New Jersey Accident and Injury Law Blog : New Jersey Injury Lawyer & Attorney : The Grossman Law Firm : Serving Monmouth County, Bergen County

If all goes well, we could soon have a simple test that allows doctors to test for a brain injury in a patient. Right now, all a doctor can do is rely on a patient's symptoms to diagnose a brain injury.  This means that often, there's a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of brain injury, with serious implications for the patient's recovery and consequently, his quality of life.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Department Of Defense is investing in a study to determine the presence of brain biomarkers that can allow physicians to diagnose a brain injury immediately. Cardiac biomarkers allow doctors to diagnose a heart attack quickly in a patient, simply by administering a test. The goal is to determine brain biomarkers, and develop tests that will help detect such biomarkers.

As a New Jersey brain injury lawyer, I know very well the effect that delayed diagnosis and treatment can have on a brain injury patient. Often, diagnosis may be delayed if the person has not lost consciousness after the injury. A person who suffers a mild concussion from a slip and fall accident or a football injury, may not necessarily lose consciousness, but may have still suffered a mild brain injury. If this injury is not diagnosed, and the person goes back to playing sports again, or suffers another fall, he is at risk of suffering another concussion. The second injury could lead to complications. These are complications that could have been avoided if the first brain injury had been diagnosed.

A test like this would have significant benefits not just for victims of auto and truck accidents in New Jersey, but also for thousands of people who suffer brain injuries in fall accidents and accidents in the workplace.

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As a New Jersey brain injury lawyer, I keep myself updated on the latest research trends and developments related to the treatment of traumatic brain injuries.  These injuries can severely impact a person's normal functioning abilities, as well as his quality of life. Brian injuries are often seen in severe car accidents/truck accidents and industrial accidents. Many of these injuries in fact, occur in devastating high impact accidents, like those caused by a driver impaired by alcohol.

A new study suggests however, that brain injury patients, who have consumed alcohol just before the injury, may have a higher chance of survival than patients with no alcohol in their system at the time of injury. The research, conducted by experts at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, seems to suggest that persons who have consumed alcohol before a brain injury may have a lesser chance of secondary brain injury. 

The researchers studied 38,019 patients who had suffered moderate to severe brain injuries, and had been tested for alcohol when they entered the hospital. For every 100 severe brain injury patients who had no alcohol in their systems and died, only 88 brain injury patients who tested positive for alcohol, died. The researchers insist however that alcohol can cause a host of other complications that can limit a brain injury patient's chances of survival. So, the study's findings are not to be taken as a thumbs up for drunk driving, which is one of the most foolish and dangerous behaviors out there.

However, I am intrigued by some of the possibilities that the research suggests. The researchers believe that there is scope for further study on how alcohol could impact the survival rate of brain injury patients, if given in tiny amounts after the injury. The amount of alcohol itself would have to be just right. Too little or too much could cause no impact at all.

As a New Jersey brain injury lawyer, I hope that more research can be funded to pursue these possibilities.

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A Philadelphia journalist sustained traumatic brain injuries in a hit and run car accident in Collingswood, NJ yesterday. According to this news report, Collingswood NJ police are confirming that Brian Hickey, a former editor at the City Paper, was walking at night along North Atlantic Avenue, when an unidentified motorist crashed into him.

It was only later that police officers found Hickey, with a bleeding wound in his head. He was rushed to the Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, where it has been confirmed that he has suffered a traumatic brain injury.   Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a loud bang, and the screech of tires as the motorist fled form the scene. The skid marks on the road were the first indication to police officers that this had been a hit and run accident.

For Hickey’s 32-year-old wife, Angela, the next 15 hours proved to be excruciating. She was only informed the next morning, when officers arrived at her home to tell her the devastating news. Hickey is currently in a critical, but stable condition. He remains in a medically induced coma to relieve pressure on his cranium. It’s still early to make a prognosis, doctors say, but Hickey is being described by family and friends as a “fighter” who will make it through this. 

My heart goes out to Brian Hickey and his family. Angela has been posting updates on Facebook to let their community know of her husband’s progress. To have a loved one unconscious and not in a position to respond to you because of the injuries to his brain must be devastating for Hickey’s family.

Police have yet to zero in on a suspect, and they are focusing on locals who probably knew the area well. The spot where Hickey was hit is a little known short cut, probably familiar to a local, they say. The motorist is also likely to have suffered damage to his car.

A traumatic brain injury or TBI can be caused by injury, a stroke, aneurysm, or any other kind of severe damage to the head. These injuries are especially common when there is an automobile accident involving a pedestrian or bicyclist. These two groups pf people tend to have the least amount of protection, especially pedestrians who have no way of sheltering their head from the shattering impact when they are thrown to the ground, as often happens when they are involved in an accident. The force of a car weighing close to 3000 pounds can be enough to throw a person into the air, to land on the ground with a tremendous impact. 

Immediate care is essential to reduce the long term impact of a traumatic brain injury.   Emergency care in the first hour or so after the injury can help prevent further injuries to the brain. In Hickey’s case, the motorist didn’t even stop to offer some help to his victim. If he had, maybe Hickey’s prognosis would have been markedly improved.

As a New Jersey traumatic brain injury lawyer, and NJ car accident lawyer, I have represented victims who suffer from these debilitating injuries and have seen first hand the profound impact they have on their lives, as well as their families.

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