Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

WSLS News warned its local readers about what it deemed the “silent public health epidemic” of traumatic brain injuries. In so doing they shared they story of a local resident who fell in her basement a few years ago. The woman explained that she was on top of her dyer while trying to fix a problem with a squeaking sound when she fell backwards. She hit the concrete floor. There was a light pad on the concrete, but her head and shoulder still made very hard contact. At first the woman was stunned by the fall—unable to move or talk. Eventually she regained her senses and was able to get up. She went to the doctor and was told that she had a concussion. Our Illinois brain injury attorneys realize that there is a perception among many in society that concussions are “not a big deal.” In the past they were essentially assumed to be just a hard knock on the head that didn’t have any long term consequences.

However, more and more people are learning that not to be true.

For example, the woman in this case still feels the effect of the fall three years later. As one doctor explained, “Often what will happen after a period of time, one will start to see changes in behavior that will be directly related to TBI.” These effects are hard to notice at first and often explained away by victims as caused by something else. Rarely is the traumatic brain injury recognized as the actual cause of the harm. It is for this reason that the problem is often considered “silent”—its effects are still underappreciated by the society at large.

It is a community problem, because it can affect everyone at one point or another. Through the years our Illinois brain injury lawyers have watched as local residents have suffered TBIs following car accidents, falls, in sports, and a variety of other scenarios. National statistics suggest that every year across the country about 1.5 million Americans suffer one of these brain injuries. The effects run the gamut from death and permanent disability to memory loss, emotional damage, and beyond.

Children may be the most prone to problems. One medical expert in the area explained, “Amongst children, from about birth to age 14 in the U.S., TBI is the leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability of children.” In other words—the effects are serious and the scope of the problem is broad.

Even then, the current information about the scope of the problem may underestimate its seriousness. That is because professionals still lack tools to properly identify TBI precisely in all cases. New research projects are popping up which it is hoped will improve diagnosis. But those efforts are still in progress. The most promising studies are those that use MRI analysis right after an injury occurs and as the brain recovers to identify exactly how the brain works and changes during this time. If successful, these research efforts could go a long way toward identifying the injured and ensuring that receive the treatment they need.

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Sports and Traumatic Brain Injuries

In Illinois, Treating Brain Injuries May Now Be In Our Own Hands

Those involved in all professional sports and high-risk activities have become more and more aware of traumatic brain injuries over the past few years. Medical research into the injury has suggested that head trauma leads to far more long-term damage than once thought. This new information must be taken into account by many different organizers, participants, and administrators of these activities to ensure that risks are minimized.

The Brattleboro Reformer posted a story this week on efforts by NASCAR—the most popular auto racing league in the country—to protect drivers. Of course, our Chicago brain injury lawyers appreciate that risk of head trauma is particularly high for these athletes, because auto accidents are the single most common way that community members suffer these injuries outside of the sports and entertainment context. However, the new findings into the long-term consequences of even minor head trauma suggests that officials in all sports, including NASCAR, need to pay close attention to the way that injuries can occur slowly over the course of a career.

In the Reformer story, well-known auto racer Michael Waltrip explains that in his over 30 year career in the sport he suffered well over ten concussions—perhaps many more. He discussed how sport officials assumed that things were safe in the past, even though they weren’t, noting “We thought we had it figured out. I raced all the way through 2001 when people were getting killed. And all through that time, I was hitting my head and knocking myself out and getting concussions and going to the hospital. And I don’t know what the means to me in ten years, but I know it’s a concern.” He also admitted that many drivers fail to receive the attention they need after a hard crash. This was particularly true in the past when mandatory medical check-ups did not exist.

Many NASCAR observers explain that it took the 2001 death of racing legend Dale Earnhardt to truly shake the industry into doing much more to prevent head injuries. Earnhardt died after a last lap crash in the biggest race of the year for the sport—the Daytona 500. Many neck guards and other safety features were installed after that tragedy to keep drivers safe from particularly strong and potentially deadly trauma during accidents.

