Boston Child Brain Injury Blog

Though child injuries vary, there are common signs of traumatic brain injury in a child that you should be aware of, particularly if your child has recently suffered such an injury in a Boston accident. The signs of traumatic brain injury in a child depend on the severity of the injury. 

If you suspect that your child has suffered a traumatic brain injury after a Boston accident—even from a minor fender bender or a playground slip and fall—seek immediate medical attention for him or her. 

Common signs of a traumatic brain injury in a child include: 

• headache;
• sensitivity to light;
• dizziness;
• problems with coordination and balance;
• mood changes;
• upset stomach;
• blurred vision;
• a brief or extended period of unconsciousness;
• different sized pupils;
• memory loss;
• seizures;
• vomiting; and
• fluid or blood in the ears or nose. 

In cases of severe traumatic brain injury in a child, a coma, vegetative state (basic bodily functions continue but with no awareness) or a locked-in syndrome (patient is aware of surroundings but unable to move or respond to them) could occur. Death is also a tragic possibility. 

Traumatic brain injury in a child will be exhibited in ways unique to each child. It is imperative to seek prompt medical attention for your child after a Boston accident, whether your child has been in a car crash or received a blow to the head from a softball. When it comes to traumatic brain injury in a child, err on the side of caution. 

If someone else’s actions led to a Boston accident in which your child suffered a traumatic brain injury, you should contact a Boston child injury lawyer to discuss your legal options. You may be eligible to claim damages for your child’s medical expenses and pain and suffering through a Massachusetts personal injury claim. 

Contacting a Boston Child Injury Lawyer  

If your child suffered a traumatic brain injury in Massachusetts because of the negligence of another person, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills and ongoing medical treatments. For more information on child injuries, order this complimentary book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. 

The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group serve clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. For a no-cost evaluation of your child injury case, contact us today at 800-930-8145.

Perhaps your child is at that borderline stage, where a forward-facing toddler seat is getting just a bit snug. If you’re in that in-between stage where you’ve toyed with the idea of a child booster seat, but aren’t sure if your child is totally ready, you’ll have to head to the store to know for sure. 

Take your child with you to test out child booster seats. When you’ve selected a child booster seat, first try it out in your car. Does it fit flat against the seat without tipping forward? 

Next, put your child in the booster seat and pay special attention to your child’s legs. If they’re sticking straight out, this is a good indicator the child booster seat is too large. You’ll want to make sure that your child’s knees bend right at the cushion at the booster seat’s edge.    

Put the seat belt around your child. If it falls along the hips and shoulders, your child may be big enough for the booster seat. What you don’t want to see is the seat belt fall across your child’s stomach and neck. 

In most cases, children need to be in a harnessed child safety seat until they weigh 40 pounds. If your child is just under this mark, and still tends to move a lot when you’re in the car, you may find your child will struggle to wiggle in and out of a seat belt when in a child booster seat. If this is the case, you may want to hold out a bit longer in the forward-facing toddler seat.  

The most important thing about a child booster seat is the protection it offers if you are in a Boston car accident with your child in the vehicle. Even though a child booster seat may help protect your child, there is always a risk for injury. 

When to Contact a Boston Child Brain Injury Attorney 

If your child has sustained a child head injury or other personal harm from an accident another driver caused, talk with a Boston child brain injury attorney. You may be able to seek compensation on behalf of your child, in the form of a Massachusetts personal injury claim. 

To learn more about your rights and legal options, you can request to receive this complimentary book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. 

Or, if you prefer you can contact the Boston child brain injury attorney team at Kiley Law Group to schedule a no-cost evaluation of your case – 800-930-8145. Our firm serves clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate on your family’s behalf for fair compensation for your child’s injuries.

Encouraging children to walk or bike is one of the best ways to instill an active lifestyle early in their lives. Unfortunately, it may also put them at risk for a Boston pedestrian accident. A child who gets struck by a car while walking is likely to experience serious, even fatal, injuries, such as a traumatic brain injury. 

The relatively rare but serious threat of a child pedestrian accident is no reason to discourage your children from going outside and exploring their Boston area neighborhood on foot. But you should be armed with information about the dangers of a child pedestrian accident in Boston, and what to do if your child sustains a traumatic brain injury in a pedestrian accident.

