By Kevin Duffan, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney in Virginia

An article in the 2011 Journal of Neurosurgery makes alarming reading for anyone concerned with preventing concussions and other brain injuries among football players, especially the athletes themselves. In the report, researchers present their findings that “leatherhead” helmets protected players in low- and moderate-speed hits as well as, and sometimes better than, modern plastic helmets. The only benefit for  polycarbonate helmets is sen in reductions of the most severe head and neck injuries from high-speed hits to the forehead and top of the skull.

The article’s lead author, Adam Bartsch of the Spine Research Lab at the Cleveland Clinic, explained in a news release that ”unlike cars, in which seat belts, airbags and crumple zones make the choice between a 1920′s Model T and modern minivan a no-brainer, these results tell us that modern helmets have ample room to improve safety against many typical game-like hits.”

As experienced Virginia (VA) traumatic brain injury attorneys, my colleagues and I have reported many times on the inadequacy of sports helmets for preventing concussions.  Apparent improvements in helmet technology have not prevented a dramatic rise in the number of  young people seeking emergency room treatment for mild traumatic brain injuries.

This video shows the evolution of football helmets:

DM

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call

By John Cooper, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney in Virginia

Few of us ever prepare for a traumatic brain injury. They are unforeseen and very often catastrophic. They can also lead to a “treatment gap” as sufferers struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives.

But there are hopes that the gap can be bridged. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell from New Jersey will join with leaders from the Kessler Foundation and the Kessler Institute to campaign for brain injuries to be covered under the Affordable Care Act.

“We want to help people get better,” Jordan Grafman, director of traumatic brain injury research at the Kessler Foundation said. “It is critical that patients with brain injury have access to these irreplaceable individually tailored rehabilitation therapies.”

See this video about living with a traumatic brain injury:

As experienced Virginia (VA) traumatic brain injury attorneys, my colleagues and I are well aware of the devastating effect these injuries can have on victims, and we welcome efforts to improve the lives of sufferers. A TBI can cause persistent migraines, memory loss and impaired cognition. In other instances, a TBI can leave someone virtually incapacitated and dependent on the assistance of others to do even the most basic things such as eat and dress.
And the problem may be becoming worse. A recent report pointed to a large increase in the numbers of young athletes seeking treatment in emergency rooms for concussions — also known as mild TBIs. Plenty of other evidence indicates brain and head injuries can have tragic consequences. In September 2011, we reported on how an apparently happy high schooler in Virginia committed suicide after receiving a blow to his head during a football game.

Our firm has represented many clients who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries. We obtained the largest personal injury verdict in Virginia history as of 2000 — $46 million — for a gas station attendant who suffered a brain injury and orthopedic injuries when he was pinned inside a building by a derailed Norfolk Southern train.

DM

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By John Cooper, Virginia Brain Injury Victim’s Attorney

As a parent of high school and middle school athletes and a personal injury attorney in Virginia (VA) who has represented numerous clients who have had their lives shattered by head traumas, I was equally encouraged and concerned when I read that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had discovered a 60 percent increase of emergency room visits for concussions in children between 2001 and 2009.

According to the CDC, 248,418 children were treated at ERs for concussions — also known as mild traumatic brain injuries, or mTBIs — during 2009. That number was up from 153,375 in 2001. A majority of the concussions were caused by bicycle accidents, though football injuries constituted the main cause for teen boys and soccer was a primary concussion cause for teen girls.

It is good to see so many parents and coaches no longer treating head injuries as just a child or teenager getting his or her bell rung. As my law firm colleagues and I have stressed repeatedly, even a seemingly minor blow to the head can have negative, lifelong effects on memory, concentration, emotional control and overall health. Immediate, effective and follow-up care are essential to helping any person of any age recover from a concussion.

I do remain concerned, though, because of the shockingly large numbers of youngsters — CDC considers the ages from birth to 19 years childhood and adolescence — who sustain mTBIs each year. Worse,  an athletic brain injury expert interviewed by the New York Times told the newspaper that as few as 1 in 7 concussions in children who play high-impact sports such as football and hockey ever get diagnosed and treated.

