Winter Weather and Sports Increase Risk of Head Injuries

Jan. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- New York, NY – (January 6, 2011) – Winter is here and with it the ingredients for head injuries. Personal injury attorney Paul Dansker, partner at New York City-based personal injury law firm Dansker & Aspromonte Associates, advises increased caution during the winter months to prevent injury and extreme vigilance following head trauma.
Pedestrians and skaters alike slip and fall on icy surfaces. Skiers are at high risk for knocking their head into such hazards as trees, ice, and other skiers. Drivers of motorized vehicles, including cars or snowmobiles, often face difficult or dangerous driving conditions.
A closed head injury is one that involves impact to the head that does not fracture the skull. The victim’s brain may swell as a result, increasing pressure within the skull and compressing brain and nerve tissue. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million Americans sustain this type of traumatic brain injury each year.
“It is crucial to carefully watch the person who suffers a closed head injury because he or she may seem fine immediately after the trauma and may even have normal MRI or CT scan results if the tests are done shortly after the injury,” said Dansker.
“However, symptoms and sometimes severe complications can develop over a period of hours to days as a result of brain swelling and bruising. That is why it is so important to seek out medical attention at the first sign that something is not right.”
Early symptoms of traumatic brain injury may include changes in personality or in the ability to perform ordinary tasks. Disorientation, difficulty paying attention, lack of coordination, memory loss, slurred speech, or unusual emotions should be reported to a doctor as soon as they are noted.
Likewise, immediate treatment is in order if the victim of a closed head injury experiences more severe symptoms such as uneven pupil size, convulsions, clear or bloody fluid draining from the nose, mouth, ears, or eyes, sensory changes, paralysis of one or more limbs, drowsiness, blurred vision, slurred speech, vomiting, or dramatic changes in personality. These symptoms can be long-lasting or permanent in some cases.
“A closed head injury that is accompanied by any noticeable symptoms should be evaluated and documented by a doctor, preferably one who is a specialist in brain injury. This is the first step for treatment,” said Dansker.
Dansker also stresses the importance of thorough documentation including photographs and an accident report made as close to the time of the accident as possible in the event that the injured person seeks to recover money damages from the person or entity responsible. A personal injury attorney should be consulted with any questions about next steps following a closed head injury. Time is of the essence, because conditions and circumstances change, and witnesses begin to forget or disappear.
Dansker & Aspromonte Associates is located at 30 Vesey Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10007. For more information, call (212) 732-2929 or visit www.dandalaw.com.

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About Dansker & Aspromonte Associates: Dansker & Aspromonte Associates is a New York personal injury law firm specializing in serious brain injuries; medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, falls, construction accidents, municipal liability, injuries to children and more. The firm has represented thousands of clients and obtained hundreds of millions of dollars for them over the last 30 years.