Is that time again.  School time that is.  With the school year just beginning, sports related injuries are on the rise. Each year there are more than 25,000 cheerleading injuries, often sprains and bruises. But in 2007, one girl was not so lucky.

Elizabeth Nicks, now 15, was a cheerleader performing a human pyramid when she toppled to the ground. She was rushed to the hospital and found to have a subdural hematoma, observed for five days, and released.

A subdural hematoma is a collection of blood on the surface of the brain. Subdural hematomas are among the deadliest of all head injuries, as the bleeding fills the brain area very rapidly, compressing brain tissue. This often results in brain injury.

Those suffering from brain injury require extensive medical treatment which is ongoing.  Just as an example, a local head injury facility charges $1,100 per day for treatment consisting of occupational therapy, recreational therapy, psychotherapy, recreational therapy, and speech therapy services in conjunction with room and board.

A Nurse Life Care Planner can assist the family and legal counsel to determine what the lifelong medical care will consist of and it’s related costs.  This plan can then be used for budgeting purposes throughout the life of the individual.

Although a subdural hematoma can easily be diagnosed with an MRI or CT scan, the hospital chose not to do a follow-up CT scan before discharging Ms. Nicks. Otherwise, they would have seen that the hematoma was increasing in size. This near-fatal mistake cost them; to the tune of $5.5 million.

You can read more about the case at Contra Costa Times.

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