But, again, the growing recognition of the potential for and seriousness of mTBIs in children is a good thing. Concerted efforts are being made to improve helmets for everything from bicycling and skiing to football, and Virginia, North Carolina (NC) and 30 other states have enacted laws and regulations requiring education on athletes and concussions, as well as keeping kids out of competition until they are medically cleared.

A good place for parents, coaches and student athletes themselves to start learning about how to prevent and treat concussions is by viewing this free online video seminar from the CDC: Heads Up: Concussions in Youth Sports.

EJL

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By Emily Mapp Brannon, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

New legislation to protect student athletes from the dangers of concussions is being implemented across the United States, with Wisconsin (WI) being the latest state to consider a bill.

Medical experts, concussion survivors and the head of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association are among those supporting a law that would develop guidelines on the risk of head injuries and provide new rules for young athletes who are hurt on the field of play, JSOnline reported.

The bill “would require new guidelines to educate coaches, athletes and their parents about the risk of concussion and head injury in youth athletic activities. Experts say the number of traumatic brain injuries among young people is on the rise,” JSOnline reported.

The new legislation would also require a young athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury to be removed immediately from the game. The athlete could not return to the field until he or she is looked at by a health care provider trained to evaluate concussion or head other injuries. The athlete should also have permission to return to the game.

Our experienced Virginia (VA) traumatic brain injury attorneys have reported on moves by a number of states to bring in legislation to protect athletes from concussion. Virginia brought in the Student-Athlete Protection Act in January 2011.

There are good reasons for these rules. Recently we reported on how a 17-year-old student athlete from Virginia (VA) committed suicide two days after he suffered a blow to the head during a football game.

High schools and youth sports leagues in North Carolina (NC) and South Carolina (SC) also recently implemented new rules intended to prevent head-to-head contact, returning too early from concussions, and limiting injuries from balls, bats and other equipment.

Our firm obtained the largest personal injury verdict in Virginia history as of 2000 – $46 million – in the case of a gas station attendant who suffered a brain injury and other injuries when he was trapped inside a partly demolished gas station when a Norfolk Southern train derailed following an incorrect switch position.

DM

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By Randy Appleton, Carolina Brain Injury Attorney

Researchers at North Carolina universities say they have developed smart football helmets that can measure the force of a blow to help protect players from traumatic brain injury.

Teams at at the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences and at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center say the helmets will provide more protection to football players, according to the Winston-Salem Journal reported.

“The research is focused on future helmet design and rules to limit head trauma exposure and assist trainers, coaches, doctors and players for evaluation of a possible injury and to identify or rule out possible concussions,” the newspaper reported.

According to Daryl Rosenbaum, the lead researcher at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, these helmets will help identify players who have taken a major hit allow on-the-spot real-time evaluation for signs of a concussion, instead of  waiting for the player to notice something is wrong.

“We have submitted a proposal to Toyota to fund the use of helmet sensor technology in local high schools in order to study the effects of football-related head trauma. We just had the system installed at Wake Forest University and used the helmets during spring training,” Rosenbaum said.

Our experienced Virginia (VA) traumatic brain injury attorneys have reported on a number of moves in the sports world to tighten up the rules on concussions in an attempt to prevent long lasting brain injuries. Earlier this year we noted how major league baseball has issued a policy related to concussions and created a seven-day disabled list for mild traumatic head injuries. The policy dictates how concussions, which are sometimes called closed head injuries, are diagnosed initially and will be used to determine when players and umpires can return to the field following a concussion.

My colleague John Cooper reported on how high school baseball players in Virginia cities such as Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, VA, will have to use bats engineered more like traditional ones, with a ban on some types of metal bats coming into effect.

In January 2011, we noted the lack of public information on helmets in sports to help athletes and their parents to make an informed choice. We reported how Virginia Tech engineering professor and safety advocate Stefan Duma is constructing an online database that will show and compare the effectiveness of different brands of helmets.

We welcome any moves to safeguard athletes, given the serious dangers of long term brain damage we now know can be associated with head injuries out in the field.

DM

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By Randy Appleton, Virginia Brain Injury Attorney

The issue of traumatic brain injuries sustained by professional athletes will be tackled on May 22 at a panel discussion in Virginia (VA). Paul Flatley, who is a former receiver with the Minnesota Vikings, will be part of the discussion on brain injuries in Richmond, Virginia (VA), pal-item.com reported. Flatley has said the tragedy of Dave Duerson, will be highlighted at the event.

