Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

In Lilburn, Georgia, a texting teen crashed into a telephone phone. While typing a text to a friend and he ran off the road - the impact broke the pole in two. The young man suffered a traumatic head injury due to the impact of the accident. Gwinnett Police plan to charge him with improper use of a cell phone while driving and failure to maintain his lane.

Cell phone usage and texting while driving are distractions that are widely recognized as a cause of traffic accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 16% of all fatal crashes were caused by driver distraction. While this distraction factor includes more than cell phone usage, it is estimated that at any given moment 11% of drivers are using an electronic device while driving.

In fact, the Federal government is so concerned with cell phone use while driving they have joined with the National Safety Council in forming FocusDriven, a nonprofit organization which will focus on raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. FocusDriven is modeled after MADD which successfully changed America's drinking and driving habits.

Placing the focus on educating the public about the high rate of car accidents caused by cell phone use is a great idea.

Lately, we have heard quite a bit about concussions and football athletes. In particular, Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators suffered a concussion in a recent game causing concern and raising the questions of how you know when you have a concussion and how you treat it? Although, Tebow's injury was a "legal" hit, many car accidents and truck accidents in Georgia cause mild to severe concussions also called traumatic brain injuries, some resulting in permanent brain damage. In fact 20% of motor vehicle accidents result in traumatic brain injury including concussions.

But what is a concussion? A concussion occurs when the brain is violently shaken inside the skull, for example, when your head hits the windshield or side window in a tractor trailer accident. A mild concussion does not result in a loss of consciousness but you may feel dazed. In a severe concussion, there is a period of unconsciousness and you have no memory of the event.

Often called mild traumatic brain injury, concussion symptoms include nausea, dizziness, irritability, depression, lack of coordination, headaches, confusion and other memory or thinking behaviors. These symptoms can linger for months. Because the damage is unseen and the symptoms elusive, there is no set time frame for the healing process. Rest is often recommended as a first course for recovering from a concussion.

As a truck accident attorney, proving mild brain injury from a concussion requires specific and detailed knowledge of how the brain works because symptoms are often subtle. Often, people look fine although they feel or act differently. A neuropsychologist can focus on the cognitive injuries adding credibility to the person's symptoms. Fortunately, most people recover completely from concussions, but if you have suffered an injury as a result of a motor vehicle accident, please follow up with your physician and be aware of the varying symptoms of concussions.

Learn More:
Facts About Concussions and Where to Get Help

Signs of Incompetence After Brain Injury by Lori Jolly

Last Wednesday, Sarah Halperin was jogging when she was struck by a car in a metro Atlanta pedestrian accident. She was taken to Atlanta Medical Center, unconscious and with no identification, just her iPod. A recent graduate of Emory University, Halperin had registered her iPod with Apple which turned out to be the only link the hospital had to her identity. Incredibly, the hospital staff was able to trace her iPod registration number to identifying information and then locate her mother.

Car and pedestrian accidents are unfortunately common in an urban area, particularly a community like Decatur where there is greater pedestrian activity. The early morning hours of darkness and light traffic cause many pedestrians, runners and drivers to relax and be a little less cautious than during the busy daylight hours. Pedestrian accidents often have serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury, broken bones and paralysis. Drivers need to keep an extra eye out for pedestrians and runners during the predawn hours and individuals who are on foot need to be aware that they are often not visible to drivers and take extra precaution.

The driver of the car in this accident did the right thing and stopped to help, but some drivers have said they weren't even aware they had hit a person. Here are some safety tips if you are a pedestrian or an active runner: 1) wear an identification bracelet or tag on your shoes, 2) wear reflective clothing, 3) run against traffic, 4) cross only in a crosswalk, and 4) be aware that if you are plugged in to an electronic device you cannot hear cars approaching behind you. We certainly hope for the best for Ms. Halperin and congratulate the nurse who followed up on the iPod registration and tracked down the family members.

Additional Resources:
Road Runners Club of America Safety Tips

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Atlanta car accidents, particularly those involving trucks, often lead to mild traumatic brain injury. With over 133,000 injuries annually due to Georgia car accidents, trucking accidents and motorcycle accidents, many victims often think they have suffered a only a concussion when in fact they have a mild traumatic brain injury.

What is mild traumatic brain injury? A traumatic brain injury occurs when the head is violently impacted causing injury to the brain. Mild traumatic brain injury is most often characterized by a loss of consciousness for less than thirty minutes, confusion, disorientation or amnesia near the time of the car accident. Approximately 42,000 Georgians per year suffer brain injuries. Of these, approximately 75% are mild traumatic brain injuries.

Often referred to as the invisible injury, many victims find that they no longer can concentrate, have short term memory loss and even emotional problems. Brain injuries cause physical, cognitive and emotional impairment. While early symptoms may appear to be mild or inconsequential, they can lead to significant and life-long impairment.

If you or a loved one are in a car accident and experience a head injury, it is important that you see a doctor for appropriate diagnosis especially if you notice a change in sleep patterns, confusion, fatigue or mood swings. If in fact you have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, seeking help quickly will increase your chances of a full recovery. Up to 15% of those diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury have persistent disabilities.

Resources for victims of brain injury:

Brain Injury Association of Georgia

Georgia Brain Injury Treatment Facilities

In Georgia, approximately 22% of traumatic brain injuries are caused by car accidents often involving trucks, motorcycles, bicycles or pedestrians. Between 2004 and 2007, there was a 29.5% increase in traumatic brain injury in Georgia alone. Traumatic brain injury, sometimes referred to as TBI, is the result of a head injury when there is a sudden impact to the brain. Most often in auto accidents, an individual will suffer a closed head injury which occurs when the head violently impacts an object yet the skull is not broken. Fortunately, those of us who live anywhere in the Atlanta area from Macon to Athens to Cumming to Douglasville have access to some of the best treatment for brain injuries in the southeast including the only level one trauma center within 100 miles of the metro Atlanta area at Grady Hospital.

The high level of research and study of brain injuries allows Atlantans to have access to cutting edge treatment. An Emory University Brain Research Laboratory professor was recently honored for his commitment to finding treatments and cures for brain injured patients. People come from all over the United States for further treatment and rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center which is a state of the art facility for brain injury and spinal cord injury patients.

Having lived through the type of treatment and care that goes into a family member having a brain injury, I know how important it is to have the latest techniques and medicines available. Once your loved one has survived the car accident and head injury, an enormous amount of your energy and resources will be tied to rehabilitation. My sister almost lost her life in an auto accident, and the reality of it is that she lost the life she had led due to her traumatic brain injury. Nothing can ever fully repair the brain damage that is suffered in a serious head injury.

Learn more:
Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission of Georgia

Brain Injury Association of Georgia

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