San Diego Daycare Injury Report

Mother Charged After Child Suffers Traumatic Brain Injury in Car Accident

Symptoms of Head Injuries in Children

New Project Aims to Help Students With Traumatic Brain Injury

New FAQ Regarding Types of Brain Injury Cases Handled by the Keane Law Firm

Shopping Cart Injuries: Leading Causes of Child Head & Brain Injuries

New Article on Wrongful Death from Brain Injury

Family of 8-Year-Old Brain Injury Victim Hosts Child Brain Injury Gala, Helps Others

ADHD and Child Brain Injuries: Is There a Link Between the Two? | CA Child Brain Injury Lawyer

Families and Schools Invited to Attend Child Brain Injury Conference | CA Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer

Concussions & Sports: Tim Tebow's Recent Brain Injury

Are Bicycle Helmets Necessary for Children? The Link Between Bike Accidents & Brain Injuries

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about bicycle safety and the tragic link between failing to wear a helmet and suffering brain injuries.  To read statistics about bike riding safety and brain injuries from bicycle accidents, click here.  

Along with sports, abuse, and car accidents, bicycle accidents are a common cause of child or teenage brain injuries.  Any blow to the head can result in a brain injury with serious side effects, no matter how insignificant the injury may seem at first.  If your child or teenager has been injured in bike accident that you believe may have resulted in a head injury, concussion, or brain damage, seek medical attention as soon as possible.  As a child brain injury lawyer who works with the medical experts in the field, Chris Keane is an advocate for injured or abused children, and he will answer your most pressing brain injury questions for free with compassion and professionalism.

Contact Chris Keane online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS.

Teenager Hit in the Head During Football Game, Dies From Brain Injuries

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about a high school football player who was hit in the head at a Friday night football game died from fatal brain injuries.  To read more about the 16-year-old's tragic blow to the head from a hard hit during the game, read here.

If your son or daughter is playing a sport this fall and suffers a blow to the head, do not take risks by putting your child back in the game:  seek immediate medical attention, even if the injury seems moderate.  If you think your child or teenager has suffered a concussion or brain injury (whether playing sports, in a car accident, or elsewhere), feel free to contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane, and he will help you find the best medical care for your child and answer your legal questions for free regarding liability or negligence.

To contact child brain injury lawyer Chris Keane, fill out our online form or call 1-888-592-KIDS.

Alternative Methods for Detecting A Child Brain Injury: Are CT Scans Required?

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about the sometimes unnecessary conduction of CT scans on children believed to have brain injuries.  For more information on other brain injury detection methods and how to know when to perform a CT scan, click here.  

As an advocate for injured and abused children who have suffered brain damage, Chris Keane narrows his legal focus to representing children and only children.  Such a narrow focus has given him the opportunity and experience of working with the best medical experts in the field of child brain injury.  If you have questions regarding pediatric traumatic brain injury or child head injuries in general, contact Chris Keane online or at 888-592-KIDS for free answers and advice unique to your specific situation.

Fatal Brain Injuries From Drowning Accidents | Child Brain Injury Attorney

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about child drowning accidents in Texas and the fatal brain injuries associated with them.  To read more about these tragic incidents of brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen, click here.  

Drowning accidents can lead to serious or even fatal injuries, often due to the lack of oxygen to the brain.  Regardless of the cause of brain injury, child injury attorney Chris Keane works as an advocate for children who suffer brain injuries from abuse, accidents, sports, or other incidents that resulted from someone's negligence.  If your child has sustained a head or brain injury and you have questions for a child brain injury lawyer, contact Chris Keane for free answers concerning your unique situation.  The Keane Law Firm will provide you with the resources, help finding medical experts, and support your child needs following such a serious injury.  Keane can also discuss ways he can assist you if you are dealing with an incident of wrongful death.

Click here to contact Chris Keane via the web or call 888-592-KIDS.

Babysitter Arrested After 4-Month-Old Baby Found With Severe Brain Injury

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about a 4-month-old baby who suffered a severe brain injury while he was under the care of a babysitter.  To read more about his brain injuries and the babysitter's arrest, click here. 

Brain injuries are not to be taken lightly, and when they result from abuse, the legal concerns surrounding them become even more complex.  If your child or a child you know has suffered a head or brain injury and you have questions for an experienced child brain injury attorney, feel free to contact child injury lawyer Chris Keane for free answers and advice concerning your unique situation.  As an advocate for injured and abused children, Chris Keane has devoted his practice to representing children and only children in brain injury, shaken baby syndrome, and other injury and abuse cases, and he will consult with you regarding your child with compassion and professionalism.

Infant Boy Suffers Brain Injuries When Abused by Parents

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about an infant boy who suffered serious brain injuries when he was abused by his parents.  To read more about the child's severe head injuries and the trial scheduled for his parents, click here.   

Brain injuries are not to be taken lightly, and when they result from abuse, the legal concerns surrounding them become even more complex.  If your child or a child you know has suffered a head or brain injury, feel free to contact child brain injury attorney Chris Keane with any questions or concerns you may have.  As an advocate for injured and abused children, Chris Keane will answer your questions for free with compassion and professionalism and provide you with the resources the injured child needs.

Contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

Children, Concussions, & Sports | Child Brain Injury Lawyer

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about child concussions and head injuries from sports.  To read more about what a concussion is, how it occurs, and what to do if your child suffers a blow to the head, click here.  

To contact child brain injury lawyer Chris Keane, fill out our online form or call 1-888-592-KIDS.

Car Seat Defect Contributes to Fatal Brain Injuries of 4-Month-Old Boy

We recently added a post to our Child Brain Injury Blog about a mother who will receive between $6.7 and $10.4 million from Evenflo, the manufacturer of the car seat her 4-month-old son was riding in at the time a a tragic car accident that caused the brain injuries that killed him.  To read more about the car seat defect that led to the infant's fatal brain injuries, click here.  

As an advocate for families who have lost children due to brain injuries, Chris Keane expresses his deepest sympathies to the family and friends of baby Tyler and others who have lost.  Although nothing can truly compensate for the tragic loss of a child, certain measures can be taken following an incident wrongful death from brain injury to help families as they are recovering.  If you have lost a child in a car accident or another incident involving a brain injury, feel free to contact child wrongful death and brain injury lawyer Chris Keane.  The Keane Law Firm will gladly provide you with the resources and assistance you need following this tragic loss.

Contact Chris Keane online or by phone at 1-888-592-KIDS.

New FAQ Regarding Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Its Effects on Children Over Time | CA TBI Lawyer for Children

In Arizona, a child has died from brain trauma sustained during a playground accident at Rio Colorado Elementary School.

News stories report that elementary children were playing soccer on the playground at the Rio Colorado Elementary School on the morning of September 11, 2008 when the accident occurred.  Sources report that several children were playing by the soccer goal post when the students were injured. Paramedics from the San Luis Fired Department were called to the scene when it was discovered that one child had a serious head injury. Sadly, this child died at the hospital. The name of the victim has not been released. Police are conducting an investigation.   

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a traumatic event affecting the head and brain of an accident, or non-accidental assault, victim. The most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are car accidents and falls, making up approximately 70% of head injury victims. Violence and contact sports cause about 20% of traumatic brain injuries. According to NIND statistics approximately, 180 – 250 per 100,000 are victims of traumatic brain injury per year. Males are at higher risk than females for traumatic brain injury. In the United States there are approximately two million brain injury victims annually. Of the two million victims, 10% sustain serious brain injury and 80% sustain mild to moderate brain injury. Individuals between the ages of 15 to 24 years-old, infants over 6 months-old, toddlers, males and the elderly are at the highest risk for brain injury. People living in high-crime and impoverished conditions are at higher than average risk for traumatic brain injury, as well as athletes that engage in contact sports. Athletes that have had more than three concussions during their sports career have a slower recovery time from subsequent concussions as compared to athletes that have had no concussions or one prior concussion.    