However, our each brain injury lawyer can explain that most attention these days is not on preventing one-time blows but the consequences of repeated concussions and other head trauma. Many older, former athletes are experienced a range of neurological issues as a result of the knocks that they took over the course of their career.

NASCAR officials say they are aware of the concerns and have worked hard to prevent these injuries in current athletes. According to the report, there have been at least 29 concussions identified in the sport’s three top series in the last 8 years—with only 11 of those happening in the last five years. Officials believe that the decrease in these injuries is due in large part to mandatory neck safety devices, new impact-absorbing barriers on track walls, and completely redesigned cars that are built to reduce injury.

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Lawsuit Filed After Inmate Suffers Brain Injury

New Technology Aims to Help Victims of Traumatic Brain Injuries

Our Chicago traumatic brain injury lawyers have spent a lot of time recently discussing concerns about the prevalence of head injuries in sports. Many tragic, high-profile stories exist about football players, hockey players, and soccer players who have suffered serious injury—even death—because of contact on the field. One of the most common causes of this harm are second-impact injuries. These arise when a player suffers a concussion, the injury is not given time to properly heal, and then the player suffers a second impact.

Much attention has rightfully been paid to these issues because the harm is so great and the injuries are entirely preventable. In this context the most serious harm from traumatic brain injuries can be prevented in one of two ways—(1) prevent the contact from occurring at all, or (2) ensure that proper treatment is provided 100% of the time. More attention has been made to the second option, because it likely provides more long-term benefit to players. It is also easier. Conversely, trying to prevent all potentially damaging contact in many of these sports is very difficult, especially because most of these activities are based on contact of one form or another.

However, that is not to say that it is impossible for all such injuries to be prevented. For example, rule changes in certain games can be included which minimize the risk of harm. Prohibitions against certain kinds of head to head tackles, for example, is likely an important safety step in football. Also, some experts are also working on changes to safety equipment to help cushion certain blows and prevent sever trauma that otherwise might result in an actual sports head injury. These equipment changes are easier said than done. Football helmets have difficult preventing head trauma because the actual harm comes from the brain making, contact with the inside of the skull, not the skull making contact with a helmet. In other words, the actual internal contact which is at the root of these brain injuries is not easily remedied by adding equipment outside the body.

An interesting article in CBC Sports actually talked a bit about this issue yesterday. The story contained a Q & A with a physician who is a concussion expert. The doctor explained that contrary to many assumptions, when it comes to concussion prevention and diagnosis much more attention actually needs to be paid to the neck. The neck can also be forced to endure substantial stress from serious head contact.

The doctor explained that there is often a significant relationship between traumatic brain injuries—like concussions—and neck injury. He explained that a head injury is “never unique to the rest of the spine.” When the head is harmed, there is a cascading effect down the individual’s back, because of the interconnectivity of the skeleton. He believes that you cannot have one injury without the other—head injuries always include neck injuries. The whiplash effect that often causes a concussion almost always results in a neck injury, because the neck is forced to stop abruptly and awkwardly.

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Pediatricians Say Boxing Not Safe for Kids & Teenagers

Former Illinois Athlete Files Brain Injury Lawsuit Against Eastern Illinois University

Our Chicago brain injury attorneys were interested to read about a statement that was just issued by the American Academy of Pediatricians, in which they stated that the group did not consider boxing a safe sport for children or teenagers to play. According to CBS News, the leading pediatricians found that boxing was a sport that had a very high rate of concussions, and that because of the risk of concussions in the sport that it was not safe for younger people to play. The group also believes that even the use of head protection does not eliminate the risk of concussions, and that the sport is not safe for kids or teenagers even when they use head protection for boxing.

