Charleston Personal Injury Law Blog

Injuries to the brain can unfortunately take a toll on a person, both physically and emotionally, in West Virginia and elsewhere. Fortunately, March happens to be Brain Injury Awareness Month -- a month where more attention is typically paid to traumatic brain injury. Here is a look at what this type of injury involves.

According to experts, two people's brain injuries are never alike. As a result, treatments differ among patients based on the injury's severity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than two million people suffer traumatic brain injuries each year, and of these individuals, 52,000 end up passing away.

Most of us know what the saying "The acorn doesn't fall from the tree means," and it seems to apply to many things including the habit of buckling a seatbelt. Studies have shown that parents who don't buckle their seatbelts are less likely to encourage their children to buckle up, and as those kids grow up, the habit of not buckling up while driving and riding in a car seems to stick.

Studies have also shown that, simply put, seatbelts save lives. If you're a parent who is in the habit of not buckling up yourself or your children before heading off to school, errands, or the big game, you may want to reconsider this potentially dangerous habit. It really just takes a few seconds to fasten a seatbelt, and a bit longer to ensure young children are securely fastened into their seats in the back seat of the car. Just taking a few extra moments before starting out on your trip may just save the life of someone you love.

Consumers in West Virginia -- specifically, the parents or grandparents of young children -- may be impacted by a recent recall of toddler boots. Specifically, Target has decided to recall its Cat & Jack Unicorn boots. According to Target, the boots -- specifically known as Chiara boots -- are dangerous products because they can cause young children to choke.

Target's boot recall covers around 33,600 boot units. The boots being recalled are between sizes 5 and 13, as well as size 1. According to federal officials' recall notice, the boot features a unicorn horn that can detach and thus pose a choking hazard.

Losing motor function due to spinal injuries is understandably devastating. However, researchers have good news for spinal cord injury patients in West Virginia and elsewhere. Three-dimensional, or 3-D, implants may one day restore these patients' motor functions and neural connections.

Neuroscientists and engineers have been working together to develop these implants, which are designed to guide brand-new nerve cells in growing across the area where a patient's spinal cord is severed. So far, their research has shown great promise in severely injured rats. These implants can be quickly printed in 3-D and come in various shapes and sizes. This makes them easy to customize to fit a patient's anatomy.