Frequently Asked Questions About Child Injury Law

Non-accidental traumatic brain injury (Shaken Baby Syndrome) results in bleeding inside the skull. There are different types of tissue that hemorrhage or bleed inside the brain and cranium. Clinical presentation is dependent on and determined by the part of the child’s brain or area(s) of lining that is/are bleeding; such as epidural hematomas or hemorrhage, subdural hematomas and intracerebral hematomas that may be present. The location of bleeding determines the type of symptoms a child may experience. 

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

It is important to remember that there may be no bruising, scrapes or outward signs of physical trauma in victims with Shaken Baby Syndrome. The infant or child, however, may display one or more of the following alarming signs or symptoms:

• change in behavior

• poor appetite

• vomiting 

• seizures

• weak swallow or suck reflex

• generalized weakness

• irritability - both from brain swelling and from pain

• low or excessively high muscle tone in the extremities or trunk

• the head may stay turned to one side in a resting position

• head control may be absent in an older infant that previously had head control. 

• excessively sleepy/lethargic

• pale skin color

• cool skin temperature

• difficulty breathing and sudden respiratory arrest.

Once SBS is diagnosed, other evidence of abuse may be discovered.  Infants with SBS and non-accidental head trauma may but do not necessarily have co-occurring injuries such as skull fractures, neck strains and fractures, spinal strains and fractures, rib fractures, extremity fractures and bruising on the chest and/or abdomen and extremities. There may but not necessarily has to be evidence of new and old fractures on the ribs from multiple episodes of shaken baby syndrome and child abuse.

One of the most-recognized classic signs associated with SBS is retinal hemorrhage, or bleeding. The infant’s eyes may get injured and diffuse bleeding (hemorrhages) of both retinas may be present for several days after the injury. Retinal hemorrhages may clear up if the condition occurs in mild cases of SBS. But, in severe cases, blindness or permanent visual impairment may result from SBS. Subtle symptoms such as not focusing or tracking items may be the only physical finding that an infant demonstrates on an eye exam. Pupils may be small or large, or unequal in size. Unequal pupils are a “late” sign of brain trauma in babies, meaning that there is significant, new and additional pressure inside the brain sufficient to have caused the nerves controlling the pupil size in one eye to change from its normal size, while the pupil size on the other side remains normal. Absent or diminished pupillary reflexes may be present which is, again, another sign of increasing damage inside the brain. 

The second and most damaging sign associated with SBS is damage to the brain, including damage to the blood vessels in the brain. The brain bleeds in many areas from the shaking forces with or without bruising, contusions and skull fractures. The bleeding in the brain will cause high pressures inside the cranium and globes of the eyes. If timely and effective treatment for the bleeding and swelling within the brain does not occur, serious neurological damage will likely occur or death may result from increased intracranial pressure and brain herniation. Improperly or untimely treated SBS may cause paralysis, deafness, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and seizure disorders. 

If you are trying to learn more specifics about the location within the brain that is damaged by shaking a baby, read on as we give a little background about specific head injury patterns often associated with SBS or abusive/non-accidental head trauma.

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

Many factors may be present that cause adults to injure their infants and children with SBS. First, not all caregivers are ethical or emotionally well-adjusted. Second, not all caregivers care for infants and children in an appropriate manner. Therefore, in any child care setting – be it at a home or in a daycare center - there may be a spectrum of intentional, or non-intentional, abusive activity taking place which results in a shaken baby or abusive head trauma incident. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/CMP/CMP-risk-p-factors.htm)

Adults with the following risk factors are more likely to abuse their infants and children and cause SBS: 

• poor coping skills

• unrealistic expectations

• substance abuse

• former victims of child abuse

• mental health problems

• social isolation 

• socio-economically depressed, impoverished

• families that suffer with domestic violence issues. 

• prior instances of abuse or neglect have been committed by them or the household in which they live

• Infants or children with the following risk factors are most likely to be victims of SBS:

• less than one year of age

• infants who cry consistently or for long periods of time, or who cannot be soothed very easily

• infants with health problems and disabilities, including behavioral disorders

• twins, or babies of multiple births

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 is a victim of SBS. Once an infant has been victimized by non-accidental head trauma and Shaken Baby Syndrome and becomes disabled, the risk of reoccurrence for abuse to this child increases. 

Children from families that do not have extended family in close proximity are at increased risk for abuse. The absence of extended family may be intentional on the part of the abuser. Abusers isolate their victims so the abuse may not be discovered by family and friends. Or, the abuser may come from a dysfunctional family background where support from extended family is not forthcoming due to a weak and fragmented family network.  

