The family of a teenage boy who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury after being rear-ended by a tractor-trailer has settled their personal injury lawsuit against the negligent truck driver and trucking company for just under $24.6 million, the full extent of available insurance coverage. The family was represented by Matthew Passen, Stephen Passen, and Jordan… Read More
Happy Brain Injury Awareness Day
Today is national Brain Injury Awareness Day. Traditionally led by the Brain Injury Association of America (www.biausa.org), the organization in conjunction with the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force hosts a schedule of programming on Capitol Hill dedicated to engaging public awareness about issues relating to brain injury, including the incidence of brain injury and the… Read More
Postoperative Brain Injury
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about 48 million inpatient surgical procedures are performed in the United States each year. If you add in outpatient surgeries, that number is much higher. All surgeries carry risks of complications, which can sometimes be fatal. However, one potentially devastating complication of surgery — that is often… Read More
Bacterial Meningitis: Delayed or Missed Diagnosis
Meningitis is an inflammation of the tissues called the meninges that surround the spinal cord and brain. In addition to viruses, various types of bacteria can also cause meningitis. According to the Meningitis Research Foundation, about 50 types of bacteria can cause meningitis. The most common cause is meningococcal bacteria. Bacterial meningitis is often life-threatening and… Read More
Lifetime Effects of TBI
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a type of injury to the brain, which is usually due to a sudden jolt or a blow to the head. Common causes include falls, assaults and motor vehicle accidents. Symptoms of a TBI can vary in severity from mild to life-threatening. But even after the initial symptoms are… Read More
Legal Complexity of End-of-Life Decisions
The attorneys of Passen & Powell often represent families of those who have been catastrophically injured — in car or truck accidents, by dangerous products, in workplace accidents . Sometimes family members are faced with making end-of-life decisions. The latter part of January 2014 finally brought closure to a two-month long battle between Marlise Munoz’s… Read More
Traumatic Brain Injury Can Mimic Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Lou Gehrig, the former New York Yankee, is a symbol of inspiration and courage for many Americans, especially those with loved ones fighting progressive or degenerative diseases such as the condition which now bears his name. Yet, as our Chicago brain injury lawyers explain, a new study in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neuropathology… Read More