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How You Can Maintain Privacy and Pursue Justice After Child Sex Abuse

The person who abused you was someone whom you, and your parents, trusted. It was not a stranger who abused you. Instead, it might have been a priest with the Chicago Archdiocese or a family friend who is well respected in Arlington Heights.

You may be worried about making allegations against the person who did this to you, and you may be unsure whether you want your name associated with a child sex abuse case. However, what if you could maintain your privacy and hold the person who sexually abused you, or your child, accountable?

It Is Possible

You can maintain your privacy and pursue justice at the same time if you work with a lawyer who is committed to making both of these things happen. At Lane Brown, for example, we never make the name of our child sex abuse clients public, either in court documents or in the media, unless we first have permission from that client. We are discreet, we are compassionate, and we are committed to doing what we can to protect individual victims of child sex abuse and to end institutional cover ups of these unacceptable actions.

No Child Should Ever Be the Victim of Sex Abuse

A child who was sexually abused by an adult has suffered enough and should not have to suffer more by going public. To learn more about the types of child sex abuse cases we handle, please peruse our case results. Moreover, if you have questions about what has happened to you and what you can you do about it now, contact us to schedule a confidential case consultation.

Category: Child Sex Abuse

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Spinal injections have become a common form of pain relief for Americans experiencing back and leg pain, and the treatments can provide the temporary relief necessary to continue with everyday living. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that the risks associated with spinal injection therapy may not always be worth the temporary relief it provides. Although spinal injections are often performed, there’s a lot that patients may not know about the safety of undergoing this common procedure and the relief they might get from doing so.

Spinal Injection Therapy May Not Be as Safe or Effective as Many Believe

Spinal injection therapy involves the injection of corticosteroids—sometimes along with local anesthetics—into the epidural space in the spine. The procedure is intended to relieve pain, and it is often recommended for people suffering from back pain, leg pain, sciatica, and other conditions. However, patients undergoing spinal injection therapy should know that:

Epidural steroid injection is an off-label use. Most of the steroids currently in use are approved for relieving joint inflammation, but they have not been approved for epidural injections. While there are many drugs and therapies that medical providers may use for off-label purposes without a negative effect on the patient, it’s important to understand that off-label uses have not necessarily been thoroughly tested or specifically approved by regulators.
Injections may not provide significant pain relief. Dr. Steven P. Cohen, an associate professor of anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins, conducted a randomized trial of steroid injections for back pain in 2012. The results of the study were surprising: researchers found that steroid injection therapy may not offer as much relief for sciatica and back pain as medical providers originally thought. Dr. Richard Deyo, professor of Family Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, says that even though there has been an increase in the number of injections over the last decade, Social Security Disability records suggest “people with back pain are reporting more functional and work limitations, rather than less.” They are just two of many respected doctors who believe there are questions about the effectiveness of spinal injections over the other non-invasive medical alternatives available, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical therapy, and other supervised therapies that can be used to treat back pain.
Providers don’t always have the training to perform spinal injections. Some figures suggest that, even though the numbers of spinal cord injections continue to increase annually, as many as one in five doctors are not properly trained to perform the medical procedure.

If you are considering spinal injection therapy for pain relief and have concerns about how it might affect you, don’t hesitate to talk with your doctor about what to expect, the risks, and why it was chosen over other potential treatments. For some patients, spinal injection therapy may be a good choice and provide the relief they need.

The Potential Risks of Spinal Injection Therapy for Back and Leg Pain

The risks of undergoing spinal steroid injection can vary based on the condition being treated, the exact drug being injected, and the technique used in the therapy. However, here are some potential risks of spinal injections:

Nerve damage
Paralysis
Strokes
Infections, such as fungal meningitis, which can spread through contaminated injection needles
Arachnoiditis, a painful condition that occurs when the membranes surrounding the nerves in the spinal cord become inflamed, which causes bladder dysfunction and nerve damage
Hemorrhages or nerve death when the injection needle misses its intended location and drugs are put into spinal fluid or arteries
Issues with preservatives found in the steroids clogging tiny blood vessels that feed the spinal cord

Because these injections have not proven to be effective in treating back pain when compared to the risks, medical providers across the country are pushing for safer and less invasive methods to relieve back pain. In recent years, efforts have been made to provide safer, particle-free steroids for spinal injections. However, evidence does not show that these drugs are providing any lasting relief compared to the more risky types available.

Getting Help If You Are Injured by an Epidural Steroid Injection

Providing relief from back pain, especially chronic back pain, can be a difficult task for doctors. Unfortunately, what works for one patient may not do much for another patient, and all the risks must be weighed before new therapies are prescribed. However, even when spinal injection therapy is a good option for patients, they should still be informed of the potential risks they face.

