Articles Posted in Brain Injury

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PALMETTO, FL – A 60-year-old riding a bike was left in critical condition after he was shot in the head by a man, who then drove away in the area of 2nd Avenue Friday. 

WTSP said Manatee County deputies responded to the scene around 7:30 p.m. The man who was shot was said to have been in a fight with the man who shot him prior to the shooting. 

The shooter was identified as Leroy Lee Hope Sr. Hope was arrested Saturday for an unrelated DUI charge and will be facing charges for the shooting. 

A St. Petersburg tree trimmer is lucky to be alive after he was shocked by 7,200 volts of electricity.

In June, the man was working at a home on 25th Avenue North when his pole hit a power line.

The man was knocked unconscious and when he woke up he was still being shocked. He could not move his arms or legs so he used his mouth to get down to safety.

Firefighters airlifted the man to Tampa General Hospital.

The man spent a month in the hospital. He has had multiple surgeries and the shock has left him almost blind in one eye and unable to feel some of his fingers and his left leg.

Doctors say it’s a miracle he survived.

The man said he has emptied his savings to pay his medical bills and has more surgeries ahead of him. He is his family’s sole provider and will not be able to work again for at least another nine months.

A gofundme account has been set up to help with expenses.  

Electrical injuries are particularly frightening because they are unexpected. These accidents happen when there is contact between any part of the human body with a high enough level of electrical current to penetrate through skin and hair. This can be caused by faulty wiring anywhere, such as your house, construction and industrial work sites, landscaping, public buildings and tree trimming sites. Electrical injuries, as this case highlights, can cause burns, central nervous system damage, brain damage, and even death.  

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A 49-year-old woman has drowned in a family swimming pool in Clearwater, according to authorities.

The woman’s mother found her floating in the backyard pool around 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to reports.

Police believe the mother unsuccessfully tried to pull her daughter from the pool. She called 911 and paramedics administered CPR upon their arrival. The woman was declared dead a short time later.

swimming poolAlso on Monday evening, police reported that a 7-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool in nearby Pinellas Park. The child was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

No additional information on either case is available at this time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ten people drown every day across the United States. Moreover, of the top causes of unintentional death in the country, drowning takes the number five spot. Children under the age of 14 are most likely to fall victim to drowning accidents. In fact, approximately one in five people who drown are children under the age of 14 and many more suffer serious, life-altering injuries after being submerged.

Most children who die from drowning accidents were killed in a residential swimming pool. Those that survive near-drowning accidents are often left to face brain injuries, learning disabilities and memory problems, just to name a few. An important fact to note is that when a residential swimming pool has a fence surrounding it, the chance of a drowning decreases by 90 percent.

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A motorcyclist was killed in the early morning hours on Thursday in a traffic crash in Tampa.

The 38-year-old man was riding his motorcycle near N. Nebraska and E. Louisiana aves. when he was involved in a crash with another vehicle, according to police.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

15849242659_110cf9957a_zAccording to officials, the driver of the other vehicle remained at the scene and was cooperative with police.

Officials have not yet said whether charges will be filed.

The investigation is ongoing.

About 75 percent of motorcycle accidents involve a crash with another motor vehicle, usually passenger cars. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, within the past decade, more than 70,000 people have suffered from serious injuries and more than 3,000 more have died from motorcycle accidents. In the vast majority of these cases, the biker is not the one found to be at fault for the accident.

A motorcycle accident can result in a range of injuries, from minor cuts and abrasions to serious head and brain injuries and even death. Some of the most common motorcycle accident injuries occur to the head and neck and can leave the victim paralyzed or in a permanent vegetative state. Due to these serious injuries and possible wrongful deaths, victims and their families may face extensive medical bills, loss of wages and emotional distress. A motorcycle accident victim, as well as surviving family members, may be entitled to the following types of compensation:

  • Compensation for Medical Care
  • Funeral or Burial Costs
  • Motorcycle Repair or Replacement
  • Lost Wages
  • Recovery for Mental Anguish and Pain and Suffering

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Two teenagers skateboarding fun turned tragic Sunday when one of them was killed.

According to police, one of the 15-year-old boys got into his mother’s 2003 Mercedes sedan and drove it down Atwood Avenue N while his other 15-year-old friend held onto the right rear corner and sped along on his skateboard.

