NFL Brain Injuries Shed New Light on Head Trauma and Safety

Over the past two months, there has been a lot of buzz around the NFL and head injuries. It began when Jahvid Best, running back for Cal Berkeley, landed on his head after a touchdown at Oregon State University on November 7. The NFL Commissioner recently announced the resignation of several committee members and assured the public that the league will soon require players with head injuries to consult independent neurologists for treatment.

The underlying issue is that traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can have severe and long-lasting effects. A TBI is defined as any hit or shock to the head that affects brain function ranging from mild to severe. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, 28% of all TBI cases result from falls while 20% are attributed to motor vehicle-traffic accidents. Males are 1.5 times as likely to sustain a TBI over females.

Some short-term effects of TBI include irritability and confusion, headaches, nausea, loss of consciousness, memory loss and un-reactive or unequal pupils. The most common long-term symptoms of a TBI are loss of memory and problem solving skills as well as changes in behavior, language, emotion, and learning. Studies show that 40% of Americans hospitalized for a TBI had at least one unmet need for services one year after injury.

Brain injury and head trauma can be life-changing events and most commonly occur in infants from ages 0-4 and teenagers 15-19. If you or someone you love has suffered a brain injury from a car accident or fall on unsafe territory in California, you may be entitled to compensation. Call (818) 886-6600 to speak with an experienced Northridge traumatic brain injury lawyer at the Mandell Law Firm for a free consultation.

Sources:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/25/ED7A1APC6V.DTL; http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/5651/tedford-no-decision-on-best-return