If you have been hurt after undergoing spinal injection treatments, you deserve answers about what went wrong. Our attorneys will take the time to understand your situation, answer your questions, and help you understand your legal options—all during a complimentary case evaluation. Under the law, patients who are hurt by medical errors, defective or untested drugs, or potential risks that are overlooked may have the right to pursue compensation for the resulting injuries. We regularly help victims of medical error in Illinois, and we have a long history of success. Talk to us today at 312-332-1400.

Does a Traumatic Brain Injury Have the Same Effect on a Child as it Does on an Adult?

A traumatic brain injury is a medical emergency, and it is an injury that can happen at any age. However, although the injuries and symptoms may be the same, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a child is actually different in many ways from a head or brain injury in an adult. If you are a parent or caregiver, here are some of the most important things you should understand about why brain injuries are a particular concern in children.

Communicating Symptoms of a Concussion or Other Brain Injury

A child might experience the same symptoms of a brain injury as an adult, including:

Dizziness
Blurred vision
Impaired vision
Headache
Disorientation
Emotional changes

However, these symptoms can be more difficult to detect because children often have an inability to express exactly how they are feeling and where the pain is. For example, a toddler doesn’t necessarily have the words to communicate a feeling like “disorientation,” and it can be extremely difficult for a parent to determine if a baby feels “dizzy.”

Young Brains Are Still Developing

A child’s brain is still developing. Therefore, a concussion or brain injury can have more devastating effects on a child than on an adult. When an adult sustains a concussion in an accident, the effects often show up within weeks of the injury. On the other hand, when a child suffers the same injury, it may take months or even years for all of the effects to show. And, even then, the effects of a brain injury on a child’s development can be unpredictable.

The Long-Term Effects and Care of a TBI in a Child

Children, because they are still developing and have their whole lives still ahead of them, can suffer from different or more severe long-term issues after a brain injury. Studies of the long-term effects of TBI in children show that:

Many children with brain injuries struggle with adapting to new, socially complex environments that require behavioral changes. This may include difficulty in adjusting to new situations, like moving on to the next grade in school, learning a new subject, or dealing with changes in family dynamics.
Children with brain injuries often suffer mental deficits, such as difficulty processing information, impaired judgment, and delayed reasoning.

Another long-term concern is that, over a lifetime, a child’s brain injury can also be much more expensive to treat. A child may need support and care into adulthood, including medical care, help with school and daily activities, and other ongoing therapies that help make an injured child’s life as full and comfortable as possible.

Getting Help When Negligence Causes a Child’s Brain Injury

Sometimes, traumatic brain injuries are caused by unavoidable accidents. However, many people are injured every year in accidents caused by the recklessness, carelessness, or negligence of others. If you or your child suffered a TBI or concussion injury due to the carelessness or negligence of another party, you should know that the law may allow you to seek financial compensation and hold the negligent person or company responsible for what happened.

If you have questions, contact our experienced lawyers today at Lane Brown today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free case evaluation. Our personal injury attorneys will examine your case, answer your questions, explain your rights, and help you fight for the compensation you deserve.

Were You or Your Child Infected With Group B Strep During Pregnancy or Birth?

One of the most serious and deadly infections that a newborn baby can contract during his or her first hours and days is group B strep. This infection, which can quickly lead to sepsis, meningitis, and permanent injury, is sometimes passed from mother to child during the birth process. Here are some important things you should know about this potentially fatal birth infection and your rights if your baby has been affected.

What Is a Group B Strep Infection?

Group B Streptococcus (GBS or “group B strep”) is a bacterium. Infection with GBS is often harmless in healthy adults, but it can be deadly to newborn babies. Frequently found in the intestinal tract, GBS can migrate to the vagina and transfer to a baby during the labor and delivery process.

Although many babies who are born to GBS-positive mothers remain healthy, between 2 and 3 out of 1,000 babies suffer serious and life-threatening infections after contracting the bacteria. These newborns can develop sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis—and many are left with permanent injuries like hearing loss, blindness, cerebral palsy, and developmental issues. In some cases, the infection is fatal.

About 20 percent of women test positive for GBS during a vaginal swab-test in the third trimester of their pregnancy. These women are usually placed on antibiotics either before or during the birth of their child to prevent the infection spreading to their child. If a GBS infection exists but goes undetected in the mother at this time, or if an existing GBS infection is not detected in the baby, the consequences can be extremely serious.

