Author Archives: maryalexander
Recovering from brain injuries may take longer due to drugs
California patients who suffered a brain injury may be interested to learn that prescribed drugs used to treat common conditions may delay their recovery. Anticholinergics, which are often given to patients recovering from brain injuries for pain and urinary incontinence, can actually impact the patient’s recovery times. Researchers from the University of East Anglia… Read More »
Test could be better than CT scan at predicting brain injury
Millions of traumatic brain injuries take place every year in California and around the country, but people may soon benefit from a new blood test that could help emergency room doctors detect a TBI and its severity. According to the findings published in the July 10 issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma, the test… Read More »
California leads the way in reducing pregnancy complications
Pregnancy and delivery have often presented dangers to the mother who is giving birth. However, the incidence today of a death during a pregnancy are about 18.5 per every 100,000 live births in the United States. While this number has risen from a low of eight per 100,000 live births in 1987, the rate… Read More »
Myelin damage may be key to prognosis after brain injury
A recent study conducted by researchers at two California universities indicates that brain injury recovery times may be linked to myelin, a fatty substance that acts as an insulator for nerve fibers. The research team hypothesized that trauma may damage the brain’s myelin, and thereby lessen the speed of information transmission in the brain…. Read More »
Teen charged after hit and run kills pedestrian in California
A California teenager faces criminal charges after a fatal car accident involving a pedestrian in San Leandro on June 18. The 18-year-old male from Hayward was charged on June 27 for the accident that took place at the intersection of Thronally Drive and Hesperian Boulevard. The pedestrian accident occurred at around 9 a.m., when… Read More »
Moving around appears to be beneficial to TBI sufferers
Recent research has produced important findings for California residents who have suffered an injury to the brain. The prevailing medical wisdom has been that the increased blood flow associated with exercise could be harmful to those who have suffered brain trauma, and those who have come from surgery were strongly encouraged to lie still… Read More »
Mild brain injuries may prove fatal, research finds
For California residents who have suffered a head trauma, a new study gives cause for concern and further reason to pursue compensation for brain injuries caused by negligence. Results published in the Journal of Neurology, NeuroSurgery and Psychiatry show higher rates of death after a diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury. Direct causes of… Read More »
Three helicopters evacuate victims from California accident
Six pedestrians were struck, and one was killed, when a 65-year-old man drove his Nissan sedan onto the sidewalk in the 3600 block of Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo. Three helicopters descended on the scene to transport victims. Two of them were a 4-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy, who were hurt alongside their mother. A… Read More »
6 dead, 7 injured in balcony collapse in Berkeley, California
Six people died and seven others were seriously injured when a fourth-floor balcony collapsed during a birthday gathering early Tuesday, June 16, 2015, in Berkeley, California. This tragic incident occurred at the Library Gardens Apartment near the UC Berkeley Campus. Thirteen people fell from the balcony when it gave way. Four were pronounced dead… Read More »
Berkeley balcony collapse draws attention to serious safety issue
While she was traveling in Ireland, newspaper Irish Independent sought Mary Alexander’s input concerning the Berkeley balcony collapse and the potential legal issues that could follow. Mary has represented victims and their families in balcony lawsuits involving very similar circumstances, including a case involving another residential balcony collapse that occurred in 2009. Mary noted… Read More »