Author: Steve Terry

The medial collateral ligament is located on the inside of the knee. It attaches the femur to the fibula and prevents the knee from bending inward. It is one of four ligaments that support and stabilize the knee.

Minnesota MCL Tear

The MCL can be torn with a direct hit from the side, in slip and fall accidents, car accidents, or truck accidents. This type of injury usually presents with localized pain, swelling, bruising, and possible instability. MCL tears are divided into three grades.

• Grade 1 MCL Tear is an incomplete tear with few symptoms. Rest, ice treatment, and anti-inflammatory medication is recommended. Recovery is about 1-2 weeks.
• Grade 2 MCL Tear is also an incomplete tear but with moderate symptoms. The pain and swelling is worse than a grade 1 MCL tear and the knee feels unstable when turning or pivoting. A hinged knee brace may be recommended for a period of time. It helps to elevate the leg whenever possible to reduce blood flow to the injury. Recovery is about 3-4 weeks.
• Grade 3 MCL Tear is a complete tear of the MCL with significant pain, swelling, and instability. A knee immobilizer is recommended for the first 10 days after injury. This is followed by a hinged knee brace. Right from the beginning the knee needs to be flexed several times a day. Complete recovery is about 3-4 months. Surgery may be recommended if the MCL tear is accompanied by an ACL tear.

MCL Tear Legal Counsel

MCL tears are difficult to value. Many insurance companies minimize this injury and believe surgery is never necessary. It is vital to have a knowledgeable personal injury attorney fighting for your rights. At TSR Injury Law, our partners have years of experience and extensive medical knowledge. At professional personal injury lawyers in Minneapolis, we will aggressively pursue your case. Call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our contact form.

LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. It is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A mechanical blade is used to cut a flap in the cornea, leaving a hinge on one side of the cornea. The flap is folded back revealing the midsection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the corneal cells and the flap is replaced.

Risks and Limitations

Even with the most skilled surgeons you can experience complications and serious consequences, including malfunction of a device or other error, such as cutting a flap of cornea all the way through instead of making a hinge during LASIK surgery, may lead to discontinuation of the procedure or irreversible damage to the eye.

Some complications after surgery are:

According to the FDA, 700,000 LASIK surgeries are performed in the United States each year. 35,000 of the patients are dissatisfied with the outcome and 7,000 people suffer severe complications — including extremely uncomfortable eye dryness, intense eye pain, or varying degrees of blindness. Some patients have even become depressed from the constant pain and committed suicide. Two years after surgery one patient described the pain as “debilitating and unremitting”.

Legal Help For LASIK Victims

Our Minneapolis medical malpractice attorneys are legal experts with extensive experience with malpractice cases. We will answer your questions, deal with the doctors and insurance companies, handle all of the paperwork, and file your claim. Call (612) TSR-TIME to speak to a lawyer today or submit our free contact form and a representative from our firm will contact you shortly.

Free Consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.

A Woodbury woman has been charged with sexually exploiting a mentally handicapped teen in her care on a number of occasions.

Charyl Ann Tchida, 50, has been charged by the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office with one count of neglect of a vulnerable adult. If convicted, it is a gross misdemeanor.

The complaint states that there were a number of occasions when Tchida would bring the teen to places where she would be forced to have sex with “customers.” The girl operates at the level of a 5 or 6 year old.

The excursions began on July 3, 2012 at a Roseville hotel, where the teen was told to hang out with a 17-year-old boy she had met at a fast food restaurant. When she arrived, she met the 17-year-old who also had a 33-year-old-man and four other men with them. That night, the teenage girl would be forced to have sex with the four men that were there, according to the complaint. The 33-year-old would allegedly use a cellular phone to set up advertisements that solicited others to have sex with the girl for money. When the girl refused to do so, the man threatened her.

The girl stated that she had had sex with five “customers” in the hotel room that night.

The 33-year-old would take photographs of the money that was made from the girl having sex that night and send those photos to Tchida. Tchida did admit to the police that she had received a photo from the man that night, as well as a call from the 19-year-old that she was to be caring for.

The Alleged victim asked Tchida in the phone call to come pick her up, but the girl said in the complaint that Tchida never did. Tchida admitted that she had called the girl back, but the man answered the phone and told her that the girl was not coming home.

Tchida failed to report the rapes to authorities and that the girl had been forced into a prostitution ring until August.

Tchida would allegedly later take the girl to the man’s house in July where he would then take the girl to Minneapolis to have sex with a number of men for money. She would then be brought back to St. Paul later that day so that Tchida could pick her up. Tchida was aware of the exploitation, according to the complaint.

In mid-August, it was revealed that the girl had become pregnant.

In addition to these charges, Tchida is facing a charge of insurance fraud from lying to an insurance agent so that she could receive new insurance after another company had cancelled her old policy. After the new policy was approved, Tchida filed a water damage claim and the insurer paid over $6,000. It was later learned that the application she filled out to apply for the insurance was fraudulent. She also has a 2011 insurance fraud conviction in which she was ordered to pay over $8,000 in fines and concealed this on the application, as well as the fact that she had made a total of eight insurance claims with her former insurer.