The reason that the risk of repetitive concussions is a worry for pediatricians is that there is a great deal of scientific evidence that repetitive concussions can lead to severe and permanent brain injuries later in life. Many former athletes have developed later in life brain injuries after being involved in sports where they suffered from multiple blows to the head. Following any blow to the head, everyone needs to be thoroughly checked out by a doctor to see if they suffered from a concussion, or another type of head injury, and any athlete that suffers from a hit should only be allowed to go back on the field, ring, or court once they have been cleared by a doctor who has determined that it is safe for them to return to play. If a victim of a blow to the head gets right back in the game, when their body did not have time to recover fully, there is a much higher risk that another hit could leave that person with a severe or permanent brain injury.

Pediatricians worry about this problem with sports and head injuries even more so with children and teenagers. The reason for this heightened concern with concussions in children is that because younger people’s brains are not as fully developed as older individuals and can be much more susceptible to head and brain damage. Because of the level of brain development in younger people, the damage from concussions can be more severe and the healing time for the body to completely recover post concussion is often much longer than it would be for an adult.

The combination of the danger that multiple concussions can have on children or teenagers with the high risk of head hits associated with boxing, is what led pediatricians to release the statement that, according to them, boxing is not considered a safe sport for children and teenagers. Many boxing advocates feel that boxing can be a good outlet for younger people and that the risks associated with the sport are not strong enough of a reason to entirely discourage kids and teenagers from boxing. If you or a loved one have a child that has suffered a brain injury from receiving a hit to the head and then being sent right back out to play without receiving medical clearance, please contact our Illinois personal injury attorneys to discuss the options available.

Our Illinois brain injury attorneys are very interested by the new Illinois law requiring all student athletes to be cleared by a doctor, when they show any signs of a concussion, before they are allowed back in the game or on the field. This new law was adopted earlier this year to be effective immediately, and with the new school year beginning and a new high school football season starting, this concussion law will hopefully begin to reduce the number of long term brain injuries suffered by football players who get hit in the head again before they are fully recovered from a previous concussion. Although the law itself is new to the state of Illinois, 27 other states have already adopted a similar type of law and many Illinois schools had similar policies in place in order to help protect their students that were showing signs of a concussion after receiving a hit to the head.

This law, and similar policies that were implemented by schools prior to this new Illinois law going into effect, come in the wake of the realization that many serious brain injuries in football players were linked to the players suffering years of concussions. Up until just recently football players were usually sent back on the field shortly after suffering a possible concussion, and recent studies have shown that this may have been what caused a great number of long-term severe brain damage and in some cases even death. According to The Chicago Tribune, the number of school age children coming into the emergency room for concussions has drastically increased, and more children have been receiving the treatment that they needed, likely because of the increased awareness of the possible danger of repeated concussions that are not handled appropriately.

Upon learning of the danger of not fully checking out an athlete following a hit to the head, many coaches, teachers, parents and school boards have fought for and implemented changes in schools. While it was a great start for schools to take action, our Illinois personal injury attorneys were very happy to learn that Illinois lawmakers decided to take more action and implement a concussion law for the state of Illinois. This statewide law will hopefully injure that all student athletes are treated properly following a head injury and greatly reduce the number of brain injuries suffered by our Illinois athletes.

As the new school year begins, our Illinois brain injury attorneys feel much better knowing that student athletes in Illinois will have to be cleared by a doctor after suffering any hit to the head that appears to have caused a concussion. The law will also offer more concussion education and awareness in the school system. The law does not aim to stop players that are safe to go back on the field from being able to play, but hopefully will keep players that need to remain out of the game off the field until their injury has had time to heal. Brain injuries that are preventable, such as ones that result from numerous blows to the head in sports, are especially upsetting because they could have been avoided if only the proper precautions were taken and that is why this law is so important. Our Illinois personal injury lawyers hope to see less of these preventable brain injuries as a result of the new law.

After working with enough clients, Illinois brain injury lawyers are aware that it remains difficult for many forms of brain injuries, especially concussions, to be properly detected. More and more people are learning of the immense harm that these problems can have, but few easy ways remain to determine when someone has suffered a concussion.