 Traumatic Brain Injury in Child Pedestrian Victims 

Apart from the obvious fact that a small child is no match for any vehicle, is the fact that a traumatic brain injury can so easily occur during a Boston pedestrian accident. 

A study conducted by scientists at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden analyzed 23 child pedestrian accidents and found that “the head was the most frequently and severely injured body part of the child.” Most of these accidents occurred when the car was traveling at a relatively slow speed and nearly half of the child victims were running at the time. 

Serious Child Pedestrian Accidents At-a-Glance 

It’s easy to see why children may be particularly vulnerable to pedestrian accidents and associated traumatic brain injury. Their small size makes them harder for drivers to see, and their erratic behavior, coupled with an increase in the number of distracted drivers on Boston roads, is a recipe for disaster. 

According to a 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, out of 4,378 pedestrian deaths in the US that year, 6%, or 270, of the pedestrians were age 14 or younger. Six of those deaths were the result of a Massachusetts pedestrian accident. 

If your child has sustained a traumatic brain injury in a Boston pedestrian accident, you’ll want to talk with a Boston child injury lawyer if the driver’s carelessness, or negligence, was to blame. Your child has the right to compensation through a Massachusetts personal injury claim. 

While it is tragic that nearly 300 children died in pedestrian accidents in 2008, this represents a 50% decline from the number of child pedestrian deaths in 1998, when 540 children died in pedestrian accidents in the United States. 

If your child is the victim of a child pedestrian accident in Massachusetts and suffered a traumatic brain injury, seek the help of a Boston child injury lawyer as soon as possible. 

A traumatic brain injury can mean tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses for your child and a lifetime of costly treatment. A Boston child injury lawyer will work to get compensation for your child so that your family can focus on healing. 

When to File an Injury Claim after a Boston Child Pedestrian Accident 

If you believe a driver’s negligence had a role in your child’s pedestrian accident and resultant traumatic brain injury, you have the right to seek compensation for your child’s injuries through a Massachusetts personal injury claim. 

A Boston child injury lawyer will explore the nature of the accident, your child’s injuries and the various costs associated with the traumatic brain injury. 

Damages associated with an injury claim stemming from a Boston child pedestrian accident include: 

• medical bills (past, present and future);
• physical therapy cost;
• cognitive therapy cost;
• lost wages (as a result of tending to your child’s traumatic brain injury);
• pain and suffering; and
• costs associated with counseling and other post-trauma therapy. 

The cost of treating a traumatic brain injury can spiral out of control for any Boston family. Your child deserves a chance at a happy, fulfilling life. While financial compensation cannot ease your family’s pain after a child’s traumatic brain injury, it will allow you to pursue the best care possible for your child. 

A Boston child injury lawyer with experience in handling Boston child pedestrian accident injuries, particularly traumatic brain injury cases, will help gather the evidence you need to build a convincing Massachusetts personal injury claim. 

Your attorney will interview witnesses, analyze your child’s injuries and projected long-term costs of care, and handle all negotiations with the relevant insurance companies. If a settlement cannot be reached, a Boston child injury lawyer can file a Massachusetts personal injury lawsuit on behalf of your child. 

Contacting a Boston Child Injury Lawyer 

If your child suffered serious injury because of the negligence of another person, order this free book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. 

The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group serve clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. For a no-cost evaluation, contact us today at 800-930-8145.

The 3rd annual Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts Caregiver Conference will be held this Saturday, September 25th,  from 8:30 am to 4 pm at the Century House in Acushnet, Mass.

The Caregiver Conference is designed to give support, advice, and practical information to family members and other caregivers facing the many challenges of meeting the needs of those with brain injury.

This year’s event speakers include:

- Janet Cromer, a registered nurse and member of BABIS, the association’s largest support group;
- Elizabeth Lauzon of Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital;
- David Bullis, a clinical psychologist;
- Tom Hall, regional director of Brain Injury Services at the Neuro-Rehabilitation Centers at Worcester and Middleboro; and
- Jenny Stickney, a case manager for brain injury at Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands.