The Signs of a Group B Strep Infection

GBS should be a concern of every doctor, midwife, and OB/Gyn. Group B strep can affect a baby a few hours or days after birth, or it can appear weeks or months into an infant’s life. While all care providers should be on the lookout for a group B strep infection, especially if the mother tested positive for the infection, it is important for all parents and caregivers to be familiar with the signs and symptoms of the condition:

Early-onset group B strep disease. The symptoms of early-onset GBS infection usually appear within 12 hours of birth and include fever, lethargy, and difficulty feeding. Your doctor should test your baby for an infection, especially if you tested positive during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Late-onset group B strep disease. The signs and symptoms of a GBS infection include cold symptoms, such as coughing and congestion, fever, difficulty feeding, lethargy, and seizures. While the late onset form of this medical condition is often less serious than early-onset GBS, it is still important to treat immediately.

Group B Strep, Birth Injury, and Medical Malpractice

Doctors and medical professionals guard against this disease—which affects about 2 out of 1,000 births—by testing the mother’s birth canal for a group B strep infection during her last weeks of pregnancy. Those with positive test results—about one in five women—usually receive antibiotics during labor that will often prevent the infection from harming the child. Babies with any signs or symptoms of the disease should also be tested for the infection and may be given precautionary antibiotics to stop an infection from progressing.

However, not all group B strep infections are caught and stopped. In fact, group B strep is known for how quickly and insidiously it can infect and harm newborn babies. However, your doctor and hospital should take reasonable steps at a certain standard of care to prevent, diagnose, and treat group B strep in a newborn baby. While some medical professionals and medical centers do their best to keep both mother and baby healthy and unharmed, some children are left with permanent injuries or lose their lives because of carelessness, medical malpractice, and negligence.

Should Your Baby’s Group B Strep Infection Have Been Prevented?

In some cases, infections and serious diseases can’t be prevented. In some cases, a serious infection can’t be successfully treated or cured. But there are other cases in which an infection should have been prevented, should have been diagnosed earlier, or should have been treated differently. In this last set of cases, the doctor or hospital that failed to respond properly to the infection may be responsible for damages.

If your baby suffered an injury or died due to a group B strep infection, you have a right to know exactly why this happened and whether your doctor or hospital should have prevented what happened. You need to investigate the answers to questions like:

Were you properly screened for group B strep during your pregnancy?
Was your baby properly screened after his or her birth?
Was group B strep diagnosed in a timely manner?
Was group B strep treated quickly and correctly?

If your child has been harmed by a GBS infection, it is important to understand why the infection was not detected in the mother and whether your baby was treated for the infection in a reasonable manner.

Your doctors should take reasonable steps toward preventing, diagnosing, and treating group B strep in your baby. If your baby has been harmed by a GBS infection, you can speak with an attorney who has experience with these kinds of cases about your experience and its legal implications. In some cases, families affected by preventable birth infection can recover compensation to help support the baby’s recovery and the family’s losses. To request a free case evaluation with our Chicago legal team, you can call the Law Offices of Lane Brown, LLC, today at 312-332-1400.

The Frequency and Far-Reaching Impact of Missed Diagnoses

Most people in today’s society—including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists—are operating in a bit of a hurry. Unfortunately, working in a rush or just not being careful enough can lead to mistakes that cause devastating injuries or death. Patients rely on medical professionals to accurately diagnose ailments and to recommend effective treatment. They put their lives in the hands of doctors and nurses, and they trust that healthcare providers have and use the experience and training they need to help patients recover. When healthcare providers make a mistake and miss a diagnosis, conditions that may have previously been easily treatable can progress into serious or even life-threatening situations.

New Report Finds That Most Americans Experience an Incorrect or Late Diagnosis in Their Lifetimes

A recent report from the National Academy of Medicine, featured in an article by NBC News, contained some disturbing information about the prevalence of missed and late diagnoses, as well as some disturbing information about the effect that those wrong diagnoses have on patients. While it can be difficult to measure because there is no agency that collects information about doctor and hospital errors, ultimately making up part of the problem in the first place, the study found that the problem is still a big one.

Dr. John Ball, chairman of the committee that prepared the report, said that “everyone will experience one meaningful diagnostic error in their lifetime.” Even with the limited data on diagnostic errors, the study found that:

Diagnostic errors account for six to 17 percent of adverse events in hospitals.
Each year, five percent or more of adults in the United States who receive outpatient care experience an error in diagnosis.
Looking at available postmortem exams, missed and late diagnoses contribute to 10 percent of patient deaths.

