A Class Action lawsuit finds strength in numbers.  Often thousands of people will be involved in a single case.  Employee groups often form a single party when filing a suit against a company they work for.  An Illinois personal injury lawyer states, “Vital to any Class Action is the strength and experience of the firm that represents the Plaintiffs.”

Several factors are generally present in class action lawsuits.  Even though one person may file a Class Action lawsuit, the individuals potentially affected by the harmful product or illegal practice must exceed one.  In addition, all individuals within the class must share common injuries or complaints according to a Chicago Class Action attorney.

A Consumer Protection Class Action is the most common type of case involving a “class” or group.  These cases involve those who violate State and Federal laws that protect consumer rights.  Examples include faulty services, misleading advertising, contract violations and scams.  These lawsuits generally involve:

• Telephone providers
• Internet providers
• Insurance companies
• Credit card companies
• Manufacturers of defective products

If you would like more information on Class Action lawsuits or how to proceed with a claim, contact an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney today.

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• If a construction site does not provide 100% fall protection, the general contractor may be found negligent
• If an individual drives through a stop sign and hits your car he or she can be found negligent
• If a landlord fails to fix a safety hazard and you are injured, he or she may be found negligent

Illinois personal injury lawyers further describe negligence as the “doing of something or the failure to do something that an ordinary person would do under similar circumstances.”  Negligence cannot exist without “duty.”  To be found negligent, the party must owe you a duty.  Generally, the duty owed is a duty of reasonable care or ordinary care and the law determines who owes a duty to another.

In Illinois, personal negligence lawyers list the following people that owe the general public a duty of reasonable care:

• Business owners
• Landlords
• Physicians
• Manufacturers
• Automobile operators
• General contractors
• Airlines
• Railroad employers
• Riverboat employers
• Lawyers

In the state of Illinois, if the jury finds the Plaintiff more than 50% at fault, the Plaintiff will lose the case unless an individual is injured at work explains a Chicago negligence attorney.  At work, negligence does not need to be proved.  The employer is automatically liable for any injury.

If you have been injured and believe it is due to negligence from another party, contact an Illinois personal injury lawyer promptly.  Insurance companies will have investigators working on the case immediately; therefore, having a dedicated Chicago personal injury attorney on your side from the beginning will help ensure you have a successful case.

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Anyone who has suffered a traumatic brain injury is usually brought to an emergency room for initial diagnosis and treatment.  Vital signs are assessed and stabilized, life threatening injuries identified and treated, and the diagnosing of the brain injury begins explains Illinois brain injury lawyers. 

X-rays, CT scans or MRI scans are generally conducted to determine if any skull bones are fractured or if bone fragments have penetrated the brain tissues.  A neurological evaluation is performed to look for hematomas or elevated intracranial pressure.  A detailed medical history is necessary to identify any prior psychological treatment, previous injuries, any existing seizure disorders or substance abuse.  The individual is asked a number of simple questions and given simple commands.

Physicians generally use the Glasgow Coma Scale to determine the patient’s degree of consciousness, determine the severity and predict his or her chance for recovery.  The Glasgow Coma Scale measures the patient’s ability to move, speak and open his or her eyes.  The lower the total score, the less chance a person has for complete recovery.  The Glasgow Coma Scales is posted below:

Eye Opening

4 = Responds spontaneously
3 = Responds to voice
2 = Responds to pain
1 = No response

Best Motor Response

6 = Follows commands
5 = Localizes to pain
4 = Withdraws to pain
3 = Decorticate (produces an exaggerated posture of upper extremity flexion and lower extremity extension in response to pain)
2 = Decerebrate (produces an exaggerated posture of extension in response to pain)
1 = No Response

Best Verbal Response

5 = Oriented and converses
4 = Disoriented and converses
3 = Inappropriate words
2 = Incomprehensible sounds
1 = No response

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a brain injury in Chicago, personal injury attorneys will help fight for justice and proper compensation.  Traumatic brain injuries can be devastating and life-changing.  You need the support of a qualified and experienced Illinois brain injury lawyer on your side if another party was at fault for your injury.

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• Coma
• Post-traumatic amnesia
• Recovery

Severe traumatic brain injuries generally result in a loss of consciousness, known as a coma.  When in a coma, the individual shows no reaction when spoken to or touched and his or her eyes are closed.  A coma can be brief or last for an extended period of time.  The longer an individual remains in a coma, the greater the chance for permanent neurological damage.  Illinois brain injury lawyers have represented many individuals who have recovered from a coma yet still suffer side effects from the injury.

The post-traumatic amnesia stage occurs when in individual attempts to communicate and responds with purposeful movement.  Responding to commands such as closing the eyes or lifting a limb, speaking and gesturing are characteristics of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA).  During this stage, concentrating long enough to remember things is difficult.  Chicago personal injury attorneys list the following common symptoms of PTA following a brain injury:

• Difficulty performing tasks such as reciting days of the week, months of the year or counting
• Answering the same question with different responses
• Inability to remember what happened in recent minutes, hours or days
• Staring blankly
• Losing train of thought quickly
• Attention shifts from one subject to another

This state of confusion is mainly cognitive impairment; thinking, perception, remembering and concentration.  Disinhibition, behavior changes and impulsivity are common among individuals during this stage.
The recovery phase begins when a person begins to retain information.  Depending on which areas of the brain were damaged, this stage can last weeks, months or years.  Improvement can occur rapidly at first and generally slows until a recovery plateau has been reached.

Not all individuals recover from a traumatic brain injury.  For those that do, the process may take years.  If you have been the victim of any type of head injury, contact a competent Illinois brain injury lawyer today.

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Symptoms and signs of brain injuries depend on which structures in the brain are damaged.  Chicago brain injury attorneys list the following common symptoms and signs associated with traumatic brain injuries:

• Dizziness
• Headache
• Anxiety
• Blurry or double vision
• Nervousness
• Behavioral changes
• Impulsiveness
• Irritability
• Depression
• Slurred or slowed speech
• Sleep difficulties
• Sense of spinning or vertigo
• Seizures
• Lack of coordinated movements
• Feeling light headed
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loss of memory
• Muscle spasms or stiffness
• Tingling, pain or numbness
• Weakness in facial muscles
• Weakness on one side of the body
• Weakness in one or more limbs

This list only includes potential signs and symptoms of a brain injury.  They can develop long after the initial injury occurred.  Illinois personal injury lawyers are dedicated to pursuing justice for individuals suffering from brain injuries as a result of negligence.  If you are experiencing any of these symptoms contact an experienced Chicago brain injury attorney immediately.

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Illinois brain injury lawyers report that an estimated 26% of the population neglects or resists using safety features such as seatbelts, child safety seats and automobile air bags.  These features dramatically reduce the risk for serious injury and/or death after an accident.  Chicago personal injury attorneys offer the following tips to help reduce or prevent serious traumatic brain injuries:

• Avoid driving under the influence of medications, drugs or alcohol
• Wear shoulder harnesses and lap belts 100% of the time
• Use properly installed child and infant safety seats
• Children under the age of twelve should always ride in the backseat to avoid airbag injuries
• Use a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorcycle
• Adhere to proper speed limits

Although preventing traumatic brain injuries is not always possible, steps can be taken to reduce the risk.  Illinois brain injury lawyers have witnessed on multiple occasions the devastating effects of brain injuries and the long-term complications involved.

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Chicago brain injury attorneys have been discussing the devastating effects of head injuries in the previous few posts.  This post will highlight the different types of brain injuries:

• Early brain injury
• Diffuse axonal injury
• Hypoxic-ischemic injury
• Contusions

Early brain injuries and early complications can be either focal or diffuse.  Focal brain injuries are generally confined to a specific part of the brain.  Localized damage results that can normally be detected by an x-ray or ct scan.  Diffuse injuries on the other hand are characterized by damage throughout many areas of the brain.  Often times, the damage is microscopic and affects the axons (wires) that nerve cells use to communicate with each other.

Diffuse axonal injuries cause the stretching of blood vessels in multiple areas of the brain and a shearing of large nerve fibers.  This injury causes bleeding (hemorrhage) and can trigger additional toxic substances in the brain in days after the initial injury.  The result can be memory loss, inattentiveness, visual loss, weakness on one side of the body and disorganization, among other complications.