This type of skateboarding trick is called “skitching.”

3695427669_c7d4440301_zPolice believe the teen driving accelerated with the other boy holding on to the rear. The pair traveled only a short distance before the boy let go of the car, became unstable and fell to the ground, striking his head.

Bystanders performed CPR, and emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene. The teen was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, where he was pronounced dead at 8:37 p.m., about 2 1/2 hours after the accident happened.

The risk of injury associated with skateboarding tricks like skitching far out-weigh the thrill than can be achieved. Skitching presents a high risk of serious injury and even death to those that partake in this activity. There are numerous things that can go wrong from these types of accidents, such as being pulled under the vehicle, being hit by another car on the road or  as this case shows, even just losing control and hitting pavement.

  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Spinal Cord Trauma
  • Broken Bones and Fractures
  • Nerve Damage
  • Facial Disfigurement
  • Death

When a child is injured due to his own negligence, there is usually no recourse or available compensation for injuries suffered. The Tampa Bay Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton know how devastating serious injuries to children, or worse death, can be on families and parents.

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McDonald’s has issued a voluntary recall for 2.5 million Hello Kitty lollipop whistles after determining the toys pose a choking hazard to small children.

According to reports, McDonald’s received two reports of children choking on pieces of the Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop Whistles. One of the children did require hospitalization.

479469540_6f7424f4dc_zThe recall confirms that parts inside of the whistle can come loose and be inhaled by small children.

In the United States, 2.3 million whistles were distributed, and 200,000 were distributed in Canada in October and November.

The toys were included in McDonald’s Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Mills.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission provided the following information on the toy:

  • The recalled whistles are red come in a plastic Hello Kitty figuring holding a pink heart-shaped lollipop. The figurine is about three inches tall.
  • The whistle measures approximately 1.75 inches in height, 1.75 inches in width, and .75 inches in depth. A picture of Hello Kitty is included on both sides of the whistle.
  • “©1976. 2014 SANRIO CO., LTD” is etched in both the whistles, just above Hello Kitty’s face.
  • “Hello Kitty® Birthday Lollipop” is written on the bag the toy comes in and the number “6” is printed in the top right corner.

Choking and suffocation can cause severe brain damage and even death. The long-term medical care associated with a child who has suffered brain damage as a result of choking can financially ruin a family.

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A new report shows a possible connection between traumatic brain injuries and dementia. According to an article by US News and World Report, veterans who have suffered a traumatic brain injury are more likely to develop dementia later in life.

The study reports that former soldiers are 60 times more likely to develop dementia earlier in life than their counterparts who have never been diagnosed with any brain injury.

The study examined 190,000 veterans, who were all around 68-years-old and dementia-free. According to the report, 1,299 of these vets had at some point received a traumatic brain injury diagnosis.

old-63622_150The study followed the vets over the course of nine years. During that time, researchers observed that 16 percent of the veterans with brain injuries developed dementia, while only 10 percent of those without a brain injury developed dementia.

While the study does indicate a strong link between TBIs and dementia, there are numerous other factors that could influence the equation, including the possible presence of high blood pressure, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and diabetes.

The author of the study was quoted as saying, “Our results suggest that [brain injury] may increase the risk of developing dementia in older veterans, with an age of onset about two years earlier. So clinicians may want to keep an eye out for signs of cognitive impairment in older veterans with a history of [brain injury].”

Dementia is a term that covers a range of medical symptoms, such as extreme memory loss and the lack of ability to accomplish basic daily care responsibilities. There are many different types of dementia conditions, including:

Alzheimer’s Disease. This is reportedly the most common type of dementia, accounting for about 70 percent of cases. Early warning signs of this disease include memory problems, excessive lethargy and depression.

Vascular Dementia. This disorder is also known as post-stroke dementia because it

usually occurs in patients that have recently suffered a stroke. This disease generally arises from blood vessel blockage in the brain and affects the brain’s ability to make decisions.

Huntington’s Disease. This is a progressive disorder that is caused by a single defective gene. Common side effects include involuntary muscle movements, irritability and a decrease in cognitive skills. 

Parkinson’s Disease. As this condition progresses, dementia can set in. The most common symptoms of this disorder include movement complications, sleep conflicts and visual hallucinations.

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