A tibia fibula fracture is a very serious leg injury, with the possibility for many complications. If you have sustained a tibia fibula fracture in a motor vehicle accident or pedestrian accident, you need expert representation to maximize your compensation. The compensation may include payment for medical expenses, wage loss, pain and suffering, and disability. Call a Bloomington personal injury attorney at (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free contact form. It is vital to act quickly so that evidence can be preserved and eye witnesses interviewed while the memory is fresh.

Minnesota Tibia Fibula Fracture

The tibia is the weight-bearing, shin bone and the fibula is the calf bone. The tibia is the second longest bone in the body. It extends from the knee to the ankle.

The tibia has a higher incidence of fractures than any other long bone. Tibia fractures are considered a medical emergency. Traumatic fractures of the tibia fibula can occur anywhere along the length of the bones. The types of fractures are:

• open or closed
• stable or unstable
• displaced or undisplaced
• angulated or not angulated

With a closed tibia fibula fracture, not only is there intense pain, there is swelling and discoloration from the large amounts of blood that can flow from a fractured bone and damaged blood vessels.

Minnesota Tibia Fibula Fracture Treatment

Treatment of a tibia fibula fracture depends on the whether it is closed or open. In a closed fracture, if the two fragments are close to alignment, the orthopedist may manually reduce the fracture and immobilize for 12 – 16 weeks in a plaster cast or a removable plastic cast walker.

An open fracture is classified according to the extent of broken skin, and whether there is significant soft tissue damage, blood vessel disruption, or contamination. If the tibia fibula fracture is splintered, greatly displaced, or open, the fracture will need to be fixed surgically with one of the following methods:

• pins, screws, metal plates, or wires
• a metal rod down the center of the bone
• an external fixator

You can expect months of physical therapy to regain the ability to walk. During the time you are immobilized, an AV Impulse system may be used to increase blood flow through the leg to prevent blood clots and reduce swelling. It also works the muscles in a simulated walking motion.

Tibia Fibula Complications

Fracture healing is an intricate process. It takes time because of poor blood supply in some areas of the bone. Severe open fractures have a high incidence of complications, including:

• infection which may result in gangrene
• displaced fragments, particularly in oblique and spiral fractures
• artery or nerve damage
• limp due to imperfect alignment or rotational position, possibly one leg shorter
• obvious disfigurement
• slow union as a result of severity of the fracture or poor blood supply to one fragment
• loss of ROM in the knee, ankle or foot, usually caused by associated joint, soft tissue, or vascular injury
• nonunion (smokers are 8 times more likely to experience nonunion in tibia fibula fractures)

Minnesota Tibia Fibula Fracture Lawyers

You may be scared about what your future holds if you have suffered a severe tibia fibula fracture. We can help you fight for fair compensation for your injuries, resulting in fewer financial worries. Our personal injury lawyers are experts at proving liability in complex medical cases. Call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form.

Lead poisoning occurs when there are increased levels of lead in the blood. Lead poisoning is not a very common occurrence, but when you are infected, it can cause irreversible brain damage and can even be deadly. There is no known threshold for lead levels in the blood, so it is important to be aware of your surroundings and know what has the ability to harm you.

Am I at Risk?

Lead poisoning can be contracted in many different ways. It is most common in children, but can also be contracted by adults. The most frequent instances of lead poisoning are in lead mine workers, as they are exposed to inhalation of high levels of lead. Ingestion of chips or dust from the deterioration of lead-based paints is very common in older homes.

Lead can also be found in the water you drink. Any plumbing fixtures or pipes that contain lead can contaminate the water that passes through them. There have also been a number of cases involving lead poisoning caused from faulty water fountains. Lead can also be found in foreign-made toys, cosmetics, and dishes.

Signs and Symptoms

The most severe levels of lead poisoning can cause neurological damage, including seizures and reduced cognitive abilities. Additional symptoms:

• Nausea
• headaches
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain
• a metal taste in the mouth
• kidney problems
• anemia
• reproductive problems

Speak with a Minneapolis Lead Poisoning Attorney

If you or a loved one has suffered lead poisoning, contact a Minnesota lead poisoning lawyer of TSR Injury Law by calling (612) TSR-TIME or submit our contact form. Your initial consultation is free and there are no upfront fees if we take on your case.

On April 26, an investigation began in the accidental death of Andrew Michael Pitts whose body was found in Maple Grove in a pond near Elm Creek Boulevard.

Witnesses told the Sheriff’s Department detectives that Pitts was intoxicated after leaving a restaurant. He then walked a short distance and onto the partially-frozen pond. His weight was too much for the ice, so he fell through, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office press release.

The Sheriff’s Office investigation determined that a Claddagh’s Irish Pub bartender served alcohol to Pitts, who is underage. Witnesses told investigators that Pitts was not asked for identification and that the bartender knew that Pitts was underage because they were friends outside of the establishment. The bartender, a 21-year-old woman, has been charged with selling liquor to an underage person, which is a gross misdemeanor.

Pitts was underwater for at least an hour before he was found by divers in the very dark water. He was then taken to Maple Grove Hospital, where doctors declared him dead

The incident is still under investigation. Pitts 21st birthday was to be on May 12.

If you have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another person, contact a Minneapolis personal injury attorney from TSR Injury Law today. We can review the details of the incident and help to determine if you have a case. Free consultation and no upfront fees if we take on your case.

Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.