Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious and costly condition due to the high number of persons injured and the possible long-term effects of TBI. Medical care costs and indirect costs, such as lost productivity, total about 60 billion each year in the United States.

A TBI results from trauma such as an object striking the head or the head striking an object, and/or rapid acceleration and deceleration inside the skull as with a car crash. Injuries may be open (skull penetrated) or closed (skull intact). Damage to the brain may interrupt connections within the brain, affecting how a person thinks, learns, works, and carries on daily activities.
Nationally, there are an estimated 2.2 million cases of TBI each year. Approximately 52,000 people die, 270,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department.

Common causes of TBI include falls (35 percent), motor vehicle crashes (32 percent), gunshot injuries (12 percent), assaults (11 percent), sports (4 percent), pedestrian injuries (4 percent), and other causes (2 percent).

Persons most frequently hospitalized with TBI are 15- to 24-year-olds, the majority due to motor vehicle crashes, and persons 75- to 84-years-old, due to falls. Violence-related TBI usually involves suicidal behavior, assaults with firearms, shaken baby syndrome, and domestic abuse in families. Males experience TBI twice as often as females.

When someone suffers a head injury, the effects may appear immediately, or days, weeks and even months later. Approximately 60 percent of injuries are not serious and people have no ill effects or have symptoms that subside completely in a few days or weeks. However, people who survive a serious TBI may experience physical, sensory, cognitive, social, behavioral, or other severe limitations that may require long-term rehabilitative and community services.

“Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a national problem and the long-term problems associated with TBI affect persons with TBI, their families, and communities. When someone suffers TBI in a car accident, fire, gas explosion, or other accident, it is important to hire TBI attorneys with experience in obtaining adequate compensation for all of the losses of the victim and the victim’s family,” said attorney Rich Ruohonen. Rich regularly chairs a TBI seminar for lawyers and recently published a traumatic brain injury (TBI) article.

Labels: tbi attorneys, traumatic brain injury

Partner Richard Ruohonen has had an article published in the Minnesota Association for Justice magazine entitled, "Debunking the Top 10 Myths of Traumatic Brain Injury: Effective Cross Examination of the Defense Neuropsychologist."

"After years of chairing an annual legal seminar on traumatic brain injury, I was asked to write an article for Minnesota Association of Justice," stated Richard. "I based the article on years of research and experience, particularly my experience with expert witnesses in the field of neuropsychology."

Richard has rewritten the article for publication in the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association magazine.

Read Richard's article.

Labels: Richard Ruohonen, traumatic brain injury

This month, Fred Pritzker, Rich Ruohonen and Elliot Olsen presented material at "MASTERING THE MIND: UNDERSTANDING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CASES," a legal seminar sponsored by the Minnesota Association for Justice. The three Pritzker Ruohonen attorneys taught two classes:

1. "Building up the Plaintiff's Traumatic Brain Injury Case." Topics of discussion included enhancing your damages through proper work up of the case, avoiding pitfalls, direct examination of experts, theming your case and other TBI issues.
2. "Tearing Apart the Defense of the Traumatic Brain Injury Case." Topics of discussion included cross examining the defense neurologist and neuropsychologist, using articles and learned treatises in cross examination and dealing with difficult issues.

Rich Ruohonen chaired the event.

If you need a lawyer for your traumatic brain injury case, contact Fred, Rich or Elliot. They are lawyers who teach other lawyers how to practice law. Call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900.

Posted November 2007.

Labels: brain injury case, damages, expert witnesses, traumatic brain injury

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Clients have come to Pritzker | Ruohonen after accidents not realizing how serious their injuries are. Our lawyers know what medical specialists should be consulted and will guide you through the process. Even mild brain injuries can cause significant harm. Below are the symptoms of mild TBI. A person may have some or all of the symptoms.

• A loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes.
  
• A dazed feeling
  
• A general sense of not feeling like oneself for several days or weeks after the initial injury
  
• Headache
  
• Confusion
  
• Lightheadedness
  
• Dizziness
  
• Blurred vision or tired eyes
  
• Ringing in the ears
  
• Bad taste in the mouth
  
• Fatigue or lethargy
  
• A change in sleep patterns
  
• Behavioral or mood changes
  
• Trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking

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