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Posts Tagged ‘traumatic brain injury’

Good News on Concussion Safety

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Last month saw significant advances in concussion safety legislation. Concussions are a form of mild to moderate traumatic brain injury generally resulting from contact, such as a jot or blow to the head. A single concussion is often only a short-term problem, but subsequent concussions can be more severe, and more serious, particularly if they occur shortly after the initial injury.

That’s why severe consequences and long-term disability from concussions is such a problem in the world of sports. In fact, experts estimate that over the past three years, over 400,000 high school athletes in the United States have been the victim of a concussion. Athletes who suffer a concussion are often encouraged to “get back in there,” and resume play, dangerous advice indeed. But thanks to last month’s legislation, Illinois citizens, and particularly its students, are safer than ever from these potentially significant injuries.

New concussion safety legislation was signed by Governor Pat Quinn at Soldier Field. The legislation mandates that any young athlete showing signs or symptoms of a concussion or other brain injury must be immediately removed from play or practice until evaluated by trained medical personnel.

The law also requires school boards, together with the Illinois High School Association to develop clear instructions and guidelines for coaches, athletes and parents. The IHSA has now approved a new policy on returning to play after a head injury.

Under the new law, school boards must adopt policies regarding head injury and concussion, and these policies must comply with IHSA protocols. If students are required to sign an agreement or code before participating in sports, that code or agreement must now contain the school district’s concussion policy.

Implementation of the law will be assisted by The Brain Injury Association of Illinois. The Association has been preparing training materials covering sports concussions, to be distributed to schools and park districts to assist them in detecting brain injuries and responding appropriately.

The new law does not, unfortunately, apply to park district athletic programs. Park districts are “authorized” and “encouraged” to provide educational materials on concussions and brain injury to participants, but are not mandated to approve or follow any particular procedure, or any procedure at all.

Illinois is not the only part of the U.S. to see landmark concussion legislation last month. In Washington, D.C., legislation patterned after a Washington State law was enacted. The law covers all athletes younger than 18. Under the law, any injured athlete must receive written clearance from a doctor before returning to play. The law also institutes training for any adult working with student athletes (including coaches, trainers, and even parent volunteers) on concussion risks and warning signs.

Because the D.C. law is so comprehensive (applying to all minor athletes, in whatever venue), some experts believe it is the most comprehensive concussion legislation in the nation. Twenty-eight states, as well as the district, now have concussion legislation in place in some form, or pending in the legislature.

Other recent developments promise to improve concussion safety in athletics, as well. Last month, scientists at Virginia Tech released a new study on the level of concussion protection provided by football helmets on the market this year. For the first time, there is hard data available comparing helmet brands, in an easy-to understand format of star ratings, such as those provided to automobiles for crash safety. We hope that coaches and equipment managers will pay close attention to these new ratings in the future.

Receiving the second-lowest rating of any helmet was the Riddell VSR4, the helmet most commonly used in the NFL, with widespread use in college and high school programs, as well. After receiving the data, the company immediately advised teams to stop using the helmet. Our experienced brain injury lawyers applaud the company for its commitment to safety, and its responsible approach. We wish that more corporations would honor Riddell’s example.

Passen Law Group has recovered millions of dollars for individuals and families of those who sustained traumatic brain injury caused by the negligence of another, including a record-setting $19 million jury verdict on behalf of a child who suffered a serious brain injury in an unsupervised classroom. For a free consultation with one of our Chicago brain injury lawyers, call us at (312) 527-4500 or email info@passenlaw.com.

Tags: Brain Injury Lawyers, traumatic brain injury
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Simple Safety Enhancements for Military Helmets

Monday, May 9th, 2011

When looking at traumatic brain injury, writers and researchers often focus on two groups of individuals highly prone to these injuries: athletes and soldiers. In fact, the focus on TBI in our nation’s troops has skyrocketed since our nation’s military involvement in the Middle East.

That focus is largely because TBI is the “signature wound” of soldiers and Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Troops exposed to improvised explosive devices, better known as IEDs, often suffer a TBI from the blast of these devices, even if they are not physically hit. In fact, 130,000 troops and other military personnel have sustained a TBI while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

Now, a new study has found that there is a simple, economic alternative that would dramatically decrease the risk of traumatic brain injury for our soldiers and Marines, and lessen the severity of the injuries when they do occur.

The study, conducted by physicist Willy Moss and mechanical engineer Michael King of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California, found that when soldiers wear a slightly larger helmet (about one size up) with an additional 1/8 of an inch in padding, traumatic brain injuries decrease by an astounding twenty-four percent. King was so struck by the simplicity of the finding that he told the media he was “almost embarrassed” by how simple improving safety had proved to be.

The study was funded by the Army and the Joint IED Defeat Organization (itself funded by the Army). It lasted a year, and looked at multiple helmet types: those with the type and scope of padding already in use in the military, two varieties used in the NFL, and one used in other sports.

