The wish of every expectant parent is to have a healthy baby. Parents put their trust in doctors and nurses, hoping for a complication-free delivery. Unfortunately, not all birth stories go as planned. In some cases, birthing complications result in lifelong mental retardation and disability. A baby experiencing a lack of oxygen during the delivery process can sustain devastating physical and neurological injury, such as cerebral palsy. A baby diagnosed with cerebral palsy suffers from a brain injury that damages its motor skills like walking, talking and playing. Most cases of cerebral palsy are lifelong, and while it cannot worsen, there is no cure. Treatment for cerebral palsy is lifelong as well, and could be approached in many different ways depending on the child’s symptoms, side effects and severity level.

A child suffering from C.P. will experience, in varying degrees, symptoms such as involuntary movement, seizures, mental retardation, difficulty with fine motor skills and maintaining balance, problems with vision, hearing, speech and learning.

To aid contracted muscles, a physician may prescribe muscle relaxants like diazepam, baclofen, dantrolene and tizanidine according to Mayoclinic.com. Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy may also receive botox injections directly into spastic muscles, a common symptom of cerebral palsy.

Many different therapies are available for children with cerebral palsy. Physical therapy will aid your child in bettering their balance, flexibility, strength and motor development. Occupational therapy will promote your child’s participation in daily activities at home and at school. Speech therapy teaches a child to communicate clearly or with sign language (mayoclinic.com).

Staying supportive of your child during this most unfortunate time will help both you and your child cope with the disabling condition. Remember to encourage all efforts at independence—no matter how big or small. Always speak on your child’s behalf and be an advocate during their time of need. Never hesitate to ask questions or seek council from doctors, therapists and teachers. Also, finding a supportive community can greatly aid you and your coping child. By joining a support group or seeking counseling services, the burden of this time can be adequately shared and cared for.

Some support facilities and professionals to aid both you and your child during this difficult time include:

Center for Enriched Living
280 Saunders Road
Riverwoods, Illinois 60015
phone: 847-948-7001
fax: 847-948-7621
e-mail: cel@interaccess.com
web: www.centerforenrichedliving.org

“THE CENTER for Enriched Living is a year-round social center for people of all ages with developmental disabilities. Programs, planned and implemente are designed to enhance the quality of life for people with a primary diagnosis of mental retardation.

4MYCHILD. Help and Hope for Life

http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/

“Our mission is to provide you with the most comprehensive resource and compassionate voice for all things related to caring for a child with Cerebral Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, and other neurological injuries.”

American Academy for CP and Developmental Medicine
6300 North River Road Ste. 727
Rosemount, IL 60018-4226
Phone: (847) 698-1635

Cerebral Palsy Resources

http://www.cerebral-palsy-web.org/resources.htm

Easter Seals
230 West Monroe Street
Suite 1800
Chicago, IL   60606-4802
info@easter-seals.org
http://www.easter-seals.org
Tel: 312-726-6200 800-221-6827
Fax: 312-726-1494

”Provides services to help children and adults with disabilities and/or special needs as well as support to their families. Supports the National AgrAbility Project, a program for farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers with disabilities.”

CP of the Blackhawk Region
7399 Forest Hills Road
Rockford, IL 61111
Phone: (815) 282-8824
Fax: (815) 282-8835
E-mail: ucpbr@AOL.com
Counties Covered: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, JoDaviess, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Streetephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago

Cerebral Palsy of Mississippi Valley
550 30th Avenue, Suite 1
Moline, IL 61265
Phone: (309) 797-7046
TDD: (309) 797-817
Serves Western IL and Scott County, Iowa

Should your child be the victim of medical malpractice resulting in cerebral palsy, consider hiring legal assistance to receive the justice and peace of mind you deserve. The lawyers at Ronaldson and Kuchler understand the feelings of pain and hopelessness that result from medical malpractice incidents. Let us help you and your child during this most unfortunate time.

What could make an already devastating motor vehicle accident worse? When the other motor vehicle is a truck.

Filing a law suit after a trucking accident means not only fighting 18 wheels, but a team of highly trained investigators, lawyers and insurance representatives doing everything in their power to give you minimal compensation.

Most trucks are used for commercial purposes—meaning they are transporting goods for another company—so, the auto accident becomes a matter between you and the lawyer representing the transported goods. Knowing this may make you feel like David versus Goliath, but rest assured that hiring a qualified personal injury lawyer will be the stone in the sling shot against the giant.