Please click here for more information about this event.

Also, see the Massachusetts Brain Injury Association’s Facebook page here, and the Caregivers’ Conference Facebook page here.

When your child suffers a traumatic brain injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, you need to have a Boston child brain injury attorney on your side because chances are, if you’re going through any kind of legal proceedings at all, the other party can and will have legal representation ready to defend against your claim. 

If you’re dealing with an injury as serious as traumatic brain injury (TBI), you’ll want to make sure you stand the best chances of success, whether your goal is to obtain a favorable Massachusetts child injury settlement, or to win damages in a trial setting. Without any knowledge of Massachusetts personal injury law, how to collect the necessary evidence and how to defend a claim, you are stacking the odds against yourself for a fair verdict. 

Your Boston child brain injury lawyer can walk you through each step of the claims process and how to evaluate your child’s immediate and long-term financial needs related to their injury. There are also the logistical issues of legal paperwork, filing deadlines, and insurance negotiations, which can all go much more smoothly with legal representation on your side. 

Dealing with these complex matters while trying to care for your injured child is more than you should take on during this difficult time. Your Boston child brain injury lawyer can handle the paperwork while you keep your focus on your child’s well-being and recovery.   

Get Legal Help Now – Contact a Boston Child Brain Injury Attorney 

At the Kiley Law Group, our Boston child brain injury attorneys have the experience and resources you need to gather the necessary evidence and witness testimony to build a strong case on your child’s behalf. Your Boston child brain injury attorney will also handle all communication with the insurance adjusters, and if necessary, represent your family’s interests in court. 

Our firm serves clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate on your family’s behalf for fair compensation. Contact us today at 800-930-8145 to schedule a no-cost evaluation.

A proper child safety seat is crucial if you travel with children in the car. Since young children and infants can’t fit securely in a seat belt designed for adult use, a child safety seat can help prevent child head injury or death in the event of a car accident in Boston. 

To choose a proper child safety seat, you’ll have to do your homework. Make sure you only consider a child safety seat that meets federal and state vehicle safety standards. You can usually find this information in the form of a label on your child safety seat. You’ll need to make sure the child safety seat you buy is appropriate for your car. For example, SUVs may require a different child safety seat than a sports car or compact car. 

In order for your child safety seat to be as effective as possible in preventing a child head injury, you will need to consider a few important factors, including:  

• your child’s age;
• your child’s size (weight, shoulder height); and
• your vehicle type. 

While you’ll have to take into account your child’s actual height and weight when choosing a child safety seat, age is also a huge factor in proper child safety seat selection. This is because child safety seats vary for different age groups, both in size and design. 

Child Safety Seats for Infants 

You’ll need to look for a rear-facing infant-only seat for infants ages 0 – 12 months. Infant-only child safety seats are rear facing because babies often do not have the adequate neck muscles to absorb the impact of a collision. You must keep your child in the rear-facing, infant-only seat until they are 1 year of age, and weigh 20 pounds. Many infant-only child safety seats come with a carrying handle, and can detach from the infant seat base for use with strollers. 

Check the manufacturer guidelines to see when your baby must progress to the next child safety seat. Once your child has outgrown the infant-only child safety seat, you’ll have to get a rear-facing convertible seat. 

Safety seats are incredibly important in safeguarding your child’s health – and life – in the event of a car accident in Boston. Keep in mind that failure to properly restrain your children can result in fines, and in the case of an accident, can result in significant injury or the death of your child. 

If your child has sustained a child head injury or other injury due to a defective child safety seat or because a caretaker did not properly restrain the child in a car safety seat, a Boston child brain injury attorney can advise you on your legal options for seeking compensation. 

Even after infancy has passed, children must still be placed in proper restraints when riding in vehicles. Every child is different in terms of weight and size, but many must stay in some sort of child safety seat until they reach 8 years old for maximum safety. 

Child Safety Seats for Toddlers 

Keep your child in the rear-facing convertible child safety seat as long as needed. Once the maximum weight and height is reached, you’ll have to look for a forward-facing child safety seat. These child safety seats will have a full harness. These are also called forward-facing toddler seats, and typically are used for children 1 to 4 years of age. When selecting a forward-facing toddler seat, make sure the harness clips fall at your child’s armpit level. 