The researchers used advanced computer modeling to compare the impact of IED blasts on each helmet type, and variations on each. Although the researchers found that the current Army helmet was most effective – due to the fact that it’s padding was less rigid and thus absorbed more force – they found that this slight modification would greatly improve effectiveness.

So what happens now? The test result will be reviewed by the Army and the Marine Corps, who will determine whether to take action, do further testing, or stick with the current model. The military researchers in charge of helmet design are slated to meet next month, to review this and other research.

Standing in the way of any safety improvements is the issue of weight – there is a common perception that soldiers and Marines object to any additional weight in their helmets, and the recommended changes would add around nine ounces to each helmet. However, not all soldiers are opposed to additional weight. For example, U.S. Special Forces soldiers interviewed at Tampa, Florida, reacted positively to the possibility of wearing larger helmets better-equipped to prevent TBI. Indeed, the extra weight is not burdensome – simply wearing one size larger in the current model would add this amount of weight.

Our top brain injury attorneys urge our military leaders to act on the simple but important findings of this study. Soldiers and Marines will easily adjust to the slight increase in weight. They cannot so easily adjust to the devastating consequences of traumatic brain injury.

We likewise hope that these findings will be reviewed by helmet manufacturers in other areas. These findings could be significant in the development of better helmets for the NFL, NHL, and, more importantly, youth and children’s bicycle and sporting helmets. We hope that those who develop these products take a close look at this study, and incorporate what they learn into developing better protection for all.

For a free consultation with an experienced Chicago brain injury lawyer at Passen Law Group, call us at (312) 527-4500.

Tags: Brain Injury Attorney, TBI lawyer Chicago, traumatic brain injury
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U.S. Military Puts Traumatic Brain Injury In Its Sights

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

The Chicago brain injury attorneys of Passen Law Group have long known that traumatic brain injury is one of the single most serious, debilitating injuries an individual can sustain. Now, a wave of national media attention and policy changes from the Pentagon are focusing the nation’s attention on the importance of prevention and immediate response to TBI.

The U.S. military recently put in place a new policy designed to decrease the risk that soldiers will suffer repetitive brain injuries. This new policy is based upon the simple fact that after an individual sustains a concussion or other traumatic brain injury, he is more likely to sustain future brain injuries. And if those subsequent injuries occur before recovery from the original injury is complete, the risk of severe damage or death increases dramatically.

The new military policy targets brain injuries sustained from IED blasts, which frequently cause concussions and more severe TBI. Under the new rule, any soldier who is within 165 feet of an IED blast is to be immediately removed from the battlefield for a minimum of 24 hours. During that 24-hour period, these soldiers must be examined for TBI, and cleared to return to fighting and other duties.

The policy change has the heartfelt support of no less than the chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who have expressed their gratitude that traumatic brain injury is at last being taken seriously, and receiving the attention it deserves.

Nor is the U.S. military the only catalyst for this important issue. Over the holidays, Sports Illustrated printed a cover story on the dangers of TBI, particularly in football. Our brain injury attorneys have often written about the dangers of brain injury in sports, and football in particular – especially for the youngest participants. Sports Illustrated helped to focus attention on the issue, telling the stories of former athletes who continue to suffer, years and decades later, from the concussions and other traumatic brain injuries they suffered while playing – effects ranging from vision problems to headaches to memory loss to even more serious, debilitating effects.

The attorneys of Passen Law Group are relieved to see that traumatic brain injury is receiving national attention. We devoutly hope that this attention will not be limited to soldiers and athletes, but will provoke a wider discussion of brain injury in America.

In fact, each year in our country approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury, with over 50,000 of these individuals losing their lives. TBI can end lives, but can also destroy them, eliminating the quality of life for victims, their families, and their friends. And the majority of these injuries are not to athletes or soldiers, but to ordinary Americans involved in ordinary situations – car accidents, falls, and unexpected violence.

The current media attention to traumatic brain injury can only serve to benefit these ordinary Americans. As the general public comes to understand the seriousness of TBI, we will be able to come together more effectively as a community to support these victims. And as the public comes to understand the real-world consequences of TBI, it will be easier for victims to recover the full amount of their damages from those who have harmed them.

If you or someone you love has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to violence or negligence, we encourage you to contact an experienced brain injury attorney to discuss your unique situation. You may have a legal claim against those who harmed you, and as the nation focuses its attention on TBI, so, too, will the courts.

For a free consultation with an experienced Chicago brain injury lawyer at Passen Law Group, call us at (312) 527-4500.

Tags: Brain Injury Lawyer, TBI Attorney, traumatic brain injury
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Posts Tagged ‘traumatic brain injury’

Good News on Concussion Safety

Simple Safety Enhancements for Military Helmets

U.S. Military Puts Traumatic Brain Injury In Its Sights

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