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Traumatic Brain Injuries

Amantadine Shown to Speed Recovery From Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Mar 07, 2012

New studies have shown that a drug used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease also speeds recovery from severe traumatic brain injuries. The drug, Amantadine, helps boost dopamine levels, which is a neurotransmitter linked to arousal. For patients who are in a vegetative state after a traumatic brain injury, this drug can help by improving responsiveness during rehabilitation.
Joseph Giacino, the director of rehabilitation neuropsychology at Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital says the drug helps patients be able to communicate faster. Giacino and his colleagues followed 184 patients with "consciousness disorders" after a traumatic brain injury. 87 patients received amantadine for four weeks during their impatient rehab and the rest received a placebo. The results showed that over the course of the four weeks, the group given Amantadine outpaced the other group in their rates of improvement. They were ranked less-disabled as compared to the patients that received the placebo. The patients that received the drug were also more likely to rapidly regain cognitive mediated behaviors which are the basis for functional independence.
Unfortunately the drugs benefits are not permanent and a few weeks after the study ended the benefits began to wear off in the patients. This study did however open the door to test the drug more extensively with other forms of traumatic brain injury like strokes, aneurysms, and oxygen deprivation. This study has helped pave the way for tests to be done across various traumatic brain injury conditions.
If you are in need of a Myrtle Beach SC traumatic brain injury attorney, Conway lawyer Dirk Derrick at the The Derrick Law Firm has been handling traumatic brain injury cases in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Conway SC for over 23 years. Please call 843-248-7486 today.
York Man Dies From Traumatic Brain Injury Sustained in Work Related Fall
May 19, 2011

A North York man died Wednesday afternoon at Lancaster General hospital where he had been taken after a work-related fall that caused a traumatic brain injury. Alan E. Price, 40, died from a traumatic brain injury after he fell from a bucket truck. He was part of a work crew that was working to remove a tree from the lawn of a private residence on Stone Mill Road. Around 10:00 A.M. the boom lift in which he was working broke and the arm of the equipment swung the bucket into the side of the truck. This caused Price to fall from the bucket onto the ground. He was approximately 50 feet off the ground when he fell.
The assistant area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Matt Bole, said that an investigation report is expected within six months.
Easton-Bell Announces Sponsorship of National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Tour
Apr 13, 2011

Easton-Bell Sports announced yesterday that they will officially sponsor the 2011 National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Tour which is an initiative of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation. Pediatric Acquired brain injury or PABI, is the leading cause of death and disability for children and young adults in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national public awareness tour will visit more than 40 states along the way and will end in June.
Easton-Bell Sports president and CEO Paul Harrington said, "Easton-Bell Sports and all its associated brands are committed to providing the best head protection for athletes who play sports at all levels. We are pleased to support the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation which shares a vision complementary to ours. We look forward to jointly working with the Foundation to help protect children and drive greater awareness of head injury issues."

The tour, which will promote awareness of youth brain injuries to high schools across the country, as well as introducing the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan (PABI Plan). This plan is the Sarah Jane Brain Project's mission; to develop a seamless, standardized, evidence-based system of care universally accessible for all children and young adults and their families dealing with PABI, regardless of where they live. The tour plans to visit town hall meetings at universities and hospitals, as well as professional, collegiate, and youth sporting events to highlight the risks and symptoms associated with brain injuries.

Sarah Jane Brain Foundation founder Patrick Donohue said, "We are grateful to Easton-Bell Sports for its contribution in helping the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation fight pediatric acquired brain injury, as well as its ongoing commitment to developing protective head equipment that helps save lives."

With over 765,000 American youths entering emergency rooms every year with traumatic brain injuries, awareness is the key to helping lower this number. It is important for adults to recognize the symptoms associated with these types of injuries, and to always make sure protective head gear is used.
Teen Who was "Car Surfing" Suffers Serious Head Injuries After Accident
Mar 25, 2011
A high school student from Saluda High is recovering from brain swelling after falling from the hood of a car he was "car surfing" on.

S.C. Highway Patrol says the teen, 16-year-old Kip Gaston, was on the hood of the car and then fell off onto his head on Old Chappell Ferry Road in Saluda County. Gaston was airlifted to MCG with serious head injuries.
Gaston is now recovering from brain swelling due to his injuries. His family believes he was lying on the hood of the moving car when the driver hit the brakes and he fell off. Gaston has admitted to his parents that he was "car surfing."

South Carolina troopers say the investigation into the accident is still in its early stages and are not sure of any charges.
Teen Recovers Slowly From Brain Injury
Sep 14, 2010
   A Waccamaw High School teen who suffered a brain injury after a recent hit-and-run car accident in Georgetown, S.C. is slowly recovering at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Jasonn Russell, 16, a WHS football and tuba player, is in critical but stable condition after being hit by another former WHS student, 18-year-old Thomas Gallagher, according to Russell's mother, Olivia Russell.

   "He's coming around, slowly but surely," she said. "He's showing signs of improvement. We're just really, really rooting for that fever to go away."

   Gallagher, of Pawleys Island, turned himself in to state troopers Monday, and is charged with leaving the scene of a collision with personal injury, according to police reports. He allegedly hit Russell with his car while the latter walked along Litchfield Rd. Saturday about 11 p.m. with a group of others.

