Spinal Injury Lawyer Blog 24/7

Published on: October 23, 2011

In an accident at Disney World in 183, a college student was paralyzed from the neck down

by Stephen Bilkis

In an accident at Disney World in 1983, a college student was paralyzed from the neck down. The young man (at the time) was set up to receive up to $42 million over the next 51 years in accordance with an out-of-court settlement reached with the family entertainment institution.

The 21-year-old senior music major from Mississippi Valley State College was reported as saying, “It came out more than I expected.”

The trombone player and other students from around the country were rehearsing for the opening ceremonies performance when a platform fell on him. The impact broke his neck and spinal cord, leaving him a quadriplegic.

Published on: October 18, 2011

Fire Fighter Smashed by Beam Has Returned Home to Finish Recovery

by Stephen Bilkis

A fire fighter from Duns was airlifted to a hospital after being seriously hurt while dealing with a blaze in the Borders. He lost the use of his legs after suffering serious spinal injuries when a beam fell on him while fighting a fire at the Eye mouth golf club.

Last summer, fire crews were called to a fire in a green keeper’s shed at the golf course. The building was ablaze and the fire fighter was injured when part of the structure collapsed.

About 35 members of the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue responded to the shed where a number of chemicals and pesticides were stored, including three specialist chemical incident vehicles and two fire service experts.

Published on: October 14, 2011

Drunk driver kills one and paralyzes another

by Stephen Bilkis

There is no doubt in the world that drinking and driving is not a good combination. In this accident case, a man driving while under the influence of alcohol, was involved in a deadly crash that killed his passenger and severely injured a woman on her way home from work. The injured woman was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the accident, indicated the NY Spinal Injury Lawyer.

The driver was charged with not only driving under the influence, but aggravated assault by a vehicle and homicide by vehicle. He had been drinking at a tavern just before the crash. Despite being drunk, he thought he could drive. The man ran a red light doing 95 mph and accelerating, when he slammed into another pickup. His passenger wasn’t killed instantly, but instead, died a month later from his injuries.

The other driver involved in this horrific wreck was a 911 dispatcher on her way home from work. Her dispatch center got the call about her accident and subsequent injuries, which included severe spinal cord injury, broken legs, broken ankles and a broken back. Blood alcohol tests run on the driver showed he was 0.15%, reported the New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. The legal limit in his state was 0.08, the same as Staten Island and Westchester County.

Published on: October 11, 2011

Booster seats are crucial for young children

by Stephen Bilkis

Children don’t know enough to be able to tell their parents or other adults taking care of them what they need in terms of safety in a vehicle. They really need to be in booster seats and every state, with the exception of one, Florida, has booster seat laws, reported a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer.

Why are booster seats so important? They’re vitally important because without them, your child could sustain internal bleeding, spinal cord damage and even death, if you are involved in a car accident and your child is not in a booster seat. Florida as well as Nassau and Suffolk Counties right now says parents only have to use a seat belt when their kids get to be 4-years old.

The problem with a seat belt is that it tends to lock down and cut a small child’s abdomen and neck, typically resulting in a broken neck, head injuries, brain injuries, bleeding from major arteries and paralysis. In other words, wearing a seat belt when you are only four years old is not safe and can be deadly, commented the authorities.

Published on: October 8, 2011

Football scrimmage line leaves player with spinal cord injury, said a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

Football can be a whole lot of fun for those playing and those watching. However, it’s a highly physical game and there are bound to be injuries – serious injuries, such as spinal cord injuries. That is what happened in this case when a high school senior was involved in a scrimmage in 2008. He was told there was a bunch of things he would never be able to do again and would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, explained the New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. This is not tetraplegia but it is close to that terrible affliction.

The boy had no intentions of living up to that prognosis and has been chasing a variety of different therapies, including human embryonic stem cell injections around his C-5 spinal cord injury and bio feedback to help his brain reconnect with damaged neuropathways. He hopes to also increase his overall motor functions.

The young man’s injury is just behind the windpipe and the stem cell injections are intended to stimulate damaged tissue in that area, said the New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. Unfortunately, this kind of therapy is not available in the US and so the young man goes out of country to get it. Despite many people’s skepticism, he has seen some great improvement in his condition and actually has feeling in parts of his body that doctors said would never happen.

Published on: October 4, 2011

Company Fined after serious injury from scissor lift fall

by Stephen Bilkis

An electrical company based in Hertfordshire has been fined £120,000 after a man was knocked from a scissor lift and left paralyzed.

The attending HSE’s (Health and Safety Executive) Inspector said “The fine reflects the seriousness of the omissions by this company. Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil Ltd employed people to do highly hazardous work and yet failed to take the appropriate steps to ensure their safety.” The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) prosecuted Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil Ltd after the incident which happened on the 25 January 2007 at the Manor Royal Industrial Park in Crawley. Companies in the Bronx and Brooklyn are watching this case.

