New York City Personal Injury Lawyer - Head & Brain Injuries - Most Commented

The High Price To Pay For Concussions

Paul Napoli — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:50:28 GMT

Any athlete knows that part of playing a sport is getting injured. From a young age, children are taught by coaches to play through their injury unless it is unbearable. The problem with this coaching philosophy is sometimes children don’t know when they are pushing their injury too far, and this is when the injury can become life threatening. The most recent example of this is when a Montclair, New Jersey, football player died this week after suffering a brain hemorrhage during a game. The brain hemorrhage was later found to be caused by playing after suffering a recent concussion. The junior varsity player had recently been cleared to begin playing again after being “okayed” by his primary care physician. If the young boys doctor had more thoroughly examined him this death may have been prevented. This situation has become eerily familiar to families across the country who have had children severely injured or die as the result of a poor decision made by a doctor.

A concussion occurs when the brain, which is made of soft tissue, is moved so aggressively that it slams into the skull. When this occurs, the brain often gets damaged, bruised, or receives injuries to the blood vessels and nerves. Some of the symptoms associated with concussions are memory loss, unconsciousness immediately after the injury, lightheadedness, nausea, headaches, and blurred vision. After a concussion occurs the brain needs to begin to heal, this is when it is vital for your child to see a doctor to find out how long they should wait before returning to daily activities, especially athletics. The personal injury that this boy ensued could have been prevented if the doctor didn’t clear him to play after only a few weeks of rest. The well being of this boy was in the hands of the doctor, and somehow the doctor allowed that to slip away. The responsibility of the boy died, not only falls on the doctor who cleared him, but also on the coaching staff who should have had the medical knowledge to think “hey maybe allowing him to play in a football game isn’t the best idea right now,” especially when the sport relies on so much player to player contact. When coaching a team, the team’s safety should be the your principal goal. If your child has suffered injuries as the result of a poor decision made by a physician, contact a NBR Lawfirm attorney and file a lawsuit against the doctor who caused the suffering.

With sports related injuries becoming more and more common serious precautions need to be used when trying to make the decision whether a player is healthy enough to return to their sport. One way to determine the health of the player is by performing an Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing system, also known as ImPACT. This assessment, given immediately after a concussion, tests the athlete’s memory, reaction, and processing speed. The results of this assessment can be compared to results from future assessments that can be given as the athlete becomes healthier.

Summary: Sports injuries to children are becoming more and more common. If your child has fallen victim to a preventable injury contact a NBR Lawfirm attorney and file a lawsuit.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

"Minor" Head Injuries That Turn Deadly

Chrissie Cole — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:07:00 GMT

The death of actress Natasha Richardson in March, from what initially appeared to be a minor head injury is more common than you might think.

Richardson was alert and conversational after she fell and bumped her head at the end of a skiing lesson. It wasn’t until she was back in her hotel room an hour later that she developed a severe headache and her condition quickly worsened.

The manner, in which Richardson died, is not all that uncommon, doctors say.

It's "something we call the ‘talk and die’ syndrome,” Dr. Steven Flanagan, director of Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, told FOXNews.com at the time of Richardson's death.

“What this implies is that someone hits their head and they are seemingly OK initially," he said. "But then they get a rapid collection of blood — usually called epidural hemorrhage — and that means bleeding between the skull and the brain.”

Epidural hemorrhage symptoms include: headache, altered mental status, weakness on one side of the body and loss of consciousness.

When a person suffers a serious brain injury, an emergency CAT scan is needed to pinpoint the exact location of the hemorrhage. The patient will then need immediate surgery.

While people should use caution when suffering a painful head injury, Dr. Flanagan says, they should not panic over every bump and bruise.

In the U.S., about 1.5 to 2 million people incurs traumatic brain injury primarily in vehicle accidents, falls, acts of violence and sports accidents. 50,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Natasha Richardson Dies From Brain Injury

Chrissie Cole — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:42:00 GMT

Natasha Richardson, 45, was alert and conversational after she fell and bumped her head at the end of a skiing lesson on Monday.

Back in her hotel room, just an hour later, she developed a severe headache and her condition quickly took a turn for the worse. By Tuesday, she was flown from Montreal to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City in critical condition.

She was reported to be brain dead and on a ventilator when she was detached from life support late Wednesday and died.

The fact that Richardson was not wearing a helmet may or may not have made a difference in the gravity of her injury say experts. In fact, traumatic brain injury is more common than most people think.

In the United States, more than 1.5 people suffer from a brain injury each year.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Skull Thickness and Head Injury

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:36:09 GMT

A new study has shown that men have thinner skulls than women and it may make them more prone to head injury. Researchers at Ford Motor Company and Tianjin University of Science and Technology studied 3,000 people for skull thickness and shape. They found that skull thickness was on average 6.5 millimeters in men and 7.1 millimeters in women.