Communities where violence is more readily observable do place infants and children at risk for abuse. These are dysfunctional social networks that overlook and ignore child abuse. Unfortunately, fragmented social relationships in these environments are perpetuated.  

Parents and caregivers with histories of alcohol and substance abuse, criminal history, domestic violence, sexual promiscuity, poverty and mental health disturbances are prominent features in many child abuse cases. Approximately thirty-three percent (33%) of abused children become abusive adults. Prevention of child abuse, and effective treatment of children who have been abused, prevents future abuse.

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

Remember approximately four million children are abused annually. Less than half of those cases get reported.

Approximately two thousand children die from abuse and neglect each year (http://www.childdeathreview.org/causesCAN.htm). There are approximately two deaths per 100,000 children (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/CMP/CMP-conque.htm). Infants make up almost half of these deaths. Most non-accidental head trauma victims are under one year of age, but may be as old as four years of age.

Approximately 1,300 children experience near-fatal and fatal head trauma annually. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/CM_Data_Sheet.pdf) According to CPS databases, for every one thousand children between the ages of 0 – 1 year-olds, 24 of them are maltreated. And for every one thousand children between the ages of 1 – 3 year-olds, 14 of them are maltreated. According to the CDC, non-CPS studies approximately 4,600 per 100,000 children are maltreated. It is estimated that one out of seven children experiences some kind of abuse between the ages of 2 and 17 years of age. According to some experts, it is postulated that some of the children with attention deficit disorders and autism may have been victims of non-accidental head trauma or Shaken Baby Syndrome that did not get recognized during infancy and young childhood.

Most Shaken Baby Syndrome cases are inflicted on babies by caregivers and parents. Abusers are more often female however; abuse of greater severity is more often inflicted by male abusers. A majority of those cases involve the boyfriend of the mother or the father of the baby. It is widely accepted that the true number of victims and incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome is under-reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported for 2006 that 1,530 children died in the United States from abuse and neglect. There were 905,000 known child victims of maltreatment that same year.  

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) and Abusive/Non-accidental Head Trauma (AHT) are damaging conditions caused by intentional shaking and/or blunt trauma to the head of an infant or child.  

Non-accidental head trauma, including Shaken Baby Syndrome, is the number one cause of death for children in child abuse cases. The abusive action of rapidly shaking an infant or child causes the sudden forward, backward and sideway motion of the head. During the shaking action, the brain is injured from hitting against the inside of the bony skull. This violent action causes inflammation, bleeding, separation of vessels and nerve fibers in the soft brain tissue on all sides of the brain. 

The brain of an infant or child is very soft because it has more water content and it is easier to injure than an adult brain. Therefore, less energy is required to cause lethal injury to an infant or child’s brain. Significant injury may occur with just several seconds of shaking. Even sudden impact with soft objects like cushions, bedding, and mattresses may be injurious. If shaking occurs alone, there will be minimal outward signs of trauma, if any. However, if blunt trauma occurs during shaking, there will be more evidence of external injury. For example, if a caregiver throws or forcefully places an infant on a surface after shaking the baby for a few seconds, there may be evidence of blunt trauma from sudden deceleration and impact of the head against a surface. 

In SBS, the eyes may get injured by the sudden increase in pressure and motion around the soft tissues that make up the delicate structure of the eyes. After the baby is shaken, the brain and the eyes bleed inside the confined spaces within which they are contained. This bleeding causes high pressure to build within the head and eyes. The damage caused by shaking the head, brain and eye structures and the increasing high pressure that follows may cause permanent injury or death for the infant or child. 

Abusive/non-accidental head trauma (and associated injuries) occurs when the child is hit by an object, or impacts on object, and/or experiences significant force to the brain from speed and sudden deceleration. Keep in mind that the child’s non-accidental head trauma and brain injury may occur without actual physical contact with an object. Immediately following traumatic head injury, the child or infant (depending on the age of the child) may lose consciousness, have nausea, vomiting, confusion, slurred speech, have difficulty swallowing, respiratory problems, weakness, in one, or all, areas of the body and may also have convulsions. Symptoms may not be noticed right away, and may have a gradual onset. Behavioral or mood changes are sometimes the only symptoms. 

If the child survives the injuries, the symptoms may change over the course of several years from the assault. As the child grows and develops to the ages where higher functioning skills are expected, the true measure of the disabilities the child experiences will become evident. It is common for infants that are victims of non-accidental head trauma and Shaken Baby Syndrome to experience learning disabilities and physical limitations as a result of their injuries. Rehabilitative treatment is likely to be necessary long after the date of the abuse occurs.