Child Safety Seats for School-Aged Children 

Once your child is around 4-years-old, you’ll find it’s time to make the transition to a child booster seat. Keep in mind that a child booster seat may be needed earlier than age 4, or later, depending on your child’s height and weight. 

There are 2 types of child booster seats: 

• high-back belt positioning child booster seats; and
• no-back belt positioning boosters seats. 

It doesn’t matter which child booster seat you choose. What is important is to make sure your child is raised to a level where the lap belt and shoulder strap fall across your child’s thighs and shoulders. When the strap is not in the correct location, your child can sustain abdominal injuries in the event of a Boston car accident. 

In most cases, a child booster seat is needed until a seat belt fits properly around a child’s shoulder. Once the child is 4’9,” a regular seat belt can be used. This height is usually reached around 8-12 years of age. 

Child safety seats and child booster seats are necessary to protect your children. If an accident does occur while your children are in the car, a child safety seat will give your child the same protection that a seat belt offers to adults. 

In the case that your child is seriously injured in a Boston car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you’ll want to make sure you can claim any compensation possible on behalf of your child. If you don’t take the proper steps to protect your children, it may be difficult to hold the other party completely liable for the injuries your child sustained. 

When to Contact a Boston Child Brain Injury Attorney 

If your child has suffered a serious injury because of a defective or dangerous product like a car seat, order this free book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. 

The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group serve clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. For a no-cost evaluation of your child injury case, contact us today at 800-930-8145.

Closed head injuries can occur in a wide range of circumstances, from your teenager’s Friday night football game to a seemingly minute fender bender outside the neighborhood drug store. 

When closed head injuries occur, the brain gets hit repeatedly against the inside of the skull, which can cause swelling. But since no fracture or breaks have occurred in the skull, the expanding brain tissues have nowhere to go. 

When this happens, your child is vulnerable for traumatic brain injury.  The most serious is severe traumatic brain injury – a condition most commonly associated with comas, prolonged unconsciousness and vegetative states. 

The most common symptoms of severe traumatic brain injury that results from closed head injuries include: 

• Coma – the person is unconscious and cannot be awakened, and cannot voluntarily respond to anything in his or her environment.
• Vegetative State – this person is conscious but does not respond to stimuli in the environment and cannot interact with anyone.
• Minimally Responsive State – when a person is no longer in a coma or vegetative state, and is aware of surroundings and has basic reflexes.
• Locked In Syndrome – the person is conscious but cannot move anything but the eyes; communication is through series of blinking and eye movement.
• Brain Death – at this point, the brain has no function whatsoever. 

Because closed head injuries with severe traumatic brain injury can have such a profound effect on your child’s life, you are entitled to seek damages if someone else is responsible for your child’s condition. A Boston child brain injury attorney can assess the loss of quality of life for your child, coupled with your family’s medical bills, in order to seek a fair settlement.  

When to Contact a Boston Child Brain Injury Attorney

If your child has suffered serious injury because of the negligence of another, order this complimentary book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group serve clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. For a no-cost evaluation of your child injury case, contact us today at 800-930-8145.

When you’re trying to choose a child brain injury lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts one thing you’ll want to think about is how the lawyer plans to structure your child’s potential settlement, in the case an agreement or judgment are reached in your favor.  

If a settlement is reached, then the party responsible for your child’s head injuries will have to pay compensation to you in the form of damages. This compensation can cover everything from medical expenses to the pain and suffering your child has experienced from their injury. 

If you get a settlement offer, you’ll want a child brain injury lawyer in Boston who knows how to allocate that money to stretch it as much as possible for your child’s long term needs. 

In the case of a child head injury, your son or daughter may be eligible for Social Security, Medicaid and other federal benefits. A knowledgeable child head injury lawyer in Boston will know how to divide up your child’s settlement money to maintain eligibility to federal benefits. 

There are several ways to do this, including: 

• structured settlements – damages are paid to the victim in set installments throughout the course of months or even years.
• trusts; and
• annuities. 