After a truck accident, trucking insurance companies and investigators immediately go to work cleaning up the accident, leaving you—the victim—very little time to react and consider your options. It is during this time that you should consider hiring a lawyer and DO NOT accept compensation until speaking with an attorney. Waiting too long to find representation could mean loss of evidence to defend your case resulting in a loss of money to accommodate your injury.

Having an attorney assures investigation at the scene of the accident to evaluate all aspects of the accident such as skid marks, debris, fluid stains, location of impact and damaged vehicle parts (Personal Injury Claims for Large Truck Accidents, AVVO).

Should you or a loved one be the victim of a trucking accident, contact Ronaldson and Kuchler. We’re here to help you during your most unfortunate time. Let us fight the battle for you.

It’s 5:15, your shift was over 15 minutes ago and you have a train to catch. You run out of your office, catch the elevator going down, take your first step off the elevator onto the ground level when suddenly—slip!—you’ve fallen backward and bumped your head on the granite floor. Still determined to catch your train, you make a quick recovery and continue running to the train station.

5:34—you made it!! You take your seat on the train and finally relax when you start to feel a headache coming on. You pop 2 ibuprofen, thinking it will pass. 15 minutes later you start feeling a bit dizzy and your vision starts to blur—you still have a headache. You start rubbing your head when you realize you can’t remember much about the end of your day. Did I lock my office? Is my computer off? When did I leave?

Headache, confusion, sensory problems, and amnesia of events immediately before an accident are all common symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury or TBI. Unfortunately, most people who experience a mild brain injury disregard it and continue with their routine like the person described. While 75% of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) a year are a mild form, any head injury can sustain future affects and require immediate medical attention, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

Traumatic brain injuries are the direct result of a sudden blow to the head, causing the brain to collide with the inside of the skull. The trauma of this accident can bruise the brain, tear nerve fibers and cause bleeding. The most common causes of TBI are falls, assault, motor vehicle accidents and direct strikes to the head.

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year.

Because so many TBI are mild, medical care is often disregarded. However, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, recent studies show that victims of TBI are eight times more likely than the general population to suffer from clinical depression a year after the accident.

Also, “young people who suffer concussions are at greater risk of long-term physical and mental consequences, lawmakers were told Thursday at a hearing on head injuries to high school athletes” according to the Chicago Sun Times. This information is daunting because males ages 15-24 are the most likely to suffer a TBI.

The long term effects of any TBI can greatly affect your future state of mind and health, medical attention is imperative after any collision involving your head.

If you believe yourself to be a victim of a brain injury, consider your symptoms, which range from physical to psychological effects. Signs and symptoms of a mild brain injury, or concussion, can include the following: brief unconsciousness, headache, confusion, mood changes, dizziness, amnesia of events immediately before the accident, and sensory problems such as blurry vision or bad taste in the mouth. Moderate to severe brain injury signs and symptoms include: seizures, slurred speech, persistent headaches, profound confusion, numbness of extremities and an inability to awaken from sleep.

Because children may be unable to communicate their symptoms, look for the following behaviors: refusal to eat, loss of interest in a favorite toy, altered sleep patterns and school behavior, crankiness.

TBI can also cause epilepsy and can increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’ disease and other brain disorders that come with age, victims of any brain trauma should consult a medical expert immediately and take careful precautions to make a full recovery.

Be kind to your body after a brain injury and give yourself the recovery time you need with lots of rest and time before returning to usual activities and routines. Avoid activities that could result in another blow to the head because repeated TBI injuries within a short period of time can result in fatality.

Consult a health care physician before operating a vehicle, bicycle, or machinery and avoid drugs and alcohol until approved by a physician.
A brain injury is no small accident. Help yourself or your loved one and receive a medical attention before it’s too late.

Victims of a traumatic brain injury should consider consulting a legal representative if the accident was due to a car crash, medical malpractice, truck accident or another form of unlawful injury. Ronaldson & Kuchler personal injury lawyers want to help you look into the matter and ensure that your claim receives the best representation.

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When a debilitating injury affects not only your health but your ability to make money, hope may seem lost. Depending on the severity of the injury, you could go months at a time without work or an income. Fortunately, social security can provide a monthly source of income while you are out of work. Unfortunately, 70% of SSD claims are denied after the first claim. While that is a high percentage, there are ways to make the most of your claim to ensure a notice of decision in your favor.

