Maui Spinal And Brain Injury 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 have suffered a concussion or have been diagnosed with paraplegia, he’s here to fight for you. With decades of experience reviewing medical records and working with medical experts, attorney Menzer isn’t intimidated by complex accidents and injuries. He’ll work closely with you, your medical providers and experts to gather evidence regarding the type and severity of your injuries. He’ll use this evidence to win you the maximum compensation possible. 
Common Accident-Related Brain Injuries
At Menzer Law, we are 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 a 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 permanent disabilities or even comas, vegetative states or death. TBIs can involve the following:
- 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, and 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 has sustained a brain injury, you might 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: 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 in relation 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
Attorney 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 are based on the location of the spinal injury. There are cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral spinal cord injuries. A complete injury means that the spinal cord was entirely severed, which leaves the spinal cord permanently damaged and results in paraplegia or tetraplegia (quadriplegia). An incomplete injury means that 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. The upper chest, midback 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 has 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/bedsores
- 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 us at Menzer Law if you or a loved one has experienced a brain or spinal cord injury in an accident involving any of the following:
- Cars
- Trucks
- Motorcycles or scooters
- Pedestrians or bicycles
- Vacation
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 Lawyers Fight For You
When another person’s careless, reckless or malicious conduct causes you to suffer a brain or spinal cord injury, call us at Menzer Law right away. We are here to fight for you to receive full and fair compensation for your physical, emotional and financial injuries. Our office is located in Wailuku, and we accept cases on Maui and all neighbor islands. You can contact us to schedule a free consultation by filling out our online form or calling 808.446.7374. We take cases on a contingency fee basis. You don’t pay us anything unless we win compensation for you.
AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