Our experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) attorneys noted recently how years of concussions sustained during a long football career may have contributed to a traumatic brain injury that led Dave Duerson to take his own life in February 2011.

After retiring the player remained active on panels that explored how knocks sustained to the head during games left former players struggling with problems such as dementia and Alzheimer disease.

New research has concentrated on a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), or “punch-drunk syndrome.” The dementia-like symptoms were recently highlighted in the Washington Post.

Increased concerns about concussions have led states to pass new laws to protect athletes at schools. Our Virginia (VA) personal injury attorneys recently reported on how new laws were enacted in Massachusetts (MA).

We recently highlighted how, also in Massachusetts (MA), schools are developing a test to recognize concussions in athletes.

As new data on concussions emerged across Virginia (VA), the General Assembly has also passed a new concussion law, requiring medical clearance for students to return to play. Under this law, a student-athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion “shall be removed from play.”

A student-athlete who has been removed from play is not allowed to return to play that same day until he or she has been evaluated by an appropriate licensed health care provider.

If you hit your head in an accident, sports impact, fall or physical assault, you may suffer concussion-like symptoms known as post concussion syndrome, for weeks or months afterward, while traumatic brain injuries can cause memory loss.

Mild traumatic brain injuries are less obvious that traumatic brain injuries, but a mild traumatic brain injury can cause permanent damage. There is a presently a growing body of evidence that these concussion-type injuries, if untreated, can lead to Parkinson-type diseases and dementia.

The heightened awareness of the dangers of brain injuries in sports has resulted in a raft of lawsuits in which victims have claimed institutions have failed to provide adequate care.

Recently we reported on a $2.5 million lawsuit against Virginia Tech’s basketball camp claiming inadequate facilities and a lack of supervision contributed to a teen’s head injury.

DM

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.

By Rick Shapiro, Brain Injury Attorney

We’ve all seen famous athletes shrugging off the effects of a concussion and returning to the game.

But across the country states are tightening up their laws to force schools and colleges to take minor traumatic brain injuries such as concussions more seriously. In Massachusetts’ (MA) a new law bars athletes from playing through the pain by forbidding those with suspected concussions from returning to a game or practice, SouthCoastToday.com reports.

Applying to public middle and high schools and any other schools subject to Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, the law and a set of proposed regulations establish stricter return-to-play requirements. The law also mandates concussion training for parents, students, volunteers and almost any professional involved in middle and high school sports.

We recently highlighted how, also in Massachusetts (MA), schools are developing a test to recognize concussions in athletes.

Our firm has led the way in highlighting the dangers of concussion, pointing out a mild traumatic brain injury, can be anything but mild in its long term effects. We have worked closely with the families of victims and our firm obtained the largest personal injury verdict in Virginia (VA) history as of 2000, for a gas station attendant who suffered a brain injury and other orthopedic injuries when he was pinned inside a partly demolished gas station when a Norfolk Southern train derailed due to a wrong switch position.

As new data on concussions emerged across Virginia (VA), the General Assembly recently passed legislation requiring medical clearance for students to return to play.

If you hit your head in a fall, accident or physical assault, you may suffer concussion-like symptoms known as post concussion syndrome, for weeks or months afterward, while traumatic brain injuries can cause memory loss.

Mild traumatic brain injuries are less obvious, but a mild traumatic brain injury can cause permanent damage. There is a growing body of evidence that concussion-type injuries, if untreated, can lead to Parkinson-type diseases and dementia.

Other symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury include amnesia, confusion and headache, mood changes and sensory problems.

They are sometimes called “invisible” injuries. Emergency personnel treat urgent and life threatening injuries so a potential brain injury can be overlooked at the scene of an accident. In fact, 90 percent of concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness. Yet cognition problems can develop and reveal themselves with devastating consequences.

Our brain injury lawyers evaluate cases involving a negligent or careless decision that subjected a person to a concussion or brain injury, as well as brain damage that is the result of a car/truck accident as just a few examples.  If we can assist you with such a claim, please contact our law firm.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law, and we have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office  in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, we proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company who caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.