A brain injury can be a life altering and devastating for the victim and his/her family. It can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, language, learning, emotions, behavior, and sensation. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age. In 2000, it was estimated that direct and indirect costs of brain injuries totaled 60 billion dollars. Many times brain injuries are referred to as traumatic brain injury or (“TBI.”) TBI is a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from "mild," i.e. a brief change in mental status or consciousness to "severe," i.e. an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.

These injuries happen to approximately 1.4 million people each year in the United States and 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are either treated and released from an emergency department with little follow up or not treated at all. The leading causes of TBI are: (1) Falls (28%), (2) Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%), (3) Struck by/against events (19%), and (4) Assaults (11%). If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident where a brain injury is involved or suspected and you need help, please Contact Us.
A spinal cord injury (“SCI”) is scary, serious, and is often life altering to the victim and his or her family. SCI refers to any injury of the nerves within the spinal canal. SCI often occurs from trauma to the vertebral column or the spinal cord itself. Most spinal cord injuries are the result of trauma to the vertebral column. This causes a pinching of the spinal cord that affects the nerve fibers sending and receiving of messages from the brain to the body’s systems that results in paralysis below the injury site. It is estimated that there are about 12,000 new cases of SCI each year in the United States. Since 2005, motor vehicle crashes account for 42.1% of reported SCI cases. The next most common cause of SCI is falls, followed by acts of violence, and recreational sporting activities. The proportion of injuries that are due to sports has decreased over time while the proportion of injuries due to falls has increased. If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident where a SCI is involved, please Contact Us.

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Catastrophic injuries or illnesses can include brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputations, multiple fractures, and burns. These injuries have life altering effects on the injured victim and their family. A catastrophic injury victim faces hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation. They healing time required for these injuries can last a lifetime. Such serious injuries involve much more than physical pain and victims are always temporarily and many times permanently disabled. This can have serious impacts on jobs, marriages, and plans for the future. Furthermore, a catastrophic injury is almost always financially devastating. If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident where a catastrophic injury was involved, you need to get counsel involved quickly. If you need help, please Contact Us.
Many serious and catastrophic injuries occur simply because someone tripped or slipped and fell to the ground. Injuries that occur on another’s property are far too common, but merely owning or occupying land does not make a person liable for all injuries sustained on the property. If you or your property has been involved in such an incident, you must have counsel to assisting you that goes beyond the obvious to determine if there is any liability for the trip/slip and fall incident. We are such counsel and look forward to discussing your legal rights. If you need help because of an injury sustained in fall, please Contact Us.
A recent study showed that 1,000 Americans per day are treated in emergency rooms as a result of dog bites. In 2007 there were 33 fatal dog attacks in the United States. Most of the victims who receive medical attention are children, half of whom are bitten in the face. Dog bite losses exceed $1 billion per year. An American has a one in 50 chance of being bitten by a dog each year. In 2007, there were 33 fatal dog attacks. The number of dog bites has risen dramatically in the past 20 years. Despite the fact that the number of dogs in the United States increased by only 2% between 1991 and 1998, the number of bites and the costs have risen significantly, about 36%. The scene of the dog attacks are more often than not, the dog owner’s property and over 75% of the bites occur to family or friends of the owner.

Under California law, it is not necessary for a victim to prove that the dog involved was known to be vicious or to bite. Even if is the first time the dog bit anyone, there may be enough to support liability. Under California law, the injured person must prove:

The most important aspect of a dog attack case is to get counsel involved early to secure evidence as quickly as possible. The evidence that is needed is the identity of the dog and its owner, photographs of the dog, identity of witnesses, witness statements, and photographs of the injuries and location of the attack. If you or a loved one has been involved in a dog bite incident and you need assistance, please Contact Us.