Sacramento Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

We all know how much fun trampolines can be. We even had one of our own at our house in Sacramento, California a couple years back. Recent studies have shown, however, that trampolines, although fun, may not be as safe as we would hope. One of the most dangerous effects of trampolines is the potential of spinal cord injury. At our Personal Injury Law Firm, we know that this is no small injury. A spinal cord injury, especially in children, can be a hard battle to face.

Reports have shown that actually falling off trampolines will often result in “crippling injury and/or death including paralysis from spinal cord injury”. Other factors that led to these types of injuries occurred from colliding with others on the trampoline and trampoline somersaults or stunts.

Statistics by the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons show that 246,875 injuries from trampoline accidents occur each year in the U.S. 186,405 of these injuries were sustained by children 14 years old or younger.

Like I said before, although trampolines can be fun, they can be quite dangerous as well. Be careful with your children and help to ensure their safety by letting them know of the dangers associated with trampolines and by monitoring them if you do allow them to jump.

If you or someone you know have suffered from an injury because of someone else’s negligence, please give us a call at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins.

Stay safe…

For more information on trampoline injuries and statistics, please click here.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you are bound to know how dangerous I feel motorcycle can be and also how difficult spinal cord injuries can be on the victim. We have seen in our law practice in Sacramento, California, how lives change after a spinal cord injury, especially if this injury results in paraplegia.

I read a news report today about a motorcyclist that was rear-ended. A 21-year old woman was driving her Jeep Cherokee, when she was distracted for a moment by one of her four dogs riding with her. As she glanced off the road, a man driving a motorcycle in front of her slowed down to make a turn. The woman rear-ended the man, sending him flying up onto her car and slamming him against her windshield. At the hospital, he was diagnosed as suffering from broken bones and a spinal cord injury, which has left him paralyzed.

The 21-year old, who was ticketed for speeding and driving without insurance three hours prior, was written up for a felony. Her charge was gross negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Again, I can’t tell how careful to be if you ride a motorcycle… and drivers, keep special watch out for these motorcyclists! If you or someone you love are suffering from a spinal cord injury because of someone’s neglect, please give us a call at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins.

Keep and eye out…

For the full news article, please click here.

I came across an interesting story today. A 64-year old ex-policeman has passed away. Cause of death was homicide...from a gunshot wound he received 41 years ago. At 23 years old, Walter Barclay was carrying out a burglary investigation when he was shot several times. The gunshots hit his spine, splintering it, and leaving him paralyzed.

41 years later, Barclay developed a urinary tract infection, directly related to his paraplegia, which was directly related to his shooting that fateful night. Prosecutors are now trying to decide whether or not to charge the shooter, William Barnes, with murder.

Working in our Personal Injury Law Firm in Sacramento, California, we know that there are many complications that will need to be addressed after a spinal cord injury, especially if the injury results in paralysis. It will be interesting to see what the prosecutors decide in this case. And if their answer is to charge Barnes for murder, what impact does that have on other cases of a similar manner?

If you or a loved one have been injured by another person’s misconduct, please call the Law Offices of Moseley Collins for advice.

Until next time…

To read the full article on the homicide of Walter Barclay, please click here.

As a Personal Injury Law Firm in the Sacramento area, it is always wonderful to read about stories of survivors of accidents and injuries. We know that a spinal cord injury is one of the hardest to deal with and learn to readjust. I read a story in the news today about a man who suffered from a spinal cord injury in a car crash five years ago. Today, he is learning to get around on his own and the injury has become the basis behind his work.

The man’s name is Brandon Ingram. He was in a car crash in which the driver of the other vehicle rear-ended him on the freeway. Crashing through his windshield, Brandon broke ribs, fracture a lung, and was paralyzed from the waist down. At the time of the accident he was 22 years old.

He began using a device called the Andara Oscillating Field Stimulator that helps regenerate damaged nerve fibers and restore some body functions. Brandon is one of 13 people to test the new machine.

The trials have proven to be quite extraordinary. The article states that “quadriplegics regained the use of their hands; paralyzed patients could feel their feet again”. An amazing accomplishment, however, the device does have some drawbacks and will have to continue undergoing testing. One drawback is that it is quite expensive, about $40,000 to $50,000 and it needs to be used within days of the injury.

Brandon is very optimistic about it. He has regained some functions and can walk using braces and his upper body. He currently works at a cable TV company and does motivational speaking.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident and have suffered a spinal cord injury, please give us a call at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins.

Until we meet again…

For further information on Brandon and to read this article, please click here.

When someone is a victim of an accident and subsequently, suffers from spinal cord injury, the average lifetime costs associated with the injury will vary substantially according to the person's age.

To get a clearer understanding of the costs associated with this type of injury, I have included a list from spinalcord.org. The list shows the average lifetime cost for varying degrees of spinal cord injury. The first number indicates the average cost for a 25 year old person. The second number indicates the average cost for a 50 year old person.

Please take note that these averages do not included any indirect costs, such as wages.

Estimated lifetime costs by Age at Injury:

High Tetraplegia (C1-C4): $2,924,513 (25 yo), $1,721,677 (50 yo)

Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8): $1,653,607 (25 yo), $1,047,189 (50 yo)

Paraplegia: $977,142 (25 yo), $666,473 (50 yo)

Incomplete Motor Functional at any Level: $651,827 (25 yo), $472,392 (50 yo)

Please call us at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins if you have been injured and suffered a spinal cord injury. We are here to help.

For more information on spinal cord injury, please see spinalcord.org.

At the Law Offices of Moseley Collins, we know that a spinal cord injury incurred from a serious accident has many detrimental implications. For one, the loss or partial loss of feeling and motion is a tremendous hardship for one to bear.

In addition to this loss, a person suffering from spinal cord injury will incur numerous costs throughout their lifetime. The following averages were found on spinalcord.org. I believe it is a helpful tool to use if you or someone you love has suffered from this type of injury.

The list below indicates the average yearly expenses as of May 2006 for injuries of varying severity. The first number is the average cost for the initial year and the following number is the average cost for each subsequent year.

High Tetraplegia (C1-C4): $741,425 + $132,807/each year

Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8) : $478,782 + $54,400/each year

Paraplegia: $270,913 + $27,568/each year

Incomplete Motor Functional at any Level: $218,504 + $15,313/each year

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident and are now living with spinal cord injury, please give us a call at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins for advice and help.

For more information on spinal cord injuries, please go to spinalcord.org.

Spinal Cord Injuries can be a devastating result from an accident. In our Personal Injury Law Firm in Sacramento, CA, we have experienced many cases in which the person injured suffered this loss. I believe it is important to give a brief overview of the injury, especially for those who have suffered personally or know someone that has. Please know that if you or someone you love has suffered from spinal cord injury in an accident, you can always call us at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins.

What is it?

Spinal cord injury, also know as myelopathy, occurs when the spinal cord is damaged by either a trauma (such as an automobile accident) or disease. The result of the damage is a loss of sensation and/or movement.

In a spinal cord injury, the person has either a complete or incomplete injury. In a complete injury, there is no movement or sensation below the level of the injury.

In an incomplete injury, there is some sensation below the level of the injury. This injury has varied results, in which the person may be able to function better on one side of the body than the other side, feel body parts that cannot be moved, or move different parts of the body better than other parts.

Statistically, about 450,000 people in the United States have suffered from spinal cord injuries with 11,000 new injuries happening each year. Startling, 78% of the injured people are males between the ages 16-30 and 42% of spinal cord injuries are from car accidents.

If you have been in a car crash with a resulting spinal cord injury, please call us right away. We are here to help.

Until next time...

For more information, please click here.