Skull thickness, as one might expect, improves the outcome for anyone suffering a head injury, but studies have also demonstrated that skull shape can also have an effect. However, the detailed relationship between skull thickness and shape and how well a person tolerates a head injury have not been settled with most studies simply extrapolating from smaller to larger skull and thickness to predict the likely effects of an impact.

The research is being done in order to create more protective head gear. The data was collected by using head scans of the study's participants.

If you would like to learn more about head injuries, please visit InjuryBoard's Head Injury information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Woman makes great strides after injury

Jeremy Thurman — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 17:33:18 GMT

Kerry McCann, a student at Essex County College, was awarded $1000 scholarship by the New Jersey Coalition on Women and Disabilities. Ms. McCann suffered a traumatic brain injury 13 years ago inflicted by her ex-boyfriend which left her permanently disabled. After years of rehabilitation, she began taking classes at Essex County College beginning in 2002. Ms. McCann is now president of the honor society as well as an advocate for victims of domestic violence.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeremy Thurman

ABC Health - Brain Injury Q&A

Staff Writer — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:31:10 GMT

Yesterday, ABC News' Health section posted a question and answer session with several experts in the field of brain trauma. The article offers some great insight into traumatic brain injury and includes answers to questions such as "Do brain cells ever grow back?" and "How durable is the brain? How much trauma can it take?"

Read the full brain trauma article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Brain Injuries in Cheerleading

Jeremy Thurman — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 10:57:54 GMT

Cheerleading isn't just something done on the sidelines anymore, it's become a fiercely competitive sport. Also, I have three daughters and have come to realize its an expensive and potentially dangerous sport. The number of injuries that arise from cheerleading is growing tremendously.

However, there is a serious problem with cheerleading not being recognized as a sport by many schools. As a result, coaches are not properly trained, and students may not have the proper facilities and equipment for practice. All these factors greatly increase the risk for injury.

A recent article on CNN outlines a study published in the journal Pediatrics. According to the study, the number of cheerleading injuries has doubled in the past 12 years. Although most of the injuries are leg, foot and ankle injuries, head injuries account for a number of them.

In fact, the reigning Miss Utah, Amy Davis, suffered a traumatic brain injury while performing a "basket toss," one of the most difficult cheerleading moves, during a practice at Weber State University. Her road to recovery was long and difficult. Because of her injury, she became a spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association of America.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeremy Thurman

Head Injury Facts

Jeremy Thurman — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 12:00:24 GMT

Head trauma can affect anyone at any age. Males who are between 15 and 24 years of age have been more vulnerable because of their high-risk lifestyles. Young children and individuals over 75 years of age are also more susceptible to head injury.

Falls around the home are the leading cause of injury for infants, toddlers, and elderly people. The leading causes for adolescents and adults are automobile and motorcycle accidents. Of course we handle these types of cases whenever someone's negligence caused the injury.

Some stats on the effect of head injuries are as follows: approximately 200,000 Americans die each year from their injuries. An additional half million or more are hospitalized. About 10 percent of the surviving individuals have mild to moderate problems that threaten their ability to live independently. Another 200,000 have serious problems that may require institutionalization or some other form of close supervision.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeremy Thurman

Brain injury caused by someone's negligence!

Jeremy Thurman — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 18:33:22 GMT

Brain trauma is usually caused by outside forces such as a fall, a car accident, a sports injury; all of these things may cause injuries that will lead to brain trauma. This trauma may be minor and the injured may be recover quickly, or it may be severe and require years of hospitalization and rehabilitation. If a driver negligently injures you or a loved one, then you may be entitled to monetary compensation for you or your loved ones.

Brain Injury Facts:

- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that at least 5.3 million Americans currently live with disabilities resulting from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI each year.

- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the risk of TBI is highest among adolescents, young adults, and people over the age of 75.

- Cost of TBI: The cost of TBI in the U.S. is estimated to be $48.3 billion annually; Hospitalization accounts for $31.7 billion, and fatal brain injuries cost the nation $16.6 billion each year.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeremy Thurman

Minor Head Injury In T-Giving Parade Incident

Staff Writer — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:52:13 GMT

Many New York City tourists and residents were reminded of the 1997 Macy's Parade last week when a helium balloon collided with a lamppost causing a light to fall and injure two sisters. The M&M balloon hit a lamppost near Times square in Manhattan. Two sisters, an 11 year old and a 26 year old, were injured when a light fell on them, causing an abrasion on the 11 year old's head and requiring six stitches in the 26 year old's shoulder. A woman suffered serious brain damage when a similar incident occurred in 1997.

During the 1997 Macy's parade, heavy winds caused The Cat in the Hat balloon to strike a lamppost, which toppled onto four people, leaving one woman with permanent brain damage.
Since then, Macy's has implemented improved training techniques for the approximately 1,700 people who help handle and direct the massive balloons.
"The training is more extensive, the training has been upgraded, the training is very successful, and the training is monitored by the police department of New York City," said John Piper, vice president of Macy's Parade Studio, before Thursday's event.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer