The device has been developed by an Israel-based company, and comprises of a harness, backpack and leg supports. The equipment also includes sensors that can detect and communicate to a computer in the backpack that a step needs to be taken. The person can then walk using his crutches.   The device works with the help of a battery that can be charged for three hours of use. However, in order to be able to use the device, a person must have the use of his upper body.

If all goes well, the device could be available as quickly as a few months from now.   Once the clinical trials end, the company Argo Medical Technologies, plans to apply to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. If the device is approved, the device will available in New Jersey and nationwide by late 2010. 

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a study by biotech company, Geron Corporation of California. The study will involve injecting eight to ten patients with stem cells or cells that are extracted from embryonic cells. The subjects will all be paraplegics, and the study will involve administering a single injection just two weeks after they have suffered a spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injuries can involve loss of mobility of various levels, each resulting in their own set of limitations. Paraplegics – whom the study will use as subjects - can move their arms, but not their body, while quadriplegia involves the loss of control over muscles, leading to an inability to walk, talk, or move other muscles.  A complete cure has been elusive.

The way embryonic cells can treat major illnesses is by replacing damaged cell tissue, thus making them attractive in the treatment of a large number of conditions. The possibilities, medical researchers say are endless. Controversy has developed around the fact that embryos have to be destroyed in order to harvest the cells. Results of studies conducted on animals have been very encouraging thus far, but researchers involved in the project are urging caution. Obviously nobody is expecting miraculous overnight breakthroughs that can have a man out of his wheelchair in a day, but if successful, the possibilities for the therapy are endless. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a spinal cord injury as the result of an individual or a companies fault you should consutl with spinal cord injury lawyers as soon as possible in order to best preserve and protect your rights.  

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons estimates that every year, these winter sports injuries send thousands of men, women and children to emergency rooms around the country. 

When it came to neck injuries on the ice, skiing was the number one risk with 1385 injuries occurring while navigating the slopes. Next was snowboarding with more than 1900 neck injuries, and hockey with more than 600 injuries. The rest of the injuries were caused by snowmobiles, sleds, skating and snow tubing. Most of these injuries are caused because of falls while playing, or colliding against another player or against a hard concrete surface. Spinal cord injuries can have debilitating consequences, at their very worst leaving patients in a quadriplegic state.

Although speed and the accompanying adrenalin rush is a big part of the winter sports experience, it's entirely possible for you to have safe fun on the slopes and ice.  The ASTM has a few precautions for safe sports this winter. Always wear helmets that have the ASTM stamp of approval, and wear protective body clothing that’s appropriate to the sport. Avoid getting too adventurous, and follow all posted signs carefully. Look for any warnings of dangerous curves or posts ahead.

Danger can lurk in the most unexpected places whether you're circling a rink, or racing down the slopes. So, take all precautions, and practice safe sports this winter!

 As Monmouth County and New Jersey motorcycle accident attorney I have witnessed first hand the devastating life altering effects of motorcycle crashes. In this particular situation there could be many factors that made the rider swerve into the opposite lane leading him to strike the curb. What ever the cause of the accident may be, drivers on the road have to make sure they are careful around motorcycle riders. A simple act of having your high beams on can blind a driver and when the driver is a motorcycle rider they can more easily lose control and crash. One way to simply lower the motorcycle fatalities is to always keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the motorcycle and always proceed with caution before entering into a turn or a lane change. Motor vehicle drivers can do their part by being more responsible on the road and hopefully motorcycle riders will do their part by taking the right safety precautions.

 As a Monmouth County and New Jersey car accident attorney I have represented hundreds of victims that suffered critical injuries because of alcohol related car accidents.  This news story above highlights a all too common scenario whereby alcohol appears to have impaired this driver’s sense of judgment. The alleged intoxicated driver may have destroyed the lives of these innocent grocery shoppers who never would have imagined that they would fall victim to a drunk driver while going through their normal every day routine of pushing their grocery carts at their local supermarket.  Drinking and driving frequently leads to victim's extreme suffering.  I have witnessed first hand clients that have suffered at the hands of drunk drivers’ : traumatic brain injury, loss of limbs, spinal cord injuries including paralysis fractures, herniated disc injuries leading to spinal fusion or inter-body fusion surgery and a myriad of other life altering injuries and even death.  So as a seasoned New Jersey and Monmouth County accident attorney lawyer I can attest unequivocally that alcohol mixed with driving of motor vehicles, motorcycles or trucks many times equates with the total destruction of innocent life and also destroys both individuals and their families.  We can significantly reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities in New Jersey by never ever driving while intoxicated or in any way impaired.  

THAT'S RIGHT if you are injured while on a motorcycle or in a cab ride or on a bus or in a commercial vehicle, your medical bills will not be paid by available insurance.  Thus, it becomes even more important to make sure that you retain a personal injury attorney who is proficient in New Jersey motorcycle accident law, truck accident law or taxi related motor vehicle injury law.  This is because your attorney will seek compensation for your pain and suffering and for your outstanding medical bills from the at fault driver.  This area of law has become very complex and requires counsel that has extensive experience in representing persons injured in truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, taxi cab accidents and bus accidents.  This is particularly true in the case of victims of serious injuries because their mounting current and future medical debts with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injuries (SCI) could leave a family into life altering financial ruins. 

My clients are often times totally shocked when I explain to them the realty of the PIP laws in New Jersey.  They often ask how is this possible that I was riding in a taxi and the driver was in a major accident and his insurance company is not responsible for payment of my injury related medical bills? I tell them to thank the powerful insurance lobby who has done an amazing job blaming the "trial lawyers" like myself  for your exorbitant insurance rates while netting BILLIONS in record profits and shielding themselves by succeeding in having the New Jersey legislature pass laws exempting them from payment to their insured's or insured's immediate family member's medical providers where medical claims have become exempt from coverage.  

Representing clients throughout New Jersey including but not limited to Manalapan, Marlboro, Holmdel, Freehold, Millstone, Colts Neck, Howell, Old Bridge, Jackson, Red Bank, Hackensack, Saddle Brook, Paramus, Ridgewood, Teaneck, Demarest, Dumont, Pompton Plains, Glen Rock & Fairlawn the Law Offices of Scott D. Grossman, LLC brings extensive experience, individual attention and compassion for all of our clients.  Please visit our website for further information.       

• "Delay, deny, defend" is the battle cry for the auto insurance industry to protect their multi-billion dollar empire. In a recent report filed by CNN's Drew Griffin, he uncovered that this practice is rampant among the nation's auto insurance companies when people are injured in what insurance representatives consider a "minor impact" auto accident.   New Jersey attorneys representing persons who have suffered injuries in auto accidents have long experienced first hand these tactics of the nation's largest insurance companies.  Throughout the past decade I have represented many individuals that were involved in what the insurance company deemed a "minor impact" and as a result of the accident they suffered serious permanent injuries such as a herniated disc. Many times the injuries were so debilitating that after multiple steroid injections, extensive narcotics usage, physical therapy and chiropractic care, spinal surgery became the only option.   The suffering was very real.

• The auto insurance companies do not want the public to understand the most important of Newton's Laws on Physics.  Energy does not dissapear, it is transmitted to the impacted vehicle and hence to the occupants.  Often times at trial, after years of delays from the insurance company,  defense counsel will blow up a photo of the impacted vehicle that does not show significant property damage. A strategy frequently successful in having jurors draw an inference that the injuries claimed by the plaintiff are either untrue or if true they must have been from some other cause unrelated to the auto accident.  The CNN news story referenced above did an excellent job exposing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to insurance companies doing whatever it takes to put corporate profits above the interests of those very individuals they are supposed to help.