   Olivia Russell was shocked when she heard of Gallagher's arrest. "We really hoped it was a grown adult and not a kid," she acknowledged. "We feel for him just as much."

   She says the support from her son's school and community has been "unbelievable." She also hopes the accident sends a message to other teens to drive safely. "There are so many kids driving while texting or on their cell phones," she explained. "If they would put that down, there are so many accidents that could be prevented."

   A fund has been opened at Conway National Bank to cover expenses for Russell's family. Donations can be made to the "Benefit for Jasonn Russell" at any CNB branch, or mailed to Conway National Bank, P.O. Box 2490, Murrells Inlet, SC, 29576.

   "I just want to say thank you so much for everybody's prayers and everybody's support," Olivia Russell added. "I am just speechless at the support we've been getting."
Lawsuit Filed In Fatal Boating Accident
Sep 09, 2010
   A third lawsuit involving personal injury has arisen from an alleged drunken boating accident in Connecticut that left one person dead and two injured. On Friday, Elizabeth "Libby" Protzman, 22, filed a lawsuit against the boat's driver, Arthur King Hall, who is accused of second-degree manslaughter in the September 3, 2009 accident.

   Jonathan Cook, 24, was killed and Protzman and Devon Hardy, 22, were injured.

   Additionally, Hall, 25, is to be arraigned today on a disorderly conduct charge. He was arrested August 24 for allegedly breaking into a home while drunk and resisting arrest.

   "This was a terrible tragedy that had a profound impact on a number of families, including Ms. Protzman's," said Protzman's New Haven attorney, David Grudberg. "We look forward to our day in court." Cook's and Hardy's families filed lawsuits against Hall in May.

   Hall had a blood alcohol level of four times the legal limit the night the boat smashed into a seawall, according to the warrant for his arrest. He is also accused of second-degree manslaughter with a vessel, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree reckless operation of a vessel while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, and two counts of second-degree assault.

   The lawsuits accuse Hall of recklessness and negligence, saying he "failed to keep a proper outlook, operated the vessel at an unreasonable speed, operated the vessel under the influence of intoxicating liquors or drugs, or both, and failed to stop the vessel so as to avoid a collision with the seawall."

   Cook was pronounced dead at the scene of a brain injury. Hardy was in a coma and suffered memory loss, loss of cognition, and a number of other injuries. Protzman sustained severe injury to her legs, feet ankles and back, head and brain trauma, loss of consciousness, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

   The families have also filed documents claiming that Hall's father, Bennett Hall, who owned the Boston Whaler, is partially responsible for the fatal accident.
Prisoner Dies Of Brain Injury
Sep 07, 2010
   A North Carolina prisoner has died from brain injuries he suffered in state prison two years ago.

   Timothy Helms, 49, was being held at the state prison in Taylorsville and died Sunday morning at a Greensboro hospital. Officials say Helms, of Concord, was mentally ill and had an IQ of 79.

   The State Bureau of Investigation was not able to determine the cause of his injuries. After suffering the brain trauma, Helms was bedridden and not able to walk.

   His death was a shock to his attorney, who says she had no knowledge he was ill beyond his diminished mental capacity.

   Helms had been sentenced to three life prison terms on three counts of second-degree murder after a 1994 DUI collision.
Man Falls From Balcony, Dies Of Traumatic Brain Injury
Aug 23, 2010
   Almost two years after falling from a third floor balcony, a South Carolina man has died of complications of a traumatic brain injury.

   Daniel William Catena III, 21, of Greenville died Sunday from what appeared to be a hemorrhage, according to Greenville County Deputy Coroner Kent Dill.

   Catena was visiting friends on August 24, 2008 when he leaned over their balcony railing, landing partly on a concrete patio.

   He remained in the hospital for about a year, and was then cared for by his parents at home.

   An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Driver, Caltrans responsible for accident and brain damage
Jul 19, 2010

A pedestrian who was hit by a car that left her in a coma has been awarded $12.2 million in damages by a California jury.

Emily Liou was 17-years-old at the time of the accident. She is now permanently brain damaged after her involvement in a collision in a crosswalk in March 2006 in Redwood City, California.

The driver of the car, Gada Hassan, and the California Department of Transportation were both named in the lawsuit. The attorney representing Liou claimed that the crosswalk she used was unsafe because it sits on a small rise where drivers cannot see pedestrians. There are also no stop lights or stop signs near the intersection to slow down drivers. Three people have been struck and killed on the same crosswalk since 1991.

Hassan said she did not see Liou until just before the collision occurred. The impact happened at a slow speed of 25 mph, but Liou's injury most likely occurred when she hit her head after being struck to the ground by the vehicle.
Brain injured man awarded $40 million
Jun 02, 2010

Verizon was ordered to pay $40 million in damages to a New York man who was left severely injured after being struck by one of the wireless company's trucks.

Matthew Falcone, 53, of Brooklyn was hit by a Verizon truck going 50 miles an hour near his home. Falcone had been employed as a construction worker prior to the crash.

Falcone was left in a coma for weeks following the accident and was not expected to survive. He now suffers brain damage and partial paralysis.

The award will allow Falcone to move in with his sister who will care for him. He was previously living in a Staten Island nursing home.

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