Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog

No change in mild TBI after hyperbaric chamber treatments

October 11, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

As doctors and scientists learn more about how our brains work and heal after an injury, attempts are continuously being made to find ways to treat serious injuries to the organ such as traumatic brain injuries. These injuries happen to people throughout the nation, including Seattle, Washington, and are the result of many different types of accidents. While some people appear to recover from brain injuries without any lasting effects, others don’t fare as well and in some cases may contend with symptoms for the rest of their lives. Because of this studies of various treatment methods are routinely conducted.

A study recently conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon, explored the use of a hyperbaric chamber to treat those suffering from mild TBI. Symptoms that accompany mild TBI include sensitivity to light, headaches and deficits in one’s ability to problem-solve. The subjects involved in the study were Marines. Each of the 60 participants had mild TBI as a result of injurious incidents that occurred while deployed, such as roadside bombs.

The Marines were split into two groups with one group serving as the control group and the other receiving different levels of pressurized oxygen. The hope was that the inhalation of pressurized oxygen would increase the amount of oxygen in the brain of the injured person, aiding damaged cells. In turn, it was thought that brain function may improve. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be what happened. No difference was recorded between the two groups.

Company being sued for products liability declares bankruptcy

October 4, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

As one Seattle attorney has discovered, pursuing compensation from manufacturers of defective products can become especially difficult when these companies claim to be cash strapped. Companies sometimes file for bankruptcy. This may mean injured individuals and their attorneys will have to find other parties that they can hold accountable in products liability matters.

We’re seeing this right now concerning the east coast New England Compounding Center said to be responsible for the distribution of tainted steroids. Allegedly as a result of the taking of these steroids, around 750 people have suffered fungal meningitis or other serious maladies and 64 people have died. While damages could be in the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars, the compounding company has since filed for bankruptcy.

The process for recovery under such circumstances can take years. Because of New England Compounding’s pending bankruptcy, attorneys are now considering filing lawsuits against the owners of the pharmacy and other companies belonging to these same owners. At the same time, there may still be profits made by New England Compounding that can be recovered by victims of the steroid vaccinations as well.

What can happen if a worker is injured on your property

September 27, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

In Washington, property owners have a duty to keep their property safe and can be sued based on the theory of premises liability if injuries do occur due to unsafe conditions. This is not to say that such cases are simple. Premises liability laws vary from state-to-state. In the State of Washington, determining liability can be partially based on the reasons for why an individual is on the property to begin with.

Many property owners are not aware that they could be sued in the event a contractor is injured on the property while performing work on the premises. Liability is dependent on a number of factors, but it would be best in any circumstances to warn any contractors coming on the property of potential hazards.

A property owner’s exposure to liability can be dependent upon:

University of Washington distracted driving study is revealing

September 16, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Washington has never before examined the distracted driving behavior of its residents in detail. In an effort to reduce the number of Washington distracted driving accidents that occur annually, researchers at the University of Washington have completed the first detailed examination of electronic-related distraction concerning residents of the Evergreen State. The results of the UW study are frustrating.

In essence, the UW study determined that nearly 10 percent of Washington drivers are engaging in distracted driving at any given time. Of those distracted drivers, nearly half are engaging in texting behind the wheel. UW researchers determined these statistics after randomized observance of the behaviors of nearly 8,000 drivers at controlled intersections in six Washington counties.

One of the study’s principal investigators recently explained that, “These findings suggest that distracted driving is more common than we thought and that texting has become a major cause of distraction. Most people support laws restricting texting and cell phone use in vehicles, yet some choose to engage in behaviors that put everyone on the road at risk.”

Preventing accidents this back to school season

September 11, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

By this point in September, children of all ages are back in school. However, not all children, parents and motorists have adjusted to the particulars of schoolchildren’s commute routes and timing just yet. Because back to school can be a dangerous season, it is critical that everyone refreshes their safety knowledge in order to keep pedestrian accident and bicycle accident rates low.

First of all, adults should remember that children do not always look before they cross the street. Whether they are traveling on foot or by bike, children often act on their impulses first and think about the consequences of their actions later. As a result, it is imperative that motorists slow down and drive cautiously whenever children are present.

Second, it is important to observe special rules that apply in school zones during pick-up and drop-off times. Many areas ban any sort of distracted driving in school zones and all areas reduce speed limits in these spaces. In addition, motorists should never pass school buses which have extended stop sign arms and red lights flashing. These buses are dropping off or picking up children and motorists must not pass them at these designated times.