The injury occurs when the victim is hit by an object, or impacts on object, and or experiences significant force to the brain from speed and sudden deceleration. Traumatic brain injury may occur without actual physical contact with an object. Immediately following traumatic head injury, a victim may lose consciousness; have nausea, vomiting, amnesia, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, respiratory problems, weakness, in one, or all, areas of the body and may also have convulsions. During recovery from traumatic brain injury a victim may experience symptoms such as visual disturbances, confusion, dizziness, headache, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in ears), a lack of energy, sleep disturbances, mood instability, attention deficits, loss of a sense of taste and difficulty with concentration. Symptoms may not be noticed right away, and may have a gradual onset. Traumatic head injury victims may be pre-occupied with some symptoms and not notice other symptoms right away. Symptoms may change over the course of a year from the accident. Follow up treatment may be necessary long after the date of the injury.  

Brian and Angela Stammen grieve the loss of their 6 month-old son, Trevor James Stammen. Investigation reveals Trevor Stammen died from head trauma.

In Ohio, Brian and Angela Stammen grieve the loss of their son Trevor James Stammen. Trevor died from blunt-force trauma to the head. Allegedly, he sustained this life threatening injury while at the home of a baby sitter. The baby sitter has not been identified. The investigators have questioned the baby sitter and family members. Investigators are conducting a homicide investigation in this child’s death.  

Prevention of death and injury related to child abuse: Monitor strangers around your child. Look for signs that the caregiver or parent delayed in seeking help for an injury or potential injury. Have a high-index of suspicion for an individual providing an inconsistent history about the mechanism of injury. Suspect intentional injury when the injury is inconsistent with the child’s developmental capabilities. Suspect abuse when fractures are present at varying degrees of healing stages. Look for bruises to the back of the body. Be suspicious if there are bald spots or broken hair on the scalp. Visualize the pattern of an injury to see if it resembles a belt, belt buckle, cigarette burn or scald injury from submersion in hot water. Suspect sexual abuse with trauma or infection of the perineal area.    

In New York, Adrian Thomas, 26, faces murder charges for the death of his infant son, Matthew Thomas.

In New York, Adrian Thomas, 26 years-old faces murder charges for the death of his infant son. He was arraigned in Rensselaer County. Matthew Thomas died Tuesday, September 23 at Albany Medical Center Hospital due to injuries from severe brain trauma. His twin brother, Malichi, is not injured and remains well.  

Matthew and his siblings had been the subject of County Child Protective Service investigations on two prior occasions. The tragic incidents that caused Matthew to sustain severe head injuries leading to his death occurred over the past couple weeks when his father allegedly threw him onto a bed forcefully on a few occasions. 

A funeral service has been held.  

Experts have identified abusive parents or caregivers as having risk factors such as substance abuse, low self-esteem, mental or physical disability, depression, history of abuse as a child, poor coping skills, poor impulse control, history of violent behavior or history of being raised in a group setting with no positive parental role. 

Infants at risk include infants less than one year age, male infants, infants of twin or multiple births, premature infants, infants with health problems and infants that have inconsolable crying spells. Adults at risk for committing abusive acts include adults with poor coping skills, unrealistic expectations, substance abuse, former victims of abuse and adults with mental health problems. Environmental factors that usually culminate in abusive events include social isolation, dysfunctional family characteristics and socio-economic burdens. 

All children are potential victims of child abuse, but some factors increase the risk for a child to be abused.     

In San Bernadino, news stories report that allegedly Robert Demeco Davis is responsible for the death of his girlfriend’s toddler

San Bernadino authorities arrested Robert Demeco Davis, 34, of San Bernadino for charges including murder of his girlfriend’s 22 month old toddler. The name of the deceased child has not been released pending notification of the biological father of the deceased toddler.  

News stories report that Davis’s girlfriend had left the toddler with her teenage son. Her son left the toddler in the care of Davis when Davis arrived to the apartment. Allegedly, Davis beat the child around 5:30 on the evening of August 4, 2008. Authorities were alerted around 7:45. The toddler died at 11:53 p.m. at Loma Linda University Medical Center from a head injury.  

