Keane Law Firm supports SBS A.R.M. Poker Run|Ohio

It's time for the 2nd annual ARM poker run in Ohio - with proceeds going to support SBS prevention efforts. The Keane Law Firm is proud to be a sponsor of this great event on August 27, 2011. If you want to learn how to help, or to get involved, contact the Keane Law Firm and we'll put you in touch with the poker run organizers.

San Francisco California Child Abuse|Lawyer|Shaken Baby Syndrome|7x7 Magazine names San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center 2010's Charity of Year

We are proud to announce that the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center is the 7x7 Magazine charity of the year for 2010. This is a great honor for the Center, and great recognition for the importance of child abuse prevention work everywhere. Christopher Keane of the Keane Law Firm, is the President of the Board of Directors of the Center, and was interviewed by 7x7 Magazine about the important work of child abuse prevention:


http://www.7x7.com/travel-active/sf-child-abuse-prevention-center-voted-your-favorite-charity-sf

Please call the Keane Law Firm if you have any questions related to child abuse, child abuse lawsuits, child abuse prevention, shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma or if you need help taking care of a child who has been abused an catastrophically injured.

Why abusive head trauma can be worse than a massive car crash for infants|California Child Injury Lawyer|Shaken Baby Syndrome Lawyer

Imagine two scenarios. The first is that you witness a massive car accident on a California highway which results in the cars being crushed, broken glass everywhere and people - including an unconscious infant being rushed away by ambulance. The second situation involves a grown woman holding an infant by her chest, shaking here back and forth several times to stop her from crying - and she succeeds - meaning the baby stops crying - and then the woman puts the child back in the crib, where she quietly sleeps. Which child should you be more concerned about? The answer may surprise you, but it is the quietly sleeping baby who has been shaken - and for a number of reasons. First, the baby who has been in the car accident will receive sudden emergency care. The baby in the crib will not. If there is any problem with the baby in the accident, she will have it taken care of right away, while the baby who was shaken will not. Head injuries treated quickly, heal quickly. Delay in treatment results in delays in the brain. Second, even assuming the baby in the crib eventually gets treatment, it may not be the right kind of treatment. Why? Because people who shake babies are often trying to hide their behavior, or are a non-offending parent who was not present and does not know that an injury was inflicted, so an incomplete and/or inaccurate history will be given to the doctor. This may cause the doctor to provide incomplete treatment, depending on the type of injury - because some histories are suspicious for abuse and doctors should know this. A child who comes in from an accident scene, though, will have an accurate history provided by witnesses to the crash. There are seldom witnesses to child abuse. Third, the type of force applied to an infant's brain can be very different from the force applied during shaking, or the infliction of abusive head trauma. The force from a car crash is often different from the force applied during an abusive incident. First, the force from an accident will often be applied to the brain in a straight and direct manner. This is called "Translational". This will cause the brain to move forward and backward. Often, depending on what occurs during the crash, only one time. In abusive head trauma, the force is often "rotational", and the forces are applied from more than one direction. This causes disruption - or shearing - of the connective axonal neurons that facilitate brain function. If these are disrupted, the brain will never function properly.

If you have a question about the manner in which your child's abusive head injury was caused, feel free to contact the Keane Law Firm for a free analysis. We have a pediatric specialist on staff to perform the free analysis. Also, if you have questions about your child's prognosis, we can perform the same analysis for you, as well.

Call toll-free at 888-592-KIDS (5437)

Domestic violence linked to child abuse|Child abuse lawyer|Shaken Baby Syndrome Survivor Lawyer

Domestic violence (DV), which is also known as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or Intimate Partner Aggression or Violence (IPAV), creates an increased risk of corporal punishment of children, which is known to create an increased risk of physical child abuse. According to a recently published study, "Use of Spanking for 3-year-old Children and Associated Intimate Partner Aggression or Violence" by Catherine Taylor, Ph.D., Shawna Lee, Ph.D., Neil Guterman, Ph.D. and Janet Rice, Ph.D., published in Pediatrics, Vol. 126, Number 3, a significant finding in their study was that adult VICTIMS of domestic violence (DV)/ Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)/Intimate Partner Aggression and Violence (IPAV) have an increased probability of using corporal punishment with their children. This is an important finding for those investigating child abuse cases when trying to determine the likely perpetrator of child abuse. It has already been established in published literature that there is an increased likelihood that a person who uses corporal punishment on a child would also abuse a child. Therefore, in homes where domestic violence is present, we now have published literature demonstrating a causal link between domestic violence and child abuse, via the connecting link of corporal punishment. Domestic leads to increased risk of corporal punishment, which leads to increased risk of child abuse.