Ball also says that the issue is “an under-represented and understudied area in medicine, and we need to shine a light on it.” Currently, there is no government body that patients or doctors can report to when something goes wrong, and there is no government oversight in place that protects patients from errors.

Previous Studies Draw Similar Conclusions About the Problem of Wrong Diagnoses and Medical Mistakes

The Institute of Medicine released a report in back in 1998 that showed that tens of thousands of patients die from mistakes made by hospitals, doctors, and care providers.

Also, according to a HealthDay report in 2013, “Most malpractice claims against primary care doctors are the result of drug errors and missed diagnoses, particularly of cancer, heart attack, and meningitis.” After analyzing 34 studies, researchers found that “the most common consequence of missed diagnoses in malpractice claims was death, which occurred in 15 percent to 48 percent of the claims.” The review also found that “the second most common reason for malpractice claims were drug errors, accounting for between 5.6 percent and 20 percent of all claims in the studies.”

Preventing Diagnosis Errors and Improving Patient Care

While there are many factors that contribute to the problem, the researchers in these studies have identified a number of changes that could help to prevent diagnostic errors and the impact on patients. These recommendations include:

More involvement from radiologists and pathologists
Better communication between care providers
Allowing billing for doctor-to-doctor communication about patient care
Changes to medical malpractice laws that make it more likely that professionals will admit diagnostic mistakes
More regular performance of autopsies and postmortem exams
Development of better guidelines for patient care and error reporting
Better training for care providers and medical staff
Changes to the culture of hospitals and other medical facilities that discourage reporting doctor mistakes
More widespread use of technology and more integrated electronic medical record systems
Identifying medical mistakes and using that information to improve procedures and patient care
Development of a government body to handle reporting and data collection for diagnostic errors

Ultimately, these studies tell us how important it is for doctors and patients alike to be thorough in their attention to diagnosing a patient’s problems. Doctors are urged to take the time they need with their patients to fully understand their signs, symptoms, and complaints. Patients, in turn, are cautioned to make sure their doctors and therapists take the time to listen to them and to make sure they really do understand what the patient is going through. Errors in diagnosis can often be prevented, and as we’ve heard so many times, “an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of cure.”

If you or a loved one has suffered injury because of a missed diagnosis, an improper diagnosis, or another medical error, you may be able to seek compensation for what has happened to your family. For more information, please contact the experienced attorneys with Lane Brown today at312-332-1400 to speak with us about your options, or fill out the confidential contact form on this page with more details about your concerns.

Practical Ways You Can Help Your Teen Avoid a Car Accident

Parents know that, despite their best efforts to raise safe drivers, teens are sometimes going to make poor choices behind the wheel. However, you may be able to help your son or daughter avoid a wreck by opening the conversation as soon as your child is old enough to learn to drive. While it may seem like there’s a lot to cover, it doesn’t have to be a long or difficult lecture. According to the National Safety Council, it really boils down to addressing two major issues with new drivers.

Setting the “Rules of the Road” in Your Family

Teens learn about Illinois traffic laws as they study for their licenses, but don’t forget that you can also set your own rules at home. Think about how you want your new drivers to handle temptations behind the wheel, such as responding to text messages, and what your expectation are when they have the keys. Once you and your teens have agreed on the rules, have them sign a “new driver deal.” Make sure you establish what the consequences are if the rules are broken, and talk about how to handle unexpected events on the road.

Not sure what to include in your household rules? Take a look at some examples of safe-driving rules for teens.

Driver Inexperience Increases the Chances of a Wreck

Teens are more often involved in car accidents at least in part because they don’t have a lot of experience as drivers. Teens can panic or become overwhelmed on the road, especially in unfamiliar places or conditions. They may be more likely to take unnecessary risks, either as drivers or passengers, or they may be slow to react to other drivers’ actions on the road. However, the good news is that putting in some extra practice hours can help teens overcome the risks of inexperience. Here are some things parents can do:

Give your teen regular time to practice driving, whether alone or with you there to help. Make sure your teen knows how to drive in all kinds of situations, on all kinds of road, and in all kinds of weather.
Even if their phones are out of sight, inexperienced teens can also be distracted by other people in the car. Until your son or daughter feels safe and confident while driving, consider limiting the number of passengers allowed.
Initially, consider restricting driving time to daylight hours. It’s a scary statistic, but the fatal crash rate for 16-year-olds doubles at night.

Although it’s hard to think about, too many teens are hurt or killed in car accidents each year. While your young driver may follow the rules faithfully, you can’t always count on the safe choices of other drivers. If your child has been seriously hurt in a wreck, don’t hesitate to call our legal team at 312-332-1400 for immediate assistance.