2010 September Archive

Traumatic brain injuries in football players and the role of helmets are getting extra attention this football season, in part because of a college player who committed suicide, according to CBSnews.com.

A star college defensive end committed suicide in the spring at the age of 21. An autopsy showed that he had a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is an injury to the brain caused by repetitive head trauma. The condition has been shown to cause depression and impulsive behavior. CTE has been found in 21 players in the NFL, including one who also committed suicide. But the college star is the youngest player who has been found to have had the disorder. Shockingly, he was never diagnosed with a concussion during his career.

The tragic death of the college player has directed attention towards traumatic head injuries sustained by football players, as well as the effectiveness of football helmets. Doctors have recently shown that even a minor blow to the head can cause long-term damage to the brain. In addition, some experts think that today’s modern helmets are doing more harm than good – some players feel a sense of security in the helmets and are more apt to take risky maneuvers that could cause a head injury.

Have you or a loved one experienced a traumatic brain injury? If so, contact an experienced Simi Valley traumatic brain injury attorney. Even a fairly minor head injury could have lifelong consequences. Contact the team at the Mandell Law Firm today at 818-866-6600.

After years of legal wrangling and 50 years after a nuclear meltdown occurred in the San Fernando Valley, agreements have been reached to clean up a nuclear and rocket engine test site, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the 1950s, workers at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory tested over 30,000 rockets and experimented with nuclear reactors. In 1959, a nuclear meltdown occurred in addition to other accidents and incidents involving radioactive material disposal. The lab, which was owned by Rocketdyne, was finally closed. However, residents in the area believe that radioactive and chemical contamination occurred and has led to a slew of health problems in its residents, including several types of cancer, thyroid problems and eye problems in newborns.

Since the lab has closed, critics have been complaining about the lack of urgency to the cleanup. Part of the problem has been that several parties were involved: Rocketdyne owned the lab, NASA owned the testing areas, the Dept. of Energy owned the buildings, and Boeing owned a lot of the land. The parties have been wrangling for years over who bears responsibility for the cleanup, how much of the cleanup has already been completed, and how much is left to be done. Finally, all officials involved have agreed that the site will be cleaned up by 2017.

Nuclear and radioactive contamination can be dangerous and frightening for those who have been affected by it. It is hard to know exactly what health problems are naturally occurring and what have been caused by contamination of the environment. If you believe you or a loved one may have experienced health problems because of another company’s negligence, contact the experienced San Fernando Valley personal injury attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm. We offer free consultations. Contact us today at 818-886-6600.

Researchers are coming close to being able to easily diagnose brain injuries. They are working on a study that will make it easy to identify biomarkers that could make diagnosing brain injuries as simple as taking a blood test. Biomarkers are proteins produced by a brain that has suffered an injury.

Brain injuries are hard to diagnose, particularly in people who don’t lose consciousness. Over 50,000 people in the United States die each year from brain injuries. Brain injuries can be easily confused with a stroke, and often the seriousness of the injury is not recognized quickly enough.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Defense Department is expected to spend $17 million on a major study of biomarkers in over one thousand patients. The study will take a year and a half and could result in a simple blood testing device that could check for brain injuries, which medical personnel could carry onto the battlefield. A smaller study using almost 70 subjects found that patients with the most severe brain injuries had levels of one biomarker that were sixteen times that found in patients without brain injuries. Scientists hope to develop a blood test that will check for that particular biomarker.

Have you suffered a traumatic brain injury in the San Fernando Valley due to someone else’s negligence? If so, contact the experienced Valencia brain injury attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm today at 818-866-6600. Our dedicated attorneys will strive to get you the compensation you deserve. Call today for a free consultation.