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HUNTER v SISCO: Court of Appeals Bars Auto-Accident Victim’s Right to Damages for Pain and Suffering

The Michigan Court of Appeals handed down a published decision recently in a case involving the Michigan Governmental Tort Liability Act (GTLA). The decision bars an auto-accident victim from asking a jury to award damages for pain and suffering when the crash was caused by a governmental employee’s negligent operation of a motor vehicle. In Michigan, the GTLA provides a general blanket of immunity for governmental employees and agencies when they are performing a “governmental function.” Section 1405 of the GTLA, however, provides an exception for injuries – specifically “bodily injury” and “property damage” — caused by the negligent operation of...

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With Technology, Even a Spinal Cord Injury Can’t Keep You from Walking

Our Michigan law firm specializes in personal injury claims.  As a result, we see more than our share of clients with a spinal cord injury.  Often, these individuals’ ability to use their limbs has been severely impaired or outright lost.  In the past, attorneys in our position were faced with the reality that regardless of the size of the jury verdicts or settlements we obtained for our clients, no amount of money could give the client the use of their limbs.  But that reality is slowly changing due to rapid scientific progress.  For example, we previously blogged about experimental stem-cell...

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Price v High Pointe Oil Company: Michigan Supreme Court Delivers Blow to Homeowners

The Michigan Supreme Court handed down a decision recently in the case of Price v High Pointe Oil Company that represents a significant loss for homeowners and their ability to obtain compensation in cases involving the destruction of their homes. Imagine this: while at work, you receive an urgent phone call informing you that your home – the home you built and lived in for over 30 years — has been flooded by 400 gallons of toxic, home-heating oil. Beckie Price received such a phone call back in 2007 when her home was destroyed by an oil company that negligently pumped hundreds...

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National Brain Injury Awareness Month

National Brain Injury Awareness Month

Think of any food, activity, or cause and there is probably a month or day dedicated in its honor. October is National Pizza Month. February is National Bird Feeding Month. March, however, is truly significant in that it is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. As a law firm specializing in the area of personal injury, we understand the profound impact brain injuries can have on individuals and their families. In the past, the issue of brain injuries remained out of the spotlight. But thanks to the controversy embroiling the National Football League, the issue has received much more attention as of...

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New Promise for Spinal Cord Injury Victims

A company out of California, StemCells, Inc., recently released the results of its 12-month study regarding the use of stem cells to return some function to victims of complete spinal cord injuries. A “complete” spinal cord injury refers to a total loss of motor and sensory function below the injury site.  An “incomplete” injury describes damage to the spinal cord that results in the loss of some, but not all, function. The study was fairly small; only three patients were studied, each suffering from a complete spinal cord injury.  Twenty million stem cells (more specifically, “purified human neural stem cells”) were introduced to...

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Mid-Michigan Racing Fans Injured in Daytona Crash

On Saturday February 23, 2013, two mid-Michigan residents were among those injured in a tremendous Daytona crash on the final lap of the Nationwide race at Daytona International Speedway. The incident occurred when driver Kyle Larson was involved in a multi-car incident, wherein his car was struck from behind, spun sideways, and went airborne, slamming into the catch fencing that circles the track to protect spectators from debris during such an incident. Larson’s car tore a massive hole into the fence, allowing pieces of the car, including a tire, to scatter into the stands and strike race fans. Debris may...

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Michigan Lawyers Weekly Selects George T. Sinas as a “Leader in the Law” for 2013

The Sinas Dramis Law Firm is proud to announce that Michigan Lawyers Weekly, the leading legal newspaper in the state of Michigan, recently named George T Sinas a “Leader in the Law” for 2013!  George was one of 30 elite attorneys that were selected based on the following considerations: being passionate and active on behalf of clients, the legal community and the community at large; a record of success in the legal profession; and a record of achievements that displays a strength of character and ability to be a leader in the Michigan legal community. We are so proud of George...

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Brain-Computer Interface Technology for Spinal Cord Injuries

A remarkable study conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh further demonstrates the ability of individuals with various degrees of paralysis to “control assistive devices and reanimate paralyzed limbs” with nothing more than their mind.  This feat is possible thanks to brain-computer interface (BCI) technology – a type of system that allows for direct communication between one’s mind and a computer. The study, which was published in PLOS ONE and titled “An Electrocorticographic Brain Interface in an Individual with Tetraplegia,” centered on a 30-year-old male who had suffered a C4-level spinal cord injury seven years prior to the experiment.  As...

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Football Helmets May Protect Against Wrong Force

Football Helmets - Sports Injuries to the Brain

More and more evidence supports the belief that traumatic brain injuries in football tend to be caused by “rotational,” as opposed to “linear,” forces on the brain.  Writer Tom Foster explores this important distinction in his article for Popular Science entitled, “The Helmet That Can Save Football.” Linear forces are straight forward, literally; they hit the impact surface (in this case, the helmet) straight on inflicting a direct line of force.  Rotational forces, on the other hand, are forces that strike the skull at an angle.  In the barely controlled chaos of football, linear collisions are much less likely than collisions...

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Environmental Enrichment: Recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury

The amount and quality of stimulation one receives after suffering a traumatic brain injury can impact the rate and level of a victim’s recovery.  This is the finding of a study recently published in the medical journal, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.  “Environmental enrichment” refers to the cognitive, physical, and social stimulation an individual derives from his or her environment.  The concept also considers how the structure of a victim’s environment can promote maximum participation by him or her. In the weeks and months following a traumatic brain injury, victims can experience brain deterioration, which is correlated with changes in behavior, including depression. This study...

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