Allegedly, Davis does have a violent criminal history.  

There is no single factor has been identified as the cause of child abuse. In general, there is an interaction of multiple risk factors in the environment that place children at risk to be victims of abuse. Researchers have identified abusive parents or caregivers as having risk factors such as substance abuse, low self-esteem, mental or physical disability, depression, history of abuse as a child, poor coping skills, poor impulse control, history of violent behavior or history of being raised in a group setting with no positive parental role.

All children are potential victims of child abuse, but some factors increase the risk for a child to be abused. Children with disabilities are twice as likely to be emotionally, physically or sexually abused. Children with behavioral disorders that manifest as aggression or temper tantrums are at an increased risk to be abused. Males with mental disabilities tend to be victims of sexual assault at an older age then other children.   

Factors may be present that cause adults and their infants and children to be more at risk for abusive events such as SBS.  Infants at risk include infants less than one year age, male infants, infants of twin or multiple births, premature infants, infants with health problems and infants that have inconsolable crying spells. Adults at risk for committing abusive acts include adults with poor coping skills, unrealistic expectations, substance abuse, former victims of abuse and adults with mental health problems. Environmental factors that usually culminate in abusive events include social isolation, dysfunctional family characteristics and socio-economic burdens. However, SBS may occur in any setting and it is important to know the signs and symptoms that may be present in an infant or child that may be a victim of SBS.

In Colorado, Melvin Tipton, 35, allegedly caused 21-month-old Charles Hickerson, III, to sustain a severe head injury. The toddler died shortly thereafter.

In Colorado Springs, Lt. David Whitlock tells news reporters that Melvin Tipton is suspected of abusing and killing 21 month old Charles Hickerson, III on February 1, 2006. News stories report that Lucille Hickerson picked her son up from Tipton’s home. She noticed bruising on his head. Shortly afterwards, the toddler became unresponsive and had a respiratory arrest. She took him to Penrose Community Hospital. He was transferred to Denver Children’s Hospital.  

Tipton was arrested on August 5, 2008.  The investigation into the death of the toddler was lengthy. 

According to the CDC, 1,490 children died from abuse and neglect in the Unites States for the year 2004. This number decreased in 2005 to 1,460 deaths. Greater than 75% of these deaths occurred in children under four years of age. A total of 872,000 children were reportedly abused in that same time frame. In 2005, child protective services investigated 3.6 million cases of reported child abuse complaints, which resulted in discovery of 899,000 cases of child abuse. Higher rates of abuse occur in the African-American population at 1,950 per 100,000 children. Girls are at a higher risk to be victims of maltreatment than boys. Mothers have demonstrated a more frequency tendency to abuse and are generally younger in age than male adult abusers. However male adult abusers inflict more severe abuse outcomes.   

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a traumatic event affecting the head and brain of an accident, or non-accidental assault, victim. The most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are car accidents and falls, making up approximately 70% of head injury victims. Violence and contact sports cause about 20% of traumatic brain injuries. According to NIND statistics approximately, 180 – 250 per 100,000 are victims of traumatic brain injury per year. Males are at higher risk than females for traumatic brain injury. 

The injury occurs when the victim is hit by an object, or impacts on object, and or experiences significant force to the brain from speed and sudden deceleration. Traumatic brain injury may occur without actual physical contact with an object. Immediately following traumatic head injury, a victim may lose consciousness; have nausea, vomiting, amnesia, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, respiratory problems, weakness, in one, or all, areas of the body and may also have convulsions. Some victims die as a result of significant severe brain injury.  

In North Carolina, Jose Morin Caucedo is charged with child abuse. He remains in Forsyth County Jail.

Jose Morin Caucedo, 30, of North Carolina, is charged with felony child abuse. His ten month-old infant son was diagnosed with a fractured skull and brain trauma after EMS transferred the baby to a local emergency department. Mr. Caucedo remains in the Forsyth County Jail.  

Approximately 80% of abusers do not admit they abuse their victims. However, generally the explanation of events provided by abusers often does not match the true mechanism of injury, injury pattern and victim outcome.