Articles Posted in Brain and Head Injury

A man is in serious condition after he was injured in a Seattle car accident while riding on his motorcycle, the Seattle Times reports. The accident occurred the night of April 15, 2009 when the man was riding with two other motorcyclists on the Duwamish Avenue South access road. When the group turned south on to Duwamish Avenue South, one man lost control of his motorcycle, skidded along the road and landed along the jersey median. The man suffered head injuries and became unconscious. Other motorcyclists attempted CPR on him until paramedics arrived. The injured motorcyclist was taken to a local hospital where he is said to be in critical condition.

My heart goes out to this motorcyclist who is fighting for his life. I hope and pray that he recovers quickly and completely from his serious head injuries. Please keep him in your prayers.

The number of motorcycle accidents in Washington State is apparently increasing at an alarming rate. Washington State Troopers say they are concerned about the high number of fatal motorcycle crashes occurring so early this year. So far, just in the first part of 2009, there have been five fatal motorcycle accidents in Washington State. Total motorcycle fatalities reached 75 in 2008, an increase of nine incidents from 66 in 2007. In all, Washington State Patrol troopers have investigated 584 motorcycle collisions in 2008 resulting in 200 injuries.
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A woman, who suffered severe brain injuries that left her permanently disabled after her car was broadsided by a Los Angeles Police Department vehicle will get $4.5 million in a settlement approved recently by the Los Angeles City Council. According to a news report, Sandra Griffin was sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked Nissan Altima just before midnight on September 9, 2006, when an LAPD patrol car driven by Officer Scotty Stevens struck her.

The crash apparently occurred when Stevens swerved to avoid hitting another car that was blocking lanes at the intersection of Imperial Highway and Success Avenue. Griffin and her passenger reportedly suffered “extreme and severe mental anguish, shock, anxiety, severe injuries to their nervous systems as well as severe mental and physical pain and injury,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Personal injury cases that involve traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries that have resulted in permanent disability are extremely tragic. Most of these victims require 24/7 care and become dependent on someone else to perform ordinary functions such as eating, dressing, bathing and moving around. It may seem as if Sandra Griffin “won” a lot of money in this settlement. But this is no victory and the settlement is no jackpot.
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A jury in Twentynine Palms, Calif., has awarded $15 million to the family of a 17-year-old local boy who suffered severe brain injuries in a 2005 traffic accident in Joshua Tree, which was reportedly caused by the negligence of a Southern California Gas Company employee. According to a news article in the Hi-Desert Star, Darryl Whitley of Yucca Valley reportedly ran the red light and struck the vehicle on the passenger side where the boy, Kyle Tilton then 14 years old was sitting.

Kyle’s auto accident injuries included the brain injury, a collapsed lung, eight broken ribs and major internal injuries. For the rest of his life Kyle will have to live with a condition called “frontal lobe syndrome,” which hampers his ability to reason as well as to plan and execute tasks. The $15 million will go toward the medical treatment and a lifetime of care Kyle desperately needs, his attorney told news reporters.
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A 12-year-old girl died last week after she suffered brain injuries in an all-terrain vehicle accident in a dirt field on April 8. Two days after the accident, Arlene Marie Ochoa’s family was forced to take her off life support because of the severity of her brain injuries, according to an article published in The Bakersfield Californian.

Arlene was a passenger of an ATV driven by her 13-year-old aunt, her best friend, as they traveled through a dirt field in the 2300 block of Macau and Areili streets, according to a Kern County coroner’s office release. She fell off the ATV and struck her head.

According to eyewitness reports, Arlene had been having so much fun on the vehicle that she kept letting go and holding her hands up, her father Robert Ochoa told the newspaper. Some of Arlene’s relatives were also present when the incident happened, but were facing the other way when the accident happened, he said. Arlene was a spirited girl who played soccer and had numerous friends and a beautiful heart, her grieving father said.

At first the Ochoas thought their daughter would make it through the injuries, but tests revealed that Arlene was in fact, brain-dead. Bakersfield police detectives are investigating the accident and still don’t know whether any California vehicle codes were broken. Under California law, anyone driving an ATV off-road must wear a helmet and anyone under 18 must secure a safety certificate to operate an ATV, Terry said.

It is not clear from this article whether the young girl was wearing a helmet. But here’s what we know about ATVs. Although ATVs are toys, they are powerful toys that can turn deadly. They are powerful vehicles that can travel at speeds of 70 mph. They are not designed to carry passengers.
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