome.

Anterior cord syndrome causes a loss of motor function and pain and/or a feeling of heat from injury to the front (anterior) or the spinal cord. The limbs are still fully functional because sensory input remains. Doctors in The Bronx and Manhattan have to treat these injuries with great care and attention.

Published on: July 30, 2011

A fracture of the thoracic spine means a break, or fracture

by Stephen Bilkis

A fracture of the thoracic spine means a break, or fracture, in one of the twelve bones that make up the thoracic region of the spine, in the upper back. This is the longest section of the spin, according to New York Spinal Injury Lawyers, and it has smaller vertebrae, a smaller spinal canal, and a less developed vascular system than the lower region of the back, the lumbar region. It also has more stability, however, due to support from the ribs and rib cage. It takes a great deal of force to harm the thoracic vertebrae.

Spinal Injury Lawyers of New York City have learned major trauma is the most common cause of thoracic fractures, due to such events as motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, and violence. Such injuries result in neurologic impairment in about 10% to 25% of individuals. Thos who suffer from bone conditions like osteoporosis may sustain fractures from minor injuries. Slip and Fall accidents in Queens and Long Island are often the cause of injuries like this.

The length of disability from such injuries can vary according to a number of factors. Things such as neurological damage, age of the victim, any complications, the stability of the fracture, the type of fracture, the treatment, and the type of job can all change the period of disability.

Published on: July 27, 2011

Walls and Rain Falling

by Stephen Bilkis

Near the end of April, a 38-year-old engineer died of a spinal injury when a part of the Freedom Park wall collapsed on his car. He had been sitting in the car talking on his phone. He left behind a wife and a 2-year-old daughter.

The mechanical engineer by training was a partner in a City firm he and his friend started seven years ago – SP Engineers and Contractors. The victim’s friend and business partner said it was “an unbearable loss” to loss his friend of more than two decades.

The victim had been looking for a parking spot and had been unable to find one. His friend blames the rain on the difficulty in finding a spot. He had been on his way to meet his business partner and two other friends at a hotel, as they did almost every day. When he didn’t show, his partner tried to call him, but didn’t get an answer. When they heard the wall had fallen, all three who were to meet him rushed to the scene and found him in his car crushed under the debris.

Published on: July 18, 2011

Motorcycle helmets do reduce brain injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

The latest studies into whether or not helmets make any difference in a motorcycle crash have shown that indeed, they “do” make a difference. They reduce brain injuries and deaths from brain injuries. Interestingly, they also cut down on the incidents of spinal cord injuries, said the New York Spinal Injury Lawyer.

This latest information is of interest, because there is an old myth that says wearing a helmet can hurt the spine during a bike crash. With proof it helps reduce spinal cord injuries, legislators across the country might want to revisit some of their helmet laws. For those states that already have mandatory helmet laws, this validates having their legislation in place.

For those states that either don’t have a helmet law or leave it up to the biker to choose, this new information – that they save lives, reduce head injuries and reduce the risks of cervical spine injury – should help proponents re-consider their lack of a helmet law. Hospitals in New York City and Westchester County say that helmets can save lives and horrible injury.

Published on: July 13, 2011

Settlement Reached between Gymnast and Gym

by Stephen Bilkis

December 2006 saw a settlement reached between a 17-year-old gymnast and the gym she practiced gymnastics at. She was injured at the facility and suffered paralysis in 2005.

Details of the case were sealed to the public. “This is a natural occurrence when one or more of the parties involved are a minor,” a New York Spinal Injury Attorney reported. Also attributed to the closed files, the parents and the girl’s attorney decided not to comment to the press at the time of the arraignment.

The Circuit Judge presiding over the case put his stamp of approval on the agreement.

Published on: July 9, 2011

Concussions Leave Football Players with Permanent Brain Injury

by Stephen Bilkis

It has been estimated that at least 300,000 concussions occur each year among adults and children who play football. A concussion is considered a mild trauma to the brain that can cause permanent damage. While most people who receive a concussion are not rendered unconscious afterwards, they may complain about headaches, dizziness and nausea days later, reports a New York City Spinal Injury Lawyer. About 15% of those who suffer a concussion will blackout. But even if a person does not blackout, it does not mean that damage to the brain has not occurred. As doctors in Nassau and Suffolk County have discovered these injuries can lead to fatal spinal injuries.

According to Dr. Daniel Amen, a leading neurologist and researcher of brain trauma, has stated that every person who has played football, whether as a child or as an adult, may have some permanent brain damage. Others in the field are beginning to agree with Amen and have started seminars and training sessions for parents so they can better protect their children, states a NY Spinal Injury Lawyer.

Deceased NFL player Dave Duerson was so concerned about the impact of concussions on his fellow players that he had stated he wanted to donate his brain to science after he died so the affects of playing football on the brain may be studied. Many football players in the NFL have received at least one concussion during their high school, college or professional careers. In some cases, players may have received as many as 15 concussions. While the impact of these injuries will require further research, protecting the brain while playing football is a big concern. Wearing the proper equipment, restricting players from participating if they are suffering from a concussion and being able to diagnose a concussion quickly may help reduce the affects of a concussion, or in some cases, save lives.

Published on: June 24, 2011

1910 Legal Cases Shine Light on Compensation Proceedings of the Early 20th Century

by Stephen Bilkis

An employee of two bakers in Wellington was going about his usual rounds when the harness on the horse he was driving broke. The horse escaped and ran clear of the cart, and the employee was violently thrown to the ground. Sustaining a severe spinal injury, he suffered partial paralysis of his legs.

No one questioned the diagnosis of the attending physician. Officials involved in the case said the employee had no hope of recovery.

Directly before this verdict in this case, a compensation settlement of 303£ had been agreed upon, and parties for the bakery had been paying the man in weekly payments. This case asked the Court to order the payment of the balance to be paid in full. The Court judged in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the payment of the remaining 298£.