Lewes Crown Court was told that the company had been subcontracted to design and build the mechanical and electrical systems in a number of new buildings. A cable installer from Hartlepool was working in a scissor lift with two colleagues tying cables into overhead trays when they collapsed, knocking the man out of the lift and causing him to fall 8m to the floor below. According to a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer, the contractor suffered severe spinal injuries and is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Published on: October 1, 2011

Teen wrestler doesn’t want spinal cord surgery, reports a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

This is an interesting case, in that the young man, a teenage wrestler, bruised his spine while playing his sport. A court now wants to mandate that the boy have spinal surgery for cervical spine injury, reported the New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. His parents, and the boy, are saying they don’t want or need the surgery and they have a video tape to prove he is capable of moving quite well.

The reason the court feels it should mandate the surgery is that the boy’s parents refused the spinal operation for their son. That prompted officials in their county to take custody of the boy. Why? They stepped in and started acting like the boy’s natural parents, because the family is firm in their belief of the benefits of natural healing and herbal remedies. They feel that spinal surgery could cause their son more harm.

The mother took a video of her son in his hospital bed, which shows quite clearly that he has the ability to move all of his limbs separately, and has a decent range of motion. He appears to have full movement and the family doesn’t think he needs unnecessary surgery, which may cause paralysis. The boy himself also states he doesn’t want the operation.

Published on: September 29, 2011

Fall from window severely injures man, leaving him paralyzed, reports a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

The last thing you would expect to happen is to be walking in your sleep and fall out a window. However, that is what happened in this case. A man was severely injured after a 25 foot fall from a window, reported a New York Spinal Injury Lawyer. He suffered terrible internal injuries, broken bones and a serious spinal cord injury. This wasn’t exactly good news for the man, as he is also blind. In Staten Island and Westchester County this could be called a slip and fall injury.

As a result of his fall, he fractured his skull, which caused bleeding on his brain. He had several broken ribs and his chest filled with blood as a result of his injuries. He broke two parts of his spine as well, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He had to have surgery to put metal into his back to provide him with some form of support. After that, his life was a constant round of trying to use a gym for rehab and learning how to use a wheelchair.

As you may well imagine, due to the seriousness of his injuries, he had problems fighting off infections; something that kept setting his recovery time back. All in all, it’s been an uphill battle for the 34-year old man and he finds it hard to stay positive. In his situation, he may well have considered filing a personal injury lawsuit to recover the costs of his medical care, therapy and rehabilitation, added the NY Spinal Injury Lawyer.

Published on: September 27, 2011

Quick Stop on Bus Lands Man With Spinal Injury

by Stephen Bilkis

Something as simple as a bus ride changed a 49-year-old man’s life forever and New York Spinal Injury Lawyers were there to help him.

The plaintiff boarded the bus and while looking for a seat, the vehicle came to a sudden stop, throwing him 20 feet across the bus. He landed on the floor on his right hip, shoulder, and back. Though he was released from the hospital on the same day, the effects of his injuries still linger. He was moved from his job as a cardio-pulmonary technician to a desk job. It took months of physical therapy to discover he had a herniated cervical disc. Two more years of physical therapy did not relieve the pain in his neck, and eventually a ruptured disc had to be surgically removed from his neck. Hospitals in New York City and Queen have similar treatments for this kind of injury.

The defendants in the trial, four years after the accident, had a number of counterarguments, but New York City Spinal Injury Lawyers were there to counter them all. In the end, he was awarded $450,000 for past pain and suffering and $300,000 for future pain and suffering. The Transit Authority appealed, but if it comes to another trial, Lawyers will stay in the fight to the very end.

Published on: September 23, 2011

Significant Back Injury Reaps Unacceptable Award

by Stephen Bilkis

A plaintiff who was injured on the job was awarded only $10,000 for past pain and suffering and $7,000 for future pain and suffering. For some cases, this might be adequate, but for this one, it was unacceptably low. Luckily for the plaintiff, New York Spinal Injury Lawyers were on the case.

The plaintiff was carrying a 200-pound hot water circulating pump down a ship’s ladder of the rooftop engine room, when the other two helping him lost control of the bottom end of the pump. He had to hold it up all by himself to avoid it falling upon the men helping him and sustained back injuries that were likely permanent. The defendants maintained that it was not an accident that fell under labor laws, but New York Spinal Injury Lawyers were able to sway the jury in their favor. Attorneys in The Bronx and Brooklyn are keeping an eye on this case.

The story doesn’t end there, however. The final judgment was less than $20,000, despite the plaintiff’s injuries, which included a herniated disc. He required steroid injections and surgery, and still remains unable to lift heavy loads. Pain medication would be required for years, if not for life. NY Spinal Injury Lawyers determined a new trial was necessary, in which the plaintiff would be properly compensated — $175,000 for past pain and suffering and $125,000 for future pain and suffering.