The main challenge is that the symptoms of this injury are also caused by other problems. When someone suffers from dizziness, lack of focus, and nausea—the common indicators of concussion—there is no clear way to prove that the brain injury is the actual reason for the symptoms. In fact, some of the milder forms of concussion cannot be found even with brain-image testing. Yet, even mild brain problems can have troubling effects on the patient, so a need for better diagnostic tools is strong.

According to the Seattle Times, that better test may finally have arrived. Known as a “blast badge,” University of Pennsylvania doctors and engineers have developed a wearable object which measures the intensity of an explosion in a spectrum on which the wearer has been exposed. These are small objects that can be attached to those most likely to suffer concussions, like on the helmets and uniforms of athletes.

The scientists involved are now working to connect the specific color changes on the “badge” to correspond to the potential harm that shock had on the wearer’s brain. This shock badge will then better allow medical professionals to understand what sort of treatment might be necessary.

Another potential diagnostic tool involves simultaneously testing the cognitive and motor skills of someone who may have suffered a concussion. Scientists believe that they may be able to identify difference in performances between healthy individuals and those who have suffered a brain injury.

Still other researchers are developing a medical compound that may reverse memory and movement loss if given to sufferer of all types of brain trauma.

Continue reading "New Medical Advances Could Better Detect Chicago Brain Injuries" »

The Roanoke Times recently reported on a lawsuit filed against a nationally recognized university for inadequate facilities and lack of supervision after a 15 year old sustained a traumatic brain injury playing basketball at a summer camp hosted by the university.

The camper’s parents are suing the university and the organization who organized the camp for $2.5 million. The camper’s family incurred large medical bills as a result of his injuries and although, the camper has recovered, he is still at risk for future injuries and other health issues.

According to the lawsuit, the 15 year old suffered a brain injury when he was thrown from the court during a game and struck his head on a wall. The parents of the child are claiming that the wall should have been properly padded. To read more about this brain injury lawsuit, follow the link.

Unfortunately, sports related brain injuries are not uncommon. According to the medical journal, Pediatrics, 375,000 children and teenagers are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for basketball-related injuries. Four percent of those injuries involved head trauma. Follow the link to learn more about this brain injury study.

Basketball is not the only sport where players are at risk for brain injuries. According to Pediatrics, basketball only accounted for 9 percent of all sports related concussions among youths. Football, soccer, hockey, and baseball are all sports where players are at high risk for brain injuries caused by head trauma. Click on the link in order to learn more about sports related brain injuries.

Continue reading "15 year old sustains brain injury playing basketball" »

March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. As the month comes to an end, the Miami Herald published an article from a local high school student-athlete who had suffered a sports related brain injury.

The 16 year old sophomore suffered a concussion after a head to head collision with a fellow soccer player. This was not the sophomore’s first brain injury. The sophomore reported having three concussions in four years; all of which occurred while playing high school soccer.

Each year, nearly 140,000 high school athletes suffer a sports-related concussion. Several states are looking to pass laws to help prevent sport related brain injuries in high school student athletes. In Illinois, pending legislation is looking to provide education and awareness for athletes, coaches, and parents. Although student-athletes need parental consent before competing, few Illinois schools have policies informing student-athletes and parents of the nature and risk of head injuries.

Other states are trying to introduce similar bills. Some states even want a policy requiring players who sustain a suspected head injury to be immediately suspended from play until they receive clearance from a qualified medical professional. In Illinois, steps are being taken in Springfield to improve safety regulations for helmet manufacturers. To learn more about Illinois brain injuries, follow the link.

In the article, the sophomore regrets not seeking medical treatment sooner for his brain injuries. The sophomore complained of constant headaches that interfered with his academics. He also suffered from depression after doctors told him he would never be able to play soccer again. Although the student-athlete’s symptoms have improved and he has been able to return to soccer, he has to wear a rugby helmet during games.

According to the article, more than 40 percent of high school athletes return to play before they are fully recovered because schools, coaches, parents and players are not adequately educated on head injuries. In fact, brain injuries have been called the “silent epidemic” because few people are aware that they represent a serious health problem in the United States. Click on the link to read the full article about head injuries.

