Sonoma Free Legal Aid Clinic - 14th Ever Golf Classic

Sonoma County Free Legal Aid Clinic provides free crisis legal services to low-income families and children. They have four astounding programs through the Crisis Legal Recovery Center!

On September 16, 2011, Chris Keane attended the 14th Ever Golf Classic held by the Sonoma County Free Legal Aid Clinic in Santa Rosa, CA. This was the 14th Annual Outing, and Keane Law Firm with Douglas Keane, brother to Chris, and owner of Shimo, Cyrus, and HBG Restaurants donated dinners for this event! The event was was amazing as always, and one of the Four Core Programs for the Clinic is a Child Abuse Prevention Project.

Chris is very proud to say that for the 4th year running, his team came in last place and took home the trophy for the highest score, and truly a wonderful event with a group of individuals who continue to work together for the betterment of our children!

Click Here to learn more about the Sonoma County Free Legal Aid Clinic.

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

Adult male admits to shaking and killing baby boy| Delay in seeking treatment and evidence of prior injury| Shaken Baby Syndrome lawyer

In another tragic reported case, a 31 year old father, Ibrahim Kobayasi, reportedly pled guilty to shaking and killing his 5 month old son, Dylan Kobayasi, out of frustration. The father was watching the child while the mother worked. The father admitted to shaking the baby boy out of frustration - reportedly unemployment. Additionally, the facts of the case are significant because the father delayed - and in fact, reportedly did not seek medical treatment for the minor. Instead, the reported story is that the mother noted the child wasn't well when the father picked her up from work. The mother noticed the child was unresponsive and called 911. Autopsy reportedly confirmed that the child had evidence of prior injury (in this case, it was reported that there was evidence of rib injury). The remainder of the autopsy findings aren't reported in the paper, but it would be of interest to see what other skin or internal injuries are present. It would also be of interest to see whether the child had any previous interaction with mandated reporters (daycare centers, pediatricians, law enforcement). This tragic story ends with the father in jail for 35 years. Also, the mother has been deported to her native country and the baby is dead. It is important to use sad stories like these to learn how the same fate can be avoided for future families.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-35-years-for-man-who-killed-his-5monthold-son-20110718,0,318929.story

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS) or use the web form provided on this site or the www.keanelaw.com site.

Casey Anthony verdict impacting prosecutions for shaken baby syndrome| Shaken Baby Syndrome lawsuit

The casey Anthony trial and verdict has re-focused attention on the level of crime with which prosecutors charge defendants. It has been widely-reported that the jury in the Anthony case may have had enough evidence to convict of lesser charges, but not for first degree murder. Prosecutors, being both public servants and elected politicians, are both required to not over-charge a defendant and conscious of the effect of a highly-publicized loss on their record when they run for re-election. The ripple effect from the Florida verdict in the Anthony case has made its way to Iowa - where a prosecutor has downgraded charges from capital murder to negligent homicide in the case of Suzanna Harwell and Brandel Harwell, her deceased 6 month old son. It was reported that the prosecutor considered the Casey Anthony verdict in his decision to downgrade the charges. See the story at:

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Prosecutors-lower-charges-for-Tyler-County-woman-1462849.php

The backlash and ripple effect from the Casey Anthony verdict may affect how survivors of SBS and families of fatal victims of SBS are handled by prosecutors around the country. In our practice, we have received calls for years from families who did not feel that the prosecutors were aggressively pursuing charges against the perpetrators of SBS - and this is likely to increase given prosecutors inclination to stay away from charging in cases which they are fearful they will not get a guilty verdict - regardless of whether they believe it is probable that SBS occurred. In a shaken baby syndrome civil lawsuit, not only do we have the added benefit for SBS survivors of a different and lower burden of proof than a prosecutor, and the ability to win a lawsuit on terms dictated by the survivor or family rather than the government - plus our firm's focus and familiarity with SBS gives us a comfort level with these cases that may not exist with a prosecutor who handles all types of cases (drugs, guns, etc.) If you are a family with an SBS child, and you want to see if you have a lawsuit can help your SBS survivor or family, call or contact by web Christopher Keane at info@keanelaw.com or 888-592-5437 (KIDS).

Another reported admitted account of adult shaking baby with fatal brain injuries following the shaking

Among all the studies and experts who have opinions regarding the pathophysiology and biomechanics of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma, it is important to also keep track of what the people involved in the incident report occurring. In Australia, it was recently reported that a young father admitted to shaking his 17 days old infant in an attempt to quiet her because she was crying. It was reported that he became frustrated, shook her 3-4 times before she went limp and her lips turned blue. The father, to his credit, immediately called 911 and she was taken to the hospital where it was discovered she had catastrophic brain injuries. He reportedly "snapped" and was shaking her "vigorously". He reportedly pled guilty to manslaughter.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8272026/father-jailed-for-fatally-shaking-baby

In addition to the clinical condition of a patient (BP, HR, RR, skin coloration), and whether or not the child has suffered an ALTE (apparent life threatening event), and diagnostic studies demonstrating known markers of SBS (the radiology studies demonstrating a bleed, retinal exams demonstrating retinal hemorrhage), it remains important to examine and consider what the actual eyewitnesses have to say about what occurred.

If you have questions or concerns about a child who has suffered shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma and either survived or died, feel free to contact shaken baby syndrome lawyer Christopher Keane and his firm by web contact form or toll-free 888-592-5437 (KIDS) for a free consultation.

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)