The authors explain that there is statistically significant evidence that a victim of domestic violence is likely to inflict abuse on a child. Why? They offer two (2) explanations: Coercive Family Process (known as Patterson's theory) and Social Cognitive learning (Bandura's theory). The coercive family process is explained by the authors as an escalation of violence which occurs due to positive reinforcement after aggressive events. The social cognitive explanation is based on the normalization of observed behavior. Meaning, more specifically, that adult victims of domestic violence learn that violence is "normal" in her environment, and is part of what the authors describe as an "intrafamilial cycle of aggression" The authors demonstrate and highlight that an adult victim of domestic violence has increased odds of using corpoporal punishment.

While it would be easy to see, from a lay person's perspective, how the aggressor in an abusive adult relationship might be suspected to be the most likely person to inflict physical abuse on a child, this study confirms that is NOT necessarily the case.

In my opinion, if you are investigating a case where a child has been shaken or suffered abusive head trauma, it is critically important to determine whether there is domestic violence in the home or homes where the child has been left alone with adults. While most child abuse occurs when children are alone with the perpetrators, and children are too young to testify about what occurred to them - domestic violence is more likely to be witnessed and, by definition, there will be an adult victim who can testify that it occurred. Along with the medical evidence as to the likely time an injury was inflicted, and the importance of history related to the presentation of the abused child at the time medical care was begun, the presence of domestic violence is one more important piece of evidence which can and should be used to determine the likelihood of someone being a perpetrator of child abuse.

If you know a child who has been abused, and has suffered SBS or AHT, and you would like assistance on determining whether there is anything that can be done to help you help the child, feel free to contact the Keane Law Firm at no cost by toll-free phone (888-592-KIDS (5437), or through the internet. We will tell you if we can assist you in helping your child - either in a child abuse lawsuit, or shaken baby syndrome lawsuit, or head trauma lawsuit. This may help you obtain money which will help survivors of child abuse, survivors of shaken baby syndrome or abusive head trauma with home health care, a van or a home in which they can move a wheelchair easily.

Repeated and missed signs of child abuse|New study highlights that confessed perpetrators of AHT/SBS often repetitively injure or shake a child|Shaken baby syndrome lawsuit|Child Abusive Head Injury Lawsuit

In the September 2010 issue of Pediatrics, Catherine Adamsbaum,M.D., Sophie Grabar, M.D., Ph.D., Nathalie Mejean, M.D. and Caroline Rey-Salmon, M.D. published a retrospective observational study entitled "Violent and Repetitive Shaking is Common in AHT", Pediatrics, Vo. 126, No. 3. The interesting study examined 112 cases. 29 included confessions by the perpetrator, and 83 did not. In the confessed cases, previous signs of child abuse were found in the medical records of 27% of the children - 93% of whom were under one year of age. The most common sign of abuse was bruising in non-ambulatory infants - found in the records between 1 week to 2 months before infliction of the acute catastrophic abusive head trauma. The authors reported that in none of these cases did the presence of the bruising lead to suspicion of the diagnosis of child abuse. Also, with respect to the act of shaking the infant (as opposed to inflicting previous abuse such as tissue damage which resulted in bruising, etc.), 55% of the confessed perpetrators described repeated episodes of violent shaking. The mean number of shaking episodes for the repeat shakers was 10. 62% of those repeat shakers described immediate periods of exhaustion in which the child would go to sleep after they shook the infant. All of the repeat shakers reported that they shook the babies to stop them from crying.

