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Maui Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Maui Spinal and Brain Injuries Attorneys

Matt Menzer is a seasoned Hawaii personal injury attorney. He has over 30 years of legal experience, and during that time he’s taken on many cases involving brain and spinal cord injuries. Whether you suffered a concussion or been diagnosed with paraplegia, he’s here to fight for you. 

With decades of experience reviewing medical records and working with medical experts, Matt isn’t intimidated by complex accidents and injuries. He’ll work closely with you, your medical providers, and the experts to gather evidence regarding the type and severity of your injuries. He’ll use this evidence to win you the maximum compensation possible. 

When you’ve suffered a serious or catastrophic injury from an accident in Hawaii, it’s important you work with one of the top attorneys in the state. Matt Menzer has earned the highest AV Preeminent rating available from Martindale-Hubbell and has been part of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms since 2016. He has the knowledge and experience you need to fight for your rights. 

Common Accident-Related Brain Injuries

Menzer Law Firm is experienced in handling claims involving all types of brain injuries. 

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

A TBI is a type of injury sustained from a blow to the head or penetrating head injury that disrupts the brain’s normal functioning for a period of time or permanently. TBIs are categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. People often fully recover from mild TBIs, including concussions, but severe TBIs can lead to lead to permanent disabilities, or even coma, vegetative states, or death. 

TBIs can involve: 

  • A hematoma is a collection of blood outside of blood vessels. The clotting can lead to pressure in the brain and cause permanent brain damage.
  • A hemorrhage is uncontrolled bleeding. Bleeding in the brain tissue is an intracerebral hemorrhage, and bleeding around the brain is a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
  • A diffuse brain injury is one involving microscopic harm throughout the brain, which happens when the brain rotates or shifts inside the skull, often by trauma. This injury involves the gradual loss of axons, which are necessary for nerve cells to communicate, which can lead to significant impairments.
  • Ischemia is a type of diffuse injury involving an inadequate blood supply to the brain.
  • Edema is swelling in the brain, which causes the brain to press against the skull. 

Anoxic and Hypoxic Brain Injuries

A separate kind of brain injury is an anoxic or hypoxic brain injury. This occurs when your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen or any oxygen for too long. 

An anoxic injury involves a complete lack of oxygen. After four minutes without oxygen, brain cells start to die. A hypoxic brain injury involves an inadequate amount of oxygen. Over time, this lack of oxygen gradually impairs brain cells and leads to cell death. 

Consequences of a Brain Injury

If you or a loved one sustained a brain injury, you could experience one or more of the following conditions: 

  • Cognitive deficits: Short attention span, memory issues, confusion, inability to understand concepts, problem-solving troubles, decreased awareness, lack of judgment, loss of a sense of time.
  • Function deficits: Difficulty performing daily life activities, trouble with organization, inability to drive a car.
  • Motor deficits: Poor balance, poor coordination, decreased endurance, spasticity, muscle weakness, paralysis, trouble swallowing, tremors, inability to plan your movement.
  • Regulatory issues: Changes in sleep patterns, fatigue, loss of bladder or bowel control, headaches, dizziness.
  • Epilepsy: Epilepsy can occur following severe or penetrating brain injuries and can involve minor, partial, or major seizures.
  • Perception and sensory changes: Changes to your sense of taste, smell, touch, hearing, and vision, loss of sensation or heightened sensation, vision problems, difficulty understanding the location of your limbs compared to your body.
  • Communication and language difficulties: Trouble speaking or understanding speech, slowed, delayed, or decreased speech, difficulty forming sentences, trouble performing common tasks.
  • Personality and psychiatric changes: Decreased motivation, irritability, anxiety, depression, apathy, disinhibition.  
  • Social difficulties: Difficulty maintaining friendships and romantic relationships, trouble understanding social nuances. 

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Matt Menzer has worked on many cases involving spinal cord injuries and the sometimes catastrophic consequences of these traumatic injuries. 

Spinal cord injuries are described as either complete or incomplete and based on the location of the spinal injury. There are cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spinal cord injuries. 

A complete injury means the spinal cord was entirely severed. The spinal cord is permanently damaged, resulting in paraplegia or tetraplegia (quadriplegia). An incomplete injury means the spinal cord was partially damaged, and the results can vary significantly. 

A cervical spinal cord injury is located in the head or neck region of the spine. A complete cervical spine injury leads to tetraplegia (quadriplegia). The upper chest, mid-back, and abdomen are affected by a thoracic spinal cord injury. A lumbar spinal cord injury affects the hips and legs, while a sacral spinal cord injury impacts the hips, back of the thighs, buttocks, and pelvic region. 

Consequences of a Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries often result in paralysis. But the functional consequences of such a serious injury vary significantly. 

If you or a loved one suffered a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury, you might deal with: 

  • Reduced or loss of sensation
  • Phantom sensation
  • Reduced or loss of movement
  • Spasticity (involuntary reflexes and muscle spasms)
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Difficulty with bladder or bowel function
  • Nerve pain
  • Chronic pain
  • Changes in mood
  • Depression
  • Weight gain
  • Pressure sores/bed sores
  • Increased risk of infection
  • Autonomic dysreflexia – rapid heartbeat and spikes in blood pressure
  • Respiratory difficulties 

Types of Accident Cases We Handle

Don’t hesitate to call Menzer Law Firm if you or a loved one experienced a brain or spinal cord injury in a: 

  • Car Accident
  • Truck Accident
  • Motorcycle or Scooter Accident
  • Pedestrian or Bicycle Accident
  • Vacation Accident 

We also handle brain and spinal cord injury cases caused by medical malpractice and nursing home and elder abuse. 

Let Our Hawaii Spinal and Brain Injury Lawyer Fight for You

When another person’s careless, reckless, or malicious conduct causes you to suffer a brain injury or spinal cord injury, call Menzer Law Firm right away. Matt is here to fight for you to receive full and fair compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial injuries. His office is located in Wailuku, and he accepts cases on Maui and all of the neighbor islands. 

You can contact us to schedule a free consultation through our online form or call 808-400-3726. We take cases on a contingency fee basis. You don’t pay us anything unless we win compensation for you.