Continue reading "Illinois celebrates National Brain Injury Awareness Month" »

Ice skaters, skiers and snowmobilers rejoice as snow continues to fall this winter season. But it is during these snowy months when winter sport enthusiasts become at high risk for brain injury.

Those participating in winter sports should wear a helmet to prevent head injuries. While helmets do not prevent concussions, they do protect the skull from factures. A report found that helmets reduce the risk of head injury among skiers and snowboarders by 35 percent.

Even pedestrians need to be cautious over the winter. Icy surfaces can cause pedestrians to slip and fall. The winter can also create dangerous driving situations for cars and trucks.

Although most head trauma accidents are minor, it’s important to be cautious following a head trauma to prevent further personal injury. Brain inury can cause the brain to swell, damaging brain and nerve tissues.

A victim of a head trauma should be carefully observed for early signs and symptoms of brain injury. Signs and symptoms can develop hours or even days after a head trauma. Early symptoms include severe headache, confusion, loss of balance, vomiting, slurred speech, and seizures.

Immediate treatment is necessary to determine if a victim is suffering from more severe symptoms such as uneven pupil size, convulsions, or blurred vision. These symptoms can be long-lasting or permanent in some cases.

Continue reading "Winter conditions increase the risk of brain injury" »

The Chicago Breaking News Center reported this week on a new study that suggests that many high school athletes have suffered brains injuries of which they are unaware.

The study out of Purdue University involved the close monitoring of a high school football team. Overall, 21 players were observed over the course of a year. Four of those players were eventually discovered to have suffered concussions which were never diagnosed because there were no outward signs of injury. That means that the players stayed in the game, taking many more physical hits to the head, exposed to grave risk of permanent injury.

Over the course of the year, many of these high school players received over 1,800 hits to the head during football games and practice. Some of those hits ultimately result in brain injuries that do not have any outward symptoms but that may add up to long-term problems. As one medical expert in the field explained, “there could be changes that may not affect the player now but might affect them 10 or 20 years later.”

Continue reading "High School Football Players Have Undiagnosed Brain Injuries" »

In the summer months there are an increased number of motorcycles on the road and with this, the number of injuries and fatalities among riders increases. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 40% of motorcyclist deaths in 2008 occurred during June-August, compared to only 9% during December-February. They also reported that helmets are about 37% effective in preventing motorcycle deaths and about 67% effective in preventing brain injuries.

Brain injuries can be life altering and severe. Even if you suffer a minor brain injury such as a concussion, it can render you inoperative for some time. According to Dr. Angela F. Gardner in The New York Times, “Every concussion increases the likelihood that you will have an injury to the brain if another concussion occurs.” In addition, “You don’t have to be going fast to hurt your brain.”

Many states, including Illinois, do not require riders or passengers to wear helmets. However, your chance of survival in a motorcycle accident begins with wearing one. The Illinois Department of Transportation offers additional safety tips on their website. These tips include staying out of trucks blind spots, driving defensively and cautiously, wearing high visibility clothing and performing proper maintenance and safety checks on your motorcycle.

Our Chicago accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti recommend that all motorcyclists wear helmets and remember these safe riding tips to avoid brain injury or death. Riding a motorcycle can be an exhilarating experience, but it is important to take these precautions to ensure your safety.

According to a report on the Missoulian's website, a college football player has died after suffering a traumatic brain injury during a scrimmage over the weekend. The article notes that during play, the 21-year-old was hit in the head after tackling a teammate in one of the last plays of the game. Shortly after, he began vomitting and seizing on the sideline, both signs of a concussion. Trainers immediately called 911 and he went to a local hospital but was soon taken by medical helicopter to another medical center.

The young man was diagnosed with an acute subdural hematoma as a result of the blow to the head. According to the Medline, this condition occurs when blood collects on the surface of the brain and usually occurs after serious head trauma. The bleeding creates pressure on the brain and calls for immediate treatment to relieve intracranial pressure, such a crainotomy. In this victim's case, the pressure caused severe and irreversible brain damage and he died one day later.