If you know a child who was shaken, and you want to see whether they had previous signs of abuse like the 27% identified in the Adamsbaum study, contact the Keane Law Firm for free at 888-592-KIDS (5437), or on the web. We will examine your child's case for free with world-renowned child abuse experts to determine whether or not prior signs of abuse were present and should have been detected, and reported to child protective services. If we find that prior signs of abuse existed, should have been detected and should have been reported to child protective services, we will then represent your baby on a tongenc basis - meaning there will be no fee paid unless we win, and then it will be paid out of any settlement or verdict or judgment. You and your child will not have to pay money out of your pocket to have us perform this service.

Scott Juceam and Rudy Delgado - 2 dads you need to know|Shaken Baby Syndrome|Resources for families who have lost a baby or whose baby was injured by SBS

I recently had the honor of spending time with two (2) amazing dads that you need to know if your family has lost a child to shaken baby syndrome or abusive head trauma, or if your child is a survivor of SBS/abusive head trauma - Scott Juceam and Rudy Delgado. These two men have taken the worst thing that could happen to a dad - to have his child killed - and have chosen to make the rest of their lives meaningful by not only leading child abuse prevention efforts around the country, but also by lending emotional support to families whose pain they have shared firsthand. Scott's daughter, Hannah Rose, and Rudy's son, Xavier, live on in the hearts of their dads every minute of every day, and their shortened lives now have international meaning and significance because of what these men are doing. They are helping others who need some guidance, inspiration or just a shoulder to cry on. Scott and Rudy, you're an inspiration and example for everyone.

Contact Scott through his website: http://www.dontshakeyourbaby.com/

Or, follow him via twitter at:

http://twitter.com/protectakid

Find Rudy on facebook at Xavier's prayer page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prayers-For-Baby-Xavier/165223192505?v=info

Daycare provider, Gail Dobson, found guilty of second degree murder of Trevor Ulrich|Shaken Baby Syndrome Justice|Keane - Shaken Baby Syndrome Lawyer - Helps SBS Survivors Where Prosecutors Can't or Won't Prosecute

It has been reported that a daycare provider, Gail Dobson, was found guilty of second degree murder and second degree assault of Trevor Ulrich, a 9 month old boy who died. The case was tried in Talbot County, Maryland. By reported history, Trevor was in the daycare for a short time (a few days) and the autopsy reported injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

We are saddened to hear about the tragedy which has occurred to Trevor and his family, and offer our thoughts and condolences to them.

Some families of victims of shaken baby syndrome are unable to get even this level of justice for themselves or for their baby, if he or she survives. This could be for a number of reasons. First, criminal prosecutions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. This is appropriate because people will go to jail and lose their liberty. So even though a prosecutor may be able to prove "more likely than not" under whose care a baby was shaken, then ethically they are prohibited from filing charges, even if they know who did it. Second, some prosecutors are overwhelmed with a big caseload and unable to take on a complicated scientific and medical issues that can arise during shaken baby syndrome cases. Third, sometimes prosecutors choose to bring cases where there is a death, but not cases where there is neurologic problems, brain damage or other gross motor skill damage or neurocognitive damage. For cases like those, where the prosecutors are unable or unwilling to bring them, the parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles,or guardians should consider bringing a civil action to correct the injustice. In a civil action, a complaint is filed against the perpetrator and a jury returns a verdict against her or him. There will be a public record of the complaint, and the verdict and judgment. Also, the shaken baby will have money available to help him or her as they get older (the money will be protected by a court until they are 18, or longer if they have cognitive problems and cannot take care of their own money). For cases in which there is brain damage, neurologic damage, neurocognitive damage or other injury, including blindness, Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm have dedicated themselves to helping these shaken babies, have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of brain-damaged babies and are available to represent select cases on behalf of the baby. Please contact them at 888-592-KIDS, or on the web at www.keanelaw.com It is free to call and talk to the firm, and it may be the only and best way for you to help your shaken baby - especially when the prosecutor in your county cannot or will not help correct the injustice.

A link to the Trevor Ulrich story is below.

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=13020203