Hypoxic-ischemic injuries restrict the flow of oxygen from the blood, glucose and additional nutrients.  Most victims of hypoxic-ischemic injuries face a poor prognosis, reduced cognitive function and/or memory loss reports an Illinois brain injury lawyer.

Contusions are bruises that can cause the destruction of brain tissue, swelling or bleeding.  Symptoms of contusions include but are not limited to memory loss, loss of vision, coordination, abnormal sensations, behavior impairment and weakness.  Contusions can leave permanent scars in brain tissue and therefore neurological impairment.

Contact a Chicago brain injury attorney today if you have further questions on traumatic brain injuries or have been a victim of this life-altering injury.

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Traumatic brain injuries, as discussed in previous post occur when damage to the brain results after a blow to the head.  The injury may be minor with little effects, or major resulting in severe disability or death.  Medical and surgical advances have improved the odds for surviving a traumatic brain injury; however, coping with the life-changing complications can be a tremendous challenge for patients, physicians, families, and therapists according to a Chicago brain injury attorney.

Recent statistics show the cost of traumatic brain injuries in the United States to be an estimated $48.3 billions annually.  $31.7 billion is hospitalization costs, with the remaining $16.6 billion in costs associated with facilities. The estimates of people who have survived a brain injury are between 2.5 and 6.5 million.  Mild brain injuries often go unreported, leading to the wide range in estimation.

The Center for Disease and Control Prevention estimates that it can cost between $600,000 and $1,875,000 to care for a survivor of a severe traumatic brain injury.  The total cost of care and rehabilitation for brain injury victims in the United States is almost $10 billion annually.  This statistic does not include costs to society and families such as providing social services, lost earnings, work time and productivity for caregivers and family members explains an Illinois personal injury lawyer.

The effects of traumatic brain injuries can be devastating and costly.  Contact a Chicago brain injury attorney today if you are suffering from this life-changing condition.

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Common signs of traumatic brain injuries include dizziness, vision changes, loss of balance, memory loss or headaches.  Chicago brain injury attorneys urge anyone who experiences symptoms after suffering a head trauma should seek medical care immediately.

In the previous post, Chicago personal injury attorneys offered questions to ask about traumatic brain injuries.  In this post, treatment for head injuries will be discussed along with questions to ask your doctor about treatment.  Print out the following list to bring with you to your doctor or neurologist appointment.

1. Will surgery be necessary?
2. What does acute treatment involve?
3. What different treatments are available for this type of brain injury?
4. What treatments are available to prevent additional medical problems?
5. What rehabilitation specialists will be involved?
6. Where will the rehabilitation treatment (if necessary) occur?
7. What disadvantages are associated with brain injury treatment?
8. What benefits are associated with brain injury treatment?
9. How can complications be prevented?
10. If complications occur, how will they be treated?
11. What will chronic brain injury treatment involve?
12. What kind of social support networks are available?
13. Are there social support networks for family members and/or caregivers?

This list provides potential questions to ask your doctor about treatment.  Brainstorm any additional questions you may have prior to your appointment.  Illinois brain injury lawyers stress the importance of learning as much as you can regarding your specific brain injury.  Education is crucial to overcoming the devastating effects of any head injury.  If you have additional questions, contact a Chicago personal injury attorney today.

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1. What area(s) of the brain have been affected by the injury?
2. What are the stages of progression with this brain injury?
3. What kind of head injury do you believe has occurred?
4. Is the injury life threatening?
5. Is the injury mild, moderate or severe?
6. What kind of diagnostic tests and imaging tests will be conducted?
7. How is the severity of the injury evaluated?
8. What is the Glasgow Coma Scale and what does it indicate?
9. What are complication signs and what should I do if I develop any?
10. What are the long-term effects with head injuries?
11. Can this brain damage cause a cascade of events in the brain?
12. How likely is bleeding or swelling in the brain after this injury?
13. Is the brain damage diffuse or focal?
14. What are the initial effects of brain damage?
15. What should I do if additional symptoms develop?

Brain injuries can be a traumatic experience.  If you have been injured as the result of another party’s negligence, Chicago brain injury attorneys with extensive experience can help.  The road after an injury can be unknown and tumultuous; therefore, having a competent Illinois personal injury lawyer on your side is crucial.

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