Before applying for social security benefits, you must prove you are disabled by evaluating your injury. There are five steps* to determine if you are disabled. They are as follows:

1. Are you Working?

If you are working and your earnings average more than a certain amount each month, you will generally not be considered disabled. This amount changes every year.

2. Is Your Medical Condition “Severe”?

Your medical condition must significantly limit your ability to do basic work activities—such as walking, sitting, and remembering—for at least one year.

3. Is your Medical Condition on the List of Impairments?

Conditions on this list are considered so severe that they automatically mean that you are disabled as defined by law. If the severity of your medical condition meets or equals that of a listed impairment, the state agency will decide that you are disabled. If it does not, the state agency goes on to step four.

4. Can you do the work you did before?

At this step, the state agency decides if your medical condition prevents you from being able to do the work you did before. If yes, you qualify, if not you go to the last step.

5. Can you do any other type of work?

The agency evaluates your medical condition, your age, education, past work experience and any skills you may have that could be used to do other work. If you cannot do other work, the state agency will decide that you are disabled.

*List and information from lawfirms.com, Applying for Social Security Disability.

Once your disability is determined, you can file your claim. SSD claims go through four stages of an evaluation process: making a claim, requesting an appeal, request for a hearing, notice of decision. As stated before, the majority of claims do not make it past the first two stages. However, “your chances of winning your benefits claim are greatly increased when you are represented by an experienced disability attorney” (www.Nationaldisabilitylawyers.com).

Having an attorney ensures the completeness of medical bills and records, which are imperative to the success of your claim. While you can represent yourself in an SSD claim, attorneys pay special attention to due dates, signatures and medical verification. Also, attorney’s have a better chance at getting copies of medical bills and records from doctor’s office, which only strengthen your claim.

Also, being sure to record all disabilities and treatment plans increases the validity of your claim. Disabilitysecrets.com says, “When a Claimant does not properly list every treatment source on an disability application or SSD appeal, the effect can be dramatic. A case can literally be slowed down for weeks or months as a result or, worse, be decided without crucial evidence being reviewed. Typically, this results in a denial. Cases that are properly represented, of course, stand a much better chance of avoiding such scenarios and eventually being won.”

It is also beneficial to your claim to have the support of your physician. Regardless if a doctor says he supports you getting disability benefits; it is more advantageous to receive that support in a written letter which can be presented during the hearing.

When filing your appeal, be sure to keep track of important deadline and hearing dates and always maintain a nice relationship with those working on your case.

When filing an SSD, the time before a notice of decision is made is indefinite. Because of this, it is encouraged you budget your finances to prevent debt and are discouraged from making large purchases during this time.

Should you be disabled and looking for an attorney to represent your disability claim, consider the attorneys at Ronaldson and Kuchler. We have only your best interest at heart and want you to receive the benefits you deserve during this most unfortunate time.

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Regardless of when or where, nobody is ever truly ready to hear that a loved one has died. Whether the death was accidental, such as from a car accident or anticipated due to prolonged illness, for many, hearing those words is beyond awful. Words of death cause feelings of shock, despair and indescribable loss. Questions often race through your mind wondering “how” it happened, or “why” or “what am I gong to do now?”

A family death imposes enormous challenges for surviving family members. In addition to almost insurmountable grief, there are myriad of other issues the family must deal with including the hospital, mortuary, funeral home or cemetery. If the death is due to an accident, such as an auto or truck collision or other type of tragedy, unfortunately there are other matters that require the family’s attention as well, such as dealing with the police, insurance companies calling for information and unpaid medical bills pouring in through the mail. In those circumstances, or in cases of alleged medical malpractice, it is often best to retain the services of a personal injury lawyer that concentrates their practice in such areas. The lawyer can handle all aspects of the investigation leaving to the family the important business of grieving and funeral preparations. Letting a skilled lawyer handle the issues related to the accident, such as preserving evidence, securing interviews with witnesses, getting the medical records and police reports, photographs and the like allows the family to focus on the matters most important to them.

If you should experience the unjust death of a loved one, whether due to a car collision, medical malpractice, truck accident or other form of wrongful death, consider talking to a lawyer that can bring justice for your loss. While legal aid cannot bring back a loved one, it can assist in many ways and offer some peace of mind. At Ronaldson and Kuchler, we are here to help.

Regards, Glenn