Auto industry failing to shrink motorist blind spots

August 28, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

In recent years, safety experts, federal regulators and even the auto industry have expressed increasing concerns about the number of pedestrian and cyclist accidents occurring in the U.S. As roads and sidewalks become crowded with motorists, pedestrians and cyclists alike, it has become more important than ever that all travelers remain aware of those around them. When travelers cannot see each other clearly, accidents occur.

Unfortunately, it seems as if the auto industry is now home to potentially negligent manufacturers who are not only failing to reduce motorists’ blind spots in new vehicle models, they are actually making them bigger. In an effort to improve safety ratings in other areas, some auto manufacturers have created 2014 vehicle models that have wider blind spots than older and seemingly less safe models.

When a motorist cannot detect movement in his or her blind spot, that motorist may unintentionally collide with pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles present in the space marked by the blind spot. It is thus imperative that blind spots are reduced as much as is possible or that alternative technology is installed to help drivers see activity in their blind spots on a specialized screen.

Breakthrough gives hope to families of vegetative patients

August 23, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A new approach to scanning the brains of vegetative patients may help physicians determine which patients are conscious, semi-conscious and unconscious. When patients are in comas or vegetative states, it may be difficult to tell if their injuries have rendered them completely unconscious or in a state of semi-consciousness. However, a newly released research study out of Canada indicates that specialized MRI scans may reveal just how conscious or unconscious patients truly are.

This news is providing hope for families of coma patients with traumatic brain injuries. Understanding whether or not their loved one is somewhat conscious or completely unconscious may help them determine how to proceed with their loved one’s care plan.

The Canadian study is nothing less than shocking. Of those patients tested with functional magnetic resonance imaging, three patients in comas or persistent vegetative states were able to answer simple questions “yes” or “no.” One patient who had spent 12 years in a vegetative state indicated that he knew both where he was and what his name is.

The FDA is analyzing link between sleep aids and drowsy driving

August 17, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Studies have shown consistently in recent years that Americans are not excellent sleepers. In response to our ever-busy cultural approach to work, play and relationships, to the multitude of electronic devices that rule our lives and the pressure many of us feel to be productive late into the evening, Americans do not tend to get proper amounts of sleep or quality of sleep. As a result, a startling number of Americans choose to use sleep aids either occasionally or with regularity.

Unfortunately, recent studies indicate that sleep aids may indeed be dangerous drugs in certain contexts. Sleep aids are most dangerous when taken in incorrect dosages. Overdosing on sleep medication can be fatal. But these drugs are also dangerous in one other critical context. If not metabolized fully during the night, sleep aids can contribute to drowsy driving behavior the morning after the drugs are taken.

Given that drowsy driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking a substantial interest in recent research on this phenomenon as it is published. In recent months, it has asked certain sleep aid manufacturers to change their warnings and to reduce recommended dosages of these drugs for certain populations in response. The FDA even went so far as to reject a new sleep aid drug application in July because evidence indicates that some drivers have a difficult time operating their vehicles safely the morning after taking the drug.

New measurements may help victims of traumatic brain injury

August 9, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

When military personnel, athletes and accident victims are knocked around as a result of blast force or impact trauma, the consequences can be devastating. Americans now understand that even relatively minor accidents can lead to both traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and lasting brain damage generally. However, the military, the sports world and the medical industry are only now beginning to understand just how long-term TBI symptoms develop and may be treated.

Not so long ago, it was thought that only major accidents could result in TBI. However, the public is increasingly being educated on the fact that multiple minor traumas and repeated hits can also lead to many long-term effects of TBI. Brain experts within the medical community, the sports world and the military are continually finding ways to explore the phenomenon of TBI development with an aim of better preventing, diagnosing and treating these injuries.

Recent efforts by the military focus on the intersection of TBI and concussive blasts. In particular, experts are curious about the ways in which TBI develops in response to concussive blasts. Much like the sports world, the military has long-approached TBI as an issue primarily contained to major accidents and trauma. However, evidence suggests that exposure to multiple concussive blasts over time can lead to TBI development in many cases.

Stanwood, Washington, 16-year-old dies in car accident

July 22, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A community near Seattle is struggling to cope with the recent death of a 16-year-old boy who was killed in a car accident earlier this month.

The Stanwood, Washington, boy was a passenger in a car that went off the road when its driver, a teenage girl, lost control on Pioneer Highway, rolled and went into a ditch.

Five of the vehicle’s six occupants were hurt, but the 16-year-old boy is the only one who did not survive the car accident.