Sports injuries are one of the biggest contributors to serious brain injuries. Over the past year, the issue of head injuries among football players has been prevalent in the media and according to Boston.com, the NFL recently announced that it will fund research at Boston University to study the effects and prevention of repetitive brain injuries in football players. For any athlete, whether biking, skiiing or playing football, it is important to wear the proper protective head gear to reduce the risk of head injuries. Unfortunately, due to the nature of these sports, injuries may still occur even when precautions are taken. To learn more about this tragic death due to brain injury, follow the link.

23-year-old Preston Plevretes, a former college football player, reached a settlement with LaSalle University, four years after he suffered a serious brain injury during a football game. The personal injury settlement was reached for $7.5 million and will cover the young man’s ongoing medical care and treatments for life. In 2005, Plevretes was knocked unconscious and fell into a coma after a hit during a game. Doctors performed emergency surgery to reduce swelling in the brain, however they could not repair all of the damage and today he has difficulty walking and communicating. According to the lawsuit, Plevretes suffered a concussion several days before the game during practice. The plaintiff’s injury attorney contended that because the university did not treat the concussion, it left Plevretes’ brain in a vulnerable state. Plevretes’ attorney noted that when someone’s brain is already swollen, it can quickly swell up and can easily lead to a herniation. This is likely what caused his life-changing injury. To read the full report on this brain injury settlement, click on the hyperlinked text.

New York Mets starting Third Basemen David Wright suffered a concussion this week when he was struck in the head by a baseball. He was hit when a Matt Cain fastball when strait to his head and caused him a serious brain injury. He is being set to the disabled list for the first time in his career because of the brain injury. The league is attempting to make players wear a new helmet that protects players’ heads better. To read more about David Wright’s concussion, click here.

While in practice, Chris Jansen, a high school senior on the football team suffered a brain injury. He took a serious hit and went to the sideline. He sat out only a few plays but came right back out onto the field. When Chris arrived home, he had a headache and was very sick. His parents took him to the hospital; the doctors determined that Chris had a serious brain injury. Chris had surgery and because of the early detection, hopes to make a full recovery. To read more about this football players brain injury, click here.

The family of an Illinois High School football player sued the school on Tuesday because of a brain injury their child suffered. The child was having headaches and showed signs of a concussion. The parents believe that because of the coach’s win at all costs mentality, their son played injured, which caused his brain injury. To read more about this football player's brain injury and the Illinois high school football team involved, click here.

A Colorado man claims a concussion he suffered while diving into a swimming pool to catch a football actually brought him musical skills. The man claims prior to the head injury accident that he had no musical talent. Now, he states he is able to play almost any genre on the piano. Drs interviewed in connection with the store were skeptical. To read more about this unique story, please click here.

Collisions involving cars, motorcycles, and bicycles are the contributing factors for half of the United States’ reported brain injuries. According to the article, “the risk of traumatic brain injury is highest in young men ages 15 to 24.” One symptom of someone suffering from a traumatic brain injury is the occurrence of a seizure within the first week after the injury. The article lists several other conditions that may result after the traumatic brain injury, but the most common are short term memory loss and communication problems.

For the full story, click here.

If you think you may have this type of brain injury, look for the following symptoms: nausea, balance problems, dizziness, double or fuzzy vision, sensitivity to light or noise, headache, feeling sluggish, feeling foggy or groggy, concentration or memory problems, or confusion.

If you experience these symptoms, you may be suffering from a certain type of brain injury called a concussion. Seek medical attention immediately.

For the full article.

Any blow to the head may cause a concussion. Student athletes are at an increased risk of this type of brain injury without proper safety equipment and supervision. Also, anyone who has suffered a concussion before is at a higher risk of having concussions in the future. Slip and falls and traffic accidents often involve concussions.

Sports most likely to cause concussions include baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball, or wrestling.

For the full article.

A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 300,000 sports-and recreation-related head injuries occur in the U.S. yearly.

For the full article.