Ask the attorney early on how he or she would protect your child’s settlement. This will give you a good impression of the Boston child brain injury attorney’s knowledge base as well as prior success in child head injury cases. 

You can learn more about how to choose the right Boston child brain injury lawyer for your case by visiting our article library.  

When to Contact a Boston Child Brain Injury Attorney 

If your child has suffered serious injury because of the negligence of another, order this complimentary book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group serve clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. For a no-cost evaluation of your child injury case, contact us today at 800-930-8145.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) sponsors Baby Safety Month each year in September.  In setting aside a month to cover this topic, the goal this year is to ensure that parents understand the necessity of providing a safe place for their babies to sleep.

 JPMA reports that hundreds of infants die annually because they are put down to sleep in an unsuitable place that was not designed for them.  New products, such as cribs and toddler equipment, must be granted approval for infant use by federal regulators. 

If you don’t know the complete history of the secondhand crib you may have, either find out or buy new.  With cribs, ignorance is not bliss and can place your infant in harm’s way.

Babies and toddlers are safest in “a fully functional, properly assembled crib, cradle, bassinet, portable play yard, or toddler bed.” 

In addition to making sure that your baby is safe and sound in his crib, you should also pay attention to any recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC).  There was a crib recall this past week where one infant death and various injuries were reported. 

The CPSC warns parents against the use of drop side cribs as well, over concerns that an infant can become trapped between the opening of the drop side and the mattress itself.  Since the year 2000, there have been a total of 32 reported infant fatalities as a result of the defective drop side cribs causing strangulation, suffocation, and entrapment.

Cribs should not be used for more than 10 years because safety standards are updated on a constant basis and older, outdated cribs may pose concerning risks to your baby if the cribs do not meet current federal regulations.  According to the report, crib manufacturers are now barred from making drop side cribs due to the serious hazards they pose to infants.

As an extra help to parents and because the car is also where some infants and toddlers get some much needed shuteye, there was a news report out this month that highlighted the 21 safest booster seats for your toddler.  Also, check out our previous post on the proper way to install an infant car seat and take note in the guidelines listed that car seats expire after about six years.

While there is a whole laundry list of parents’ responsibilities when it comes to their kids–not to mention the laundry itself–there are precautions that parents can take to ensure that their little ones are safe.  Try to find the time to review your cribs and car seats that you use every day, so that your infants and toddlers are safe wherever they go.

Closed head injuries occur when a child either experiences a hard blow to the head, or when a child falls, and the brain rocks against the inside of the skull repeatedly.

Some of the most common ways children sustain closed head injuries include: 

• falls;
• sports accidents; and 
• car accidents. 

In general, accidents at the workplace and assault are also widespread ways in which closed head injuries are sustained. The only factor that separates closed head injuries from an open head injury is that with closed head injuries, no object pierces the skull. 

Even so, the chance for traumatic brain injury is still very real. When closed head injuries occur and the brain swells, further injury can result. Brain cell damage can occur throughout the entire brain, or in just one region. 

If your child has closed head injuries, some symptoms of traumatic brain injury may include: 

• dilated pupils;
• loss of consciousness;
• convulsions;
• speech problems;
• leak of cerebrospinal fluid (most often from the ears and eyes); and 
• vision issues. 

Sometimes, closed head injuries may not result in the permanent damage so often caused from traumatic brain injury. Usually, physicians can get a good idea of the brain injury’s severity based on the time the child was unconscious (a few seconds vs. several months), and the child’s progress made within the first month after injury.  

If your child’s closed head injuries did cause mild or severe traumatic brain injury, a Boston child brain injury attorney can advocate that any liable parties are held accountable. Contact a Boston child brain injury attorney to discuss the potential for an injury claim and the types of damages for which you may be eligible. 

When to Contact a Boston Child Brain Injury Attorney 

If your child has suffered serious injury because of the negligence of another, order this complimentary book, Dealing with a Nightmare: The Essential Steps to Take if Your Child Suffers a Serious Injury. The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group serve clients in the greater Boston area and will advocate for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. For a no-cost evaluation of your child injury case, contact us today at 800-930-8145.