New York City can be an unpredictable, dangerous place when it comes to traumatic brain injury.
Just look at two recent cases: a petite woman was struck in the face with a knockout punch by a man during a argument over a parking space, and a do-gooder socialite who was buying candy in East Harlem for underprivileged kids was hit in the head by a shopping cart that two 12-year-olds purposely dropped on her.
The New York Post and other New York City newsapers reported on both incidents,
In the first instance, a jury now has the felony assault case against Oscar Fuller in Manhattan, according to The Post . He is charged with giving 4-foot-11 Lana Rosas a punch directly in the face, a blow so hard that she was knocked to the sidewalk.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/punch_medical_nightmare_4D7l3Q36kmwl3omy1wHCGL
What prompted Fuller’s vicious attack on Rosas? They got into a fight over a parking space in February.
Rosas was badly hurt. Her head injury caused her brain to swell, and to relieve the pressure doctors had to remove part of her skull, implanting it in her abdomen until it can be returned to her skull.
The victim wears a helmet all the time to protect her head and unprotected brain, until the skull piece gets reattached. She is now suffering from memory loss and mood swings, according to the Post.
In the other case, Marion Hedges, a 47-year-old Manhattan real estate agent, remained in a medically induced coma Saturday, the Post reported. She had gone to a Costco in East Harlem last Sunday with her 13-year-old son to pick up Halloween candy.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/sorry_for_shopping_cart_coma_coAiNHYdrwb2tyAWvnAguJ
When she was leaving, two 12-year-old boys — who both laughed after their action — dropped a shopping cart from a fourth-story mall walkway on Hedges, striking her in the head. Her young son witnessed the tragic event.
The 12-year-olds have been charged with first-degree assault.
The mother of one of the young defendants, Rosemary Rosario, cried and apologized for her son’s actions as she left court Friday, according to the Post.
Here’s hoping that and Rosas and Hedges recover from their brain injuries as swiftly as possible.