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

First, I care enough about children’s legal rights to have written a book on it in the first place. I could keep this important information to myself and use it simply for the benefit of the parents and guardians of my current child clients, but I want every parent or guardian who needs this information to have access to it – whether my firm represents their child or not. And while the book is for sale, my firm will provide it for no charge to any parent or guardian who wants a copy and cannot afford it. 

Second, while there are many good lawyers from whom you can get information, I feel that my history, career path and ratings are unique and allow me to be helpful to parents with injured children. Not only do we focus on representing children. We do it well. Very well. We have achieved significant, million dollar results for numerous clients. More importantly, I have received the highest possible rating (AV rating®) which a lawyer can achieve for legal ability and ethics from the most respected lawyer rating organization in the United States of America - Martindale Hubbell. And, in a recent legal publication where I was honored to be rated as one of the 500 leading plaintiff’s lawyers in the United States of America, the editors remarked that I had been a “tireless advocate for injured children.” I am very proud and humbled to have received those ratings, for both ethics and skill, and even more proud to be recognized as a tireless advocate for injured children. I provide you that list of accomplishments to brag so that parents or guardians of an injured child can have some assurance that they are getting information from a reliable, skilled and ethical lawyer who has been objectively rated by the top lawyer rating organization in the United States of America – and who has represented children just like yours.  

While I might be the lawyer you would like to hire for your child, my firm can only take select serious cases. And, as much as we’d like to help every injured child, we simply cannot be available for each of the thousands of kids injured or killed by shaken baby syndrome every year. Your child’s might be one of them we can help, and we’re happy to see if we’re a good fit for you, and vice-versa. If you read our book, check out our website and think we’d be a good fit for your child’s case, e-mail or call us and we’ll be happy to go over your case and see if we think we can help you.   

Last reason you might want to listen to what I have to say, I have some experience with kids. I’m a dad. Three amazing little kids. And while having children is not required to be a lawyer, it certainly does help me understand and put in perspective what the parents of an injured child need help with, what they need to plan for and what I can do to help them help their child. Also, I’ve served in the Big Brother/Big Sister program and am President of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Child Abuse Center – so service to children is a choice and priority of mine.

Current studies estimate that more than 1000 children are injured and several hundred killed every year as a result of shaken baby syndrome.

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

Anyone can report suspected child abuse or neglect. Reporting abuse or neglect can protect a child and get help for a family—it may even save a child's life.

To report suspected child abuse or neglect in San Benito County California, 

Call - 831-636-4190 or After Hours 831-636-4330

Cities in San Benito County California:
Hollister
San Juan Bautista
Aromas
Paicines
Tres Pinos
New Idria
Llanada 

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help children who have suffered from child abuse or neglect, or families of children who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com 

Anyone can report suspected child abuse or neglect. Reporting abuse or neglect can protect a child and get help for a family—it may even save a child's life.

To report suspected child abuse or neglect in San Joaquin County California, 

Call - 209-468-1333 

Cities in San Joaquin County California:
Stockton
Lathrop
Lodi
Manteca
Ripon
Tracy
Escalon
August
Country Club
Farmington
French Camp
Garden Acres
Kennedy
Lincol Village
Linden
Lockeford
Morada
North Woodbridge
South Woodbridge
Taft Mosswood
Acampo
Atlanta
Banta
Goodmans Corner
Mormon
Mountain House
New Jerusalem
Thornton
Vernalis
Victor 

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help children who have suffered from child abuse or neglect, or families of children who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com 

Anyone can report suspected child abuse or neglect. Reporting abuse or neglect can protect a child and get help for a family—it may even save a child's life.

To report suspected child abuse or neglect in San Luis Obispo County California, 

Call - 805-781-5437 or Toll Free - 800-834-5437 

Cities in San Luis Obispo County California:
Arroyo Grande
Atascadero
Grover Beach
Morro Bay
Paso Robles
Pismo Beach
San Luis Obispo
Avila Beach
Blacklake
Callender
Cambria
Cayucos
Creston
Edna
Garden Farms
Lake Nacimiento
Los Berros
Los Osos
Los Ranchos
Nipomo
Oak Shores
Oceano
San Miguel
San Simeon
Santa Margarita
Shandon
Templeton
Whitley Gardens
Woodlands
California Valley
Cholame
Halcyon
Harmony
Pozo 

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help children who have suffered from child